Construction work on the eastern quay wall and load-out area on Snake Island, Nigeria is progressing well with the pile installation now complete. Work is now in progress on the main slab steel fixing with the slab pours due to be completed by the end of July 2013. Beckett Rankine is supervising the construction as part of their role on the project. The new quay wall and jetty structure along the load-out area is to be used for the transfer of large modules, rigs and jackets weighing up to 10,000 tonnes onto barges for transport offshore.

After assessment of the requirements for the new quay development, Beckett Rankine produced a design package with design calculations, construction drawings and works specifications. The critical design consideration was the structural design of the load relieving platform to support the existing sheet pile wall and accommodate the increased surcharge load due to the load out operations. The load relieving platform is formed from reinforced concrete slab supported by the 31m long cast in situ piles.

Some of the challenges encountered were the poor ground conditions, the difficulties supplying materials to the island, limited availability of construction plant and tropical weather. Having previously designed and supervised similar projects in Nigeria Beckett Rankine has a good understanding of the requirements and capabilities of the local marine contractors so we were able to design the project around what can practically be achieved.