Crucial moment in the implementation of works in the Port of Gdynia
At the construction of the docking bay in the Port of Gdynia, 85% of the pile driver work progress has been achieved. This is due in part to the specialised personnel and equipment – Europe’s second largest pile driver is in operation there. The machine is used to drive piles into the bottom.
The Port of Gdynia is the investor of the project entitled “Construction of a docking bay and relocation of a floating dock with associated works”. The first stage includes the construction of the docking bay, the reconstruction of the Południowe Quay II section, the reconstruction of the Zachodnie Quay I section, the earthworks and dredging in the docking bay and on the approach fairway to it, and the relocation of the floating dock from the existing location to the newly constructed bay. Stage two will include the reconstruction of Pier II. The general contractor for this project, a consortium of NDI SA and NDI SOPOT SA, must also obtain occupancy permits.
Crucial moment of construction
At this point, work is already well advanced. Currently, pile-driving works, pile works, demolition works, among others, are being carried out and reinforced concrete works have begun “We are at a crucial point in the realisation of this project. We have successfully completed the pile-driving works on the eastern quay and will soon be completing them on the northern quay as well. We have reached about 85% completion not only of the pile-driving works, but also of the demolition works. We have completed them on land and are continuing to demolish the underwater elements of the structure. The work completed so far has enabled us to carry out the reinforced concrete superstructure,” reports Paweł Ciomek, site manager from the NDI Group. In addition, electrical works began last December, and water supply and gas works are currently being planned. Among other things, the pile-driving and reinforced concrete works will continue in the coming weeks. The general contractor will start dredging already in spring.
State-of-the-art equipment
Interestingly, the project in the Port of Gdynia is being carried out with state-of-the-art equipment. Among the impressive machines is the second largest pile driver in Europe: “We opted to use such equipment precisely because of the difficult ground conditions found here. The large pile driver is used to drive steel pipes with a diameter of 1014 mm and a length of 28 m into the ground. The hammer alone, which is the component that strikes and “drives” the pipes, weighs 28 tonnes. The pile driver reaches just over 70 tonnes, and the set together with the crawler crane over 270 tonnes,” explains Paweł Ciomek.
The construction of the docking bay is yet another hydraulic engineering project by NDI for the Port of Gdynia. The contract amounts to over PLN 82 million gross. The project duration is 18 months.
