Client

Montreal Port Authority

Delivery

2020 2021

Contract type

Lump sum

Project

Deepen and upgrade wharves that service the oil refine- ries, 12 metres underwater.

Challenges

Perform high-risk work, usually by divers, including demolition, drilling, concreting, dredging and replace- ment of an anti-erosion wall.

Maintain port activities at all times and avoid incon- veniencing oil tankers. Accommodate changing ship schedules.

Solutions

Conduct intense advance planning to minimize, as much as possible, time spent on site and to optimize the work. Use state-of-the-art technological tools, including:

Boat-based laser scanning for 3D mapping of the wharves and riverbed

3D modeling of the project to optimize planning, share information and promote collaboration among the various teams

4D simulation to present our work methods and project sequencing

Multibeam echosounder to control dredging work

Install a pile and prefab-panel wall from the water s surface. Use divers only to validate the work, thereby reducing the risks associated with underwater work.

Innovations

Design of our own excavator, with a powerful caterpillar shovel, long-reach arm, specialized hydraulic drum cutter for precision work and a GPS geolocation system, using a model produced by combining the work plans and the data collected by laser scanning the wharves and riverbed. The excavator was then installed on a barge.

Our operator was able to carry out work with instrument guidance and a 5-cm margin of error thanks to GPS and telemetry equipment that provided real-time data. As a result, the work was of higher quality right from the outset, and was completed faster and at a lower cost.

3D design and modelling of work barges to optimize safety and the completion of work.

Underwater works to revitalize port facilities

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