Port Canaveral has announced that the waterside construction at its new Cruise Terminal 3 is moving along and that a 1,309-foot-long berth is about to take shape with the arrival of the first steel for the bulkhead wall.
Intermarine LLC’s Ocean Globe, a 545-foot multi-purpose U.S.-flagged vessel, arrived at the port this week to discharge 261 steel pipes ranging in length from 110.5 feet to 126 feet. The 36-inch diameter pipe piles will be part of an A-frame structure under construction at the berth that will anchor to the waterfront bulkhead wall.
“The initial delivery of steel A-frame components on the jobsite is a critical milestone in the progress of building the marine facility for the new CT-3,” said Bill Crowe, vice president, engineering, construction and facilities. “The project team, including the contractor RUSH Marine, is increasingly excited for the completion of our new landmark cruise terminal for Carnival.”
Waterside construction of the new berth got underway in September, beginning with the demolition of existing pier structures at the site and installation of protective barriers to prevent erosion resulting from wake and wave action generated by vessels transiting the main channel.
A lightweight aggregate will be used in construction as backfill to reduce long-term settlement of the berth. As a result, the port said that it will reduce load on the bulkhead wall, allowing a reduction in the size of the steel and substantially decreasing construction costs. The aggregate material is manufactured from various clays produced by a rotary kiln process.
The completed CT-3 terminal, related landside structures and roadway improvements will be the port’s largest single capital project in its 65-year history. The $150 million project will be completed in time for the June 2020 arrival of Carnival’s as-yet-unnamed 180,000-ton XL Class vessel.
The marine work is expected to be completed by end of November 2019. Two passenger boarding bridges for the terminal are currently in the design/build process. Terminal and parking garage construction is expected to start in January 2019 and be completed in April 2020.
