12 Apr 2013 Thorndon Container Wharf and Dock Wharf, Wellington
BBR Contech has a long association with CentrePort Wellington – a pivotal port facility provider, for the movement nationals and international cargoes, with direct nationwide access via the region’s major highways and the North Island main trunk railway line, as well as key coastal shipping and inter-island ferry services.
BBR Contech is currently providing concrete rehabilitation services for two important CentrePort assets – Dock Wharf (which handles the port’s ferry services businesses) and one of two berths at the Thorndon Container Wharf, the port’s main container-handling facility.
The majority of the work involves ‘Cathodic protection’ of deteriorated concrete and is being undertaken in a joint venture between BBR Contech and cathodic protection specialist Savcor ART of Australia.
The work involves applying an impressed current cathodic protection system to the under-wharf areas suffering the most deterioration. Some other concrete elements are being repaired using more conventional repair methods, with hydro-demolition techniques employed for concrete removal, and concrete reinstatement being achieved using proprietary gunite materials supplied by Sika NZ.
When complete, the two projects will considerably extend the lives of these critical infrastructure assets. For CentrePort, that means minimal maintenance requirements, as well as confidence that the wharves are well protected against further deterioration.