James Denton-BrownIndustrial & Ports Practice Leader

Bechtel Civil-San Francisco

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Khalifa Port and Khalifa Industrial Zone-Abu Dhabi

Middle East Case Study:Dredging, Reclamation and Environmental Protection

Khalifa Port and Khalifa Industrial Zone-Abu Dhabi (KIZAD)

• Khalifa Port and its Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi are situated halfway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai on and off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Arabian Gulf. The container terminal of the Port saw commercial operations commence on September 1st, 2012.

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Project Location

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Dubai

Khalifa Port

Abu Dhabi

Jebel Ali Port

Khalifa Port is located in the United Arab Emirates on the southern shore of the Arabian Gulf and is about 40 kilometers away from the Port of Jebel Ali

Khalifa Port Facts

• Multi-purpose maritime facility located 5 km offshore• Replaces the existing port in the center of Abu Dhabi City• Offshore port area approx. 3.0 square km• 50 square km industrial zone• Gateway

– Import cargo into Abu Dhabi– Export Industrial zone goods– KIZAD destination port

• Phase 1A throughput– 2.5 million container TEUs– 12 million tonnes of general cargo– Separate terminal serving EMAL, the largest aluminum smelter in the Middle East

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Reclamation, dredging & construction

• Port island platform made from reclaimed seabed material• Rock revetments and breakwaters protect outer perimeter of

port island• Dredging

– 45 million cubic meters– Port basin

• 16 m deep– Approach channel

• 250 m wide• 16.5 m deep• 12 km long

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Photo source Archirodon – all rights reserved

Reclamation, dredging & construction (cont.)

• Access to port island– 3.2 km causeway including a 1km long highway bridge– 3.5 km causeway/trestle consisting of 1.7 km causeway

and 1.6 km trestle bridge– 800 m long terminal for Emirates Aluminum

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Modeling of port construction & impacts

• Hydrodynamic modeling established that– Construction impacts could be

substantially reduced by locating the port island further offshore

– Providing a 1 km-long bridge in port access causeway increased long-shore current flow

– A 8 km-long breakwater was introduced to protect the environmentally sensitive area from the effects of construction and port operations

• These features– Ensured the marine

environment was properly protected in accordance with national environmental policy

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Marine environmental setting of the port

• Ras Ghanadah coral reef located less than 2 km east of project area

• Area is the largest and most pristine stretch of coral in Gulf• Seagrass fields are located near project site

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Ras Ghanada Headland – Coral Reef and Sea Grasses

Marine environmental setting of the port

• Ras Ghanadah coral and seagrass areas provide critical habitat for many forms of marine life– Dugong– Green turtle– Indo-Pacific Humpbacked Dolphin– Fish species

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Environmental issues of highest concern

Abu Dhabi Ports Company required a sustainable design & construction programme that supported its commitment to preserve the critical coral reef habitat & scarce Middle East resources. All work subject to review & permitting by the Environmental Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD).

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The Environmental Response

• Bechtel worked with consultants to develop a 4 phase design and execution strategy which– Optioneered the engineering design – the port footprint was moved

4.5 km offshore to avoid the coral habitat – Developed exemplar environmental controls for the construction

phase – environmental breakwater– Procured a programme of seawater turbidity monitoring from

dredging contractors– Contracted coral reef “health checks” as proof for regulators and

stakeholders.

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Environmental Breakwater

• Built as first element of construction– To protect the Ras Ghanadah

coral colonies in Gulf– Act as a barrier for dredging fines and

turbidity• Breakwater

– 8 km environmental breakwater – 1 km causeway bridge allowing

current to circulate to the reef

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Marine environmental monitoring program

• February 2008 – September 2010 by Hydronamic/Boskalis

• Monitored impact of construction on water quality– Comply with water quality standards– Sedimentation restrictions

• Monitoring activities focused on– Continuous real-time turbidity

measurements– Daily mobile measurements of

turbidity– Daily synoptic measurements of

turbidity– Three surveys per year of the coral

reef area

• Wave, current, tide and weather stations measured hydrodynamic and meteorological background conditions

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Dense Coral

Environmental Breakwater

Port Island

Environmental AwardsAbu Dhabi Ports Company(ADPC) and the project won: • Seatrade Middle East Environmental Protection

award 2010• Lloyds Middle East Environmental Protection award

2011• International Bulk Journal Environmental

Protection award 2011

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