The Shellburn facility is located in the Burrard inlet, a relatively sheltered area in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Owned by Shell Canada Products, it receives oil, chemical tankers and barges. In the summer of 2020, Shell started a project to upgrade the old timber piled berth to deal with large size berthing vessels, as the existing structure had only limited capacity, and with the age of the facility. Work included the placement of four berthing dolphins and the installation of a fifth berthing dolphin as part of repair and maintenance of the existing wharf structure. This was a complex project that experienced several changes in the berthing line during the design process. Meeting the new berthing line and the positioning of the dolphin was a challenge that SFT engineers managed to overcome by working very closely with the client to find the best solution.
SFT supplied five cone fender systems (SPC1000) with large panels (4.0m x 6.4m) to provide fendering for the full range of design vessels berthing at the refurbished terminal, as their lengths vary extensively from 94 meters to 218 meters. In addition, we supplied five spacers (700 mm high) that were installed between the rubber fender and the substructure to reach the required stand-off distance of 2,200 mm. There was even an option with different sized spacers to overcome a potential misalignment of the dolphins, but in the end, it was sufficient that all spacers have the same size.
As a specialist in customized fender solutions, we at ShibataFenderTeam are proud to have put in motion our expertise in the analysis of every project condition to offer Shell the most suitable fender system and to have contributed to the modernization and safety of the Shellburn facility.
Republished from Marine Construction Magazine Issue V, 2022
