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East London Sheetpile, South Africa

Rehabilitation of the sheet pile quay wall at South Africa’s only river port.

Client

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA)

Project date

2013

The Port of East London, located on the south-east coast of South Africa, is the country’s only river port. In recent years, the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has undertaken projects to refurbish and modernise the port’s infrastructure to sustain current business and cargo traffic, while preparing for future growth.

The opportunity

One project focused on rehabilitating the 83-metre wharf adjacent to the Princess Elizabeth Dry Dock and Latimer Landing. The existing sheet pile quay wall, installed in 1942, had exceeded its 50-year design life. Corrosion holes in the steel sheet piles caused loss of fines and settlement of the platform behind the quay wall, making replacement the recommended solution.

What we did

Zutari was appointed in 2013 to undertake the feasibility (FEL 3) study to determine the most suitable design for rehabilitating the sheet pile wharf. After supervising and analysing a geotechnical investigation, Zutari developed a detailed proposed design that considered future sea level rise. The design featured a combined steel sheet pile wall with tubular piles, interspaced with AZ piles, installed in front of the existing wall.

Additional engineering solutions included a ground improvement scheme, reinstatement of services, and pavement design. Zutari provided structural engineering services and site supervision.

During installation, the founding toe of the existing sheet pile wall was found to be offset by up to 1,000 mm towards the waterside. This required moving the new wall further into the water. Due to the contractor’s piling rig limitations and pre-delivered materials, Zutari adapted the design by introducing angled tubular and sheet piles to form a curved alignment towards the graving dock.
Flexible design solutions accounted for site-specific challenges, including extremely hard natural bedrock and the absence of fine-grained material in the lower fill, which had been leached through the corroded existing sheet piles.

The outcome

Zutari developed a detailed construction sequence to safely implement the design without overloading the existing wall. Graphical sequences illustrated each construction phase, aiding stability analysis and ensuring safe execution.

Robust collaboration among designers, the contractor, and the client enabled the project to be completed on time and within budget. TNPA commended the Zutari team for their responsiveness, engagement, and positive contribution to project relationships.

Through careful planning, agile problem-solving, and strong collaboration, Zutari delivered a resilient and flexible quay wall solution that supports the Port of East London’s ongoing operations and future growth.

The good collaboration within the project team ensured successful delivery within time and budget, and TNPA highly commended it.

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