The Greater Victoria Harbor Authority (GVHA) has announced that the large-diameter pile for the 58-meter mooring dolphin extension of Pier B at the Victoria Cruise Terminal has arrived in Victoria, and the project management team for the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) will now breathe a brief sigh of relief.
Following the unfortunate loss at sea of the large-diameter pile shipment in early December 2018, GVHA staff explored a revised design with North American-sourced steel in the early months of 2019. The ability to confirm the steel required for the secondary option didn’t come to fruition, so the project team reordered the monopile steel and shifted the project completion back by one year to spring 2020.
Made in China and shipped from Shanghai, the steel arrived on the Arctic Tuk. The large diameter pile is 3.05 meters (10 feet) wide, 64 meters (203 feet) long, and weighs 204 tons. When lifted into place and embedded into the seabed, most of the structure will be underwater and underground. The first lift of the steel will take place today.
The $6.8-million project is one of the largest capital infrastructure spends in the not-for-profit’s history. The dolphin extension will allow for Quantum-class sized vessels – those close to 350 meters (1,148 feet) long – to safely moor in port, ensuring the Victoria Cruise Terminal will remain competitive in the decades to come.
Construction of the dolphin extension will take place over the next five months and will be completed for the 2020 cruise season, which begins on April 3, 2020.