Construction is underway at Port Saint John to build eight caissons for a new wharf. The caissons will be the size of an eight-story building and filled with rock. (photo by Tamara Steele)
Port Saint John’s $205-million modernization project on the west side has reached a new milestone with the pouring of concrete for caissons for the base of a new wharf.
Jody Potter is the engineering project manager for Port Saint John. He explains caissons are large concrete blocks.
“They will form the base of the new wharf. For residents in Saint John, they are [the size] of an eight-storey building. They would approximately be the size of the customs building on Prince William Street,” Potter said.
The west side modernization project also includes expanding and strengthening the pier structure and deepening the main channel.
Port President and CEO Jim Quinn said the future of container shipping is larger vessels so they need to be ready.
The turning basin can currently handle ships in the 360-metre category.
“Today’s ships that come in here on a regular basis are holding up to 5,000 [containers] and the traders that are going to becoming more the norm will be in that 8,500 range. So if we wanted to stay in the container business we had to be able to have facilities that could accommodate those ships,” Quinn said.
Port Saint John providing a physically distant site visit of work on the west side modernization project on a foggy Thursday morning. pic.twitter.com/8VE2ItxKBv
— Tamara Steele (@tamarasteele1) June 4, 2020
Quinn calls this a “generational project.”
“It sets the scene for Saint John to remain a viable and competitive port going into the future,” Quinn said.
About 100 workers are on site this week and, starting June 8, the site will be operational 24/7 with two shifts per day of approximately 75 to 100 people on each shift.
Potter said additional trailers were brought to accommodate social distancing requirements for lunchrooms due to COVID-19.
Handwashing stations were added and each worker must complete a checklist of questions and get their temperature checked.
The project is funded by Port Saint John, the provincial government and the federal government.
Work on the project began in 2012 and is expected to finish by 2023.
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