Port of Seattle to begin wharf improvement

Terminal 5 in Seattle is having its dock strengthened and deepened, with the design phase scheduled to begin after the New Year.    The Port of Seattle is retrofitting the dock at Terminal 5 to handle bigger vessels. As part of the design phase, contractors will begin driving test piles the first week of January. The pile driving and testing is scheduled to last through March, the port authority said.
   The dock improvements will allow for the installation of heavier cranes with longer outreach and go hand-in-hand with deeper drafts so the terminal can simultaneously handle two 18,000-TEU vessels. No vessel of that size has called at a West Coast port so far, but CMA CGM is scheduled to conduct a trial run with an 18,000-TEU vessel, the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin, at the ports of Los Angeles and Oakland after Christmas.
   Testing could help reduce the final number of piles required and refine the depth of installation during berth construction, which could ultimately help save money and reduce construction-related noise, the port authority said.
   About 27 piles will be installed at the edge of the Terminal 5 wharf.