Huge 32-tonne pipes at the construction site of the Sea Transshipment Terminal in Gdańsk!
A powerful vibro hammer is currently driving twelve 32-tonne steel pipes! It is part of the work related to the investment being built on the quay of the Gdańsk refinery. The sea transhipment terminal is being built by a consortium led by the NDI Group. What else is going on at the construction site?
The construction of the Sea Transshipment Terminal includes the construction of a quay for the handling of seagoing vessels with a length of up to 130 m, a draught of up to 5.8 m and a width of up to 17.6 m. The work includes the construction of a quay with two loading bays (each with four loading arms) for the handling of tankers. The necessary infrastructure will also be built: pipelines, steel flyovers, underground and auxiliary infrastructure that will connect the terminal with the refinery in Gdańsk.
“Currently, 12 pipes, which are going to serve as dolphins, are being driven at the construction site. Self-releasing hooks are installed at the top of each dolphin to allow vessels to moor to the transhipment quay. The work is carried out from the mainland using one of the most modern vibro hammers in Europe,” says Maciej Klecha, Site Manager at the NDI Group. The work is not easy as each pipe weighs over 32 tonnes, is 29 metres long and is almost 2 metres in diameter.
“In addition to driving the steel pipes, reinforcement works are carried out on the superstructure of the quay and the loading platforms. We are reinforcing the western platform within the cap and the eastern platform within the reinforced concrete slab. Particular sections of the quay are being concreted. Currently, 11 of 20 possible have already been concreted,” adds Maciej Klecha.
Reinforced concrete work on the foundations for future connection bridges is also underway. Earthworks are being carried out within the Control Room and Maintenance Building under construction, while intake pipes are being installed in the intake chamber.
The terminal will be able to handle more than one million tonnes of products, including base oils, marine fuels and fuel bioadditives. The investment will improve the profitability and security of the supply of biocomponents for the production of biogasoline and biodiesel, as well as the transport of the products produced at the refinery in Gdańsk. The terminal will also relieve the railway siding operating on the premises of the plant, which currently transports products between the refinery and external transhipment points.
The project will be implemented by a consortium consisting of companies from the NDI Group from Sopot (consortium leader), Biproraf sp. z o.o., BPBM “PROJMORS,” Sp. z o.o. and Dipl. Ing. SCHERZER GmbH. The general contractor operates in a turnkey formula. It must carry out the design work, prepare the necessary documentation and carry out all the construction and installation work in the fields of hydraulic engineering, construction, structural, sanitary, mechanical, electrical, automatic, telecommunication and road engineering. It also includes the provision of all materials and equipment, the performance of all necessary tests and trials, and the training of operating personnel.
The investment will be ready in 2025.
