Ports and Marine Terminals

Ports and marine terminals are critical links in the nation’s transportation, trade and defense infrastructure. As vessels grow larger and operational demands increase, owners and operators must adapt aging waterfront facilities while maintaining safe, efficient and reliable operations. Sea level changes, storm surge, extreme weather, heavy loading and the harsh marine environment add complexity to these investments. Integrated waterfront planning and engineering can help owners increase capacity, extend asset life, strengthen resilience, and position facilities to meet both current and future needs.

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GZA supports port authorities, terminal operators, maritime agencies, industrial waterfront owners, and their engineering teams in addressing the complex demands facing today’s waterfront facilities. Our multidisciplinary team integrates maritime structural, coastal, geotechnical, civil, and environmental engineering expertise to plan, assess, design, rehabilitate, and support construction of critical port and terminal infrastructure. From adapting aging facilities and accommodating larger vessels and changing operational requirements to improving resilience to coastal hazards, we develop practical solutions that improve vessel access, increase terminal capacity, extend asset service life, and enhance operational resilience.

Our experience spans container terminals, bulk cargo facilities, ferry terminals, shipyards, military installations, offshore wind marshaling facilities, and multi-use commercial ports. We provide engineering services for navigation and vessel access improvements; berthing and mooring structures; heavy-lift and crane-support structures; deep-water wharves; bulkheads and shoreline structures; breakwaters; dry docks; marine terminals; and waterfront transportation infrastructure. Our approach considers structural performance, geotechnical conditions, coastal processes, environmental requirements, constructability, and ongoing operations to help clients make informed investments in waterfront infrastructure that can meet both current and future needs.

Infrastructure Planning

Port master planning and operations support
Resilient port planning
Ferry terminal planning
Asset management programs and life-cycle cost modeling
Offshore wind port facilities planning
Marine terminal upgrade planning
Dredge planning and design, sedimentation analysis, and management

Waterfront Structural Engineering

Facility condition assessments
U.S. Department of Defense Military Standard surveys
Navigation channel design, deepening, and widening
Design and rehabilitation of wharves, piers, bulkheads, and dry docks
Vessel berthing, mooring, and fendering design
Heavy-lift platforms and high-capacity berth design
Breakwaters and wave attenuation
Peer review and value engineering
Mooring bollard verification testing

Support Services

Hydrographic and topographic surveys
Aerial drone photogrammetry and LiDAR
Coastal modeling and environmental load analysis
Geotechnical subsurface exploration and design
Numerical modeling and soil-structure interaction analysis
Environmental engineering and site investigations
Site civil engineering
Regulatory permitting and compliance
Grant funding support services
Geotechnical instrumentation and monitoring
Air, wave, current, and turbidity monitoring
Construction materials testing for concrete, soils, and pavement
Construction management, construction support, construction administration, and field observation
ADA compliance