Harbor engineering and construction, Jamaica

Noranda planned to deepen an existing harbor at Port Rhoades in Discovery Bay, Jamaica. Noranda contracted e4sciences to provide geophysical, engineering, and technical support during the dredging program. The objectives were to a) predict the volume and properties of the carbonate sediments and rock to be dredged from the harbor channel and the berth and b) monitor the dredging program.

e4sciences mapped the bathymetry and collected seismic data to map the stratigraphy in three dimensions as the basis for the engineering and construction of the new harbor. From the seismic data and core analysis, e4sciences determined sediment and rock thickness and properties and quantified the effectiveness of grinding and blasting in the channel and the berth.

Noranda contracted a 995 Liebherr excavator to dig the rock and sediment. The total volume to be dredged was roughly 90,000 cubic yards. During the dredging, e4sciences conducted bathymetric surveys to monitor the progress of the dredging. These surveys helped Noranda see where grade had been reached and where further dredging remained to be done. The harbor and berth were completed in April, 2015.