Location:
Florida
Port Tampa Bay is Florida’s largest port, comprising over 5,000 acres and handling over 37 million tons of cargo per year. For large vessels accessing the Port, the only entrance is through Egmont Channel, a federal navigation channel in St. Petersburg, Florida which connects the Gulf of Mexico to Tampa Bay. To assure proper alignment for large vessels approaching the narrow channel, a Range (consisting of a pair of well-lit fixed offshore structures at either end of the channel) is used to mark its centerline.
This project included the replacement of two Range structures. The design of each is unique, driven by equipment requirements and exposure to extreme environmental forces. The Front Range is a relatively short monopile foundation, while the Rear Range requires that the light be located 125-feet above the oceans’ surface and therefore requires a robust steel template structure, commonly used in offshore energy exploration. These structures are primarily laterally loaded from 120 knot winds and significant storm waves that produce loads ranging from 25 to 50 kips. Other considerations are durability, vessel docking for maintenance of equipment, and corrosion protection. Design of these structures requires expertise in ocean, structural, geotechnical, and electrical engineering, and environmental sciences.
Commercial Shipyard Dry Dock Repair Design and Certification
AME recently completed a structural inspection of the floors, walls, and seat of a large commercial shipbuilding basin at a shipyard facility in California.
Waterfront Facilities Inspections
AME performed a waterfront facilities inspection and assessment at Naval Submarine Base Kitsap-Bangor and Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton in Washington