Case Studies

Port of New Orleans - Nashville Ave. C Wharf

In 1995, the Port of New Orleans installed a quantity of approximately one hundred 16" (400mm) diameter Seaward SEAPILE composite marine piles at the Nashville Avenue C wharf. At the same time, several hundred timber piles were also installed along the wharf face. The Port considered this a test installation, since the 16″ (400mm) size SEAPILE was a new product at the time, initially developed in response to the Port of New Orleans’ requirements. Rubber buckling elements were installed behind each pile near the deck level, and yellow SEATIMBER material was used as wale beams between piles.

During the next few years, Port personnel closely monitored the performance of the SEAPILE piling, as well as that of the timber piles. Kyle Jones, Chief Engineer for the Port of New Orleans, gave a status report at the Ports 1998 conference in Long Beach, California. “None of the SEAPILE piles have failed,” he reported, “while many of the timber piles have failed and been replaced, some more than one time.”

Close-up of
Nashville Ave. C Wharf - SEAPIILE and SEATIMBER installation.

When decisions were being made regarding an upgrade of the Nashville Avenue B Wharf and the construction of the new Napoleon Street Wharf, the Port engineers again reviewed the performance of the conventional timber piles versus the SEAPILE composite marine piling. It became evident that the SEAPILE product was clearly the best choice, both for performance and cost-effectiveness. Therefore, the decision was made to use 16″ (400mm) SEAPILE piling, 85′ (26m) long, for both the Nashville Avenue B Wharf and the Napoleon Street Wharf projects. Former Port of New Orleans Director Ron Brinson summarized the Port’s overall experience with these products very positively: “The SEAPILE composite marine piling is one of the most cost-effective new products we have ever used in the Port of New Orleans.”

Seaward is supplying the SEAPILE composite marine piling directly to the Port of New Orleans for the Nashville Avenue B Wharf, while Boh Brothers Construction of New Orleans is purchasing the SEAPILE piling for the Napoleon Avenue Wharf. Together, these projects will see the installation of more than 270 new 16″ (400mm) SEAPILE composite marine piles at the Port of New Orleans. The Nashville Avenue B Wharf is scheduled for completion by the end of this year, and the Napoleon Avenue Wharf is scheduled for completion during 2002.