Working on Water: Building a Solid Foundation at Sea

Among the civil engineering work carried out by DL E&C, ports and projects related to water resources also take up a significant portion. With versatile and durable caisson technology,?the company has built strong foundations in deep waters for the construction of not only bridges, dams, and hydropower stations, but also ports, breakwaters, and container terminals both at home and abroad.

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Singapore’s Tuas Terminal to be the World’s Largest Port

One of the markets where construction projects are actively underway these days is Singapore as the country tries to make the most of its limited land. While construction players from around the world fiercely compete to secure a piece of the pie, DL E&C has successfully carried out numerous large-scale civil engineering projects in Singapore including work for urban development, as well as building ports and airports.

Thanks to such experience, as well as the company’s strength in marine and offshore constructions, DL E&C was selected to take part in Singapore’s Tuas Terminal project to create the world’s largest port. DL E&C signed a contract with the Singapore Port Authority in 2015 to take on construction of pier facilities including landfill ground improvement and caisson construction. The contract was for the second phase, but when all four phases are completed in 2040, the project land will be reborn as a massive port capable of handling 65 million TEUs (TEU: one 20-foot container) per year. The Singapore government plans to create a world-class smart megaport by relocating existing port facilities and functions to the Tuas Port and introducing various next generation port technologies, including an unmanned automation operating system.

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Caissons, an integral component of marine and offshore constructions

As part of the TTP1 project, DL E&C was in charge of caisson production and installation for the harbor. A caisson is a steel or concrete structure that is used as an anchor, especially in constructions that require a foundation beneath the water surface. Naturally, caisson fabrication and installation is a key process in large-scale reclamation works, and in the case of ports, it serves as a quay for large container ships to dock.

DL E&C prepared a caisson production site near the project site and installed a total of 221 caissons sequentially. The caisson is 28m high and weighs about 15,000 tons, approaching the size of a 12-story apartment building. The company made a caisson on land and moved it to sea using special equipment and installed it by moving it to the exact installation location using a tugboat.

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Excellence in Efficiency

Breaking down the caisson manufacturing process and carrying out thorough process management enabled the entire process to be completed in 29 months, 7 months earlier than the initially expected 36 months. Moreover, DL E&C introduced a robot for rebar processing to maximize the productivity of caisson production and create a safe working environment, Caisson fabrication requires rebars of uniform length and shape as the same process is repeated. DL E&C received acclaim for its high work efficiency and quality by automating rebar machining and reduced the risk of safety accidents.

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Meanwhile, as high costs are usually expected for procuring construction material through imports due to Singapore’s geographical features, the Tuas Port project was no exception with a huge amount of rubble stones and sand needed for the offshore reclamation project. DL E&C devised an ecofriendly design that minimized the use of sand and uses dredged soil generated in the process of dredging the seabed for the landfill. As a result, approximately 6.4 million cubic meters of sand was saved compared to conventional reclamation methods.

In addition to the successful port construction in Singapore, DL E&C has also carried out various port development projects in Korea such as for the Busan New Port, Incheon Port, and Pohang Port. Moreover,?DL E&C continues to secure competitiveness by enhancing capabilities in core sectors such as bridges, dams and harbors and devoting itself to developing innovative technologies needed in the field.

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