Notable projects: Soilmec equipment at work for Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway project

Building offshore foundations for the new Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway in Kuwait City, Kuwait, is the latest in a long line of complex marine projects successfully constructed by the Trevi Group.

Advertisement

Valued at about US$3.7 billion, this project entails the construction of a magnificent 37-km-long (23-mile) bridge and causeway across the Bay of Kuwait to link Kuwait City and the less-densely-populated Subiya area.

Trevi Foundations Kuwait Co.W.L.L. (part of the Trevi Group) is building 760 of the 1200 foundation piles for the causeway. The offshore piles are being installed from an anchored barge; additional ships are being used to transport personnel, equipment, and supplies to the sites and to remove excavated debris. The complex project is also challenged in the summer by extreme heat up to 50 °C (120 °F) with frequent dust and wind storms, in the winter by cool temperatures with minimal visibility due to heavy fog, and throughout the year by strong wave and tidal variations.

Due to soil conditions, bored pile technology was chosen for both the onshore and offshore foundations. The piles have a diameter of 2500 mm (98 in) onshore and 3000 mm (118 in) offshore, with depths varying from 30 to 84 m (98 to 276 ft).

Trevi Foundations Kuwait is constructing the onshore piles with a Soilmec SR-100 and R-930 (equivalent to the newer SR-90) drilling rigs. They are installing the offshore piles with a Soilmec SC-120HD cranefitted with a Soilmec SA-40 hydraulic rotary head attachment, which allows the operator to change the working radius to reach over 6 m (20 ft) from the barge to the center of each pile.

Soilmec, as part of the TreviGroup, has incorporated advances and improvements learned from Trevi’s on-site construction experience, bringing the most cutting edge technological upgrades to solve ever-evolving foundation drilling challenges. Trevi Foundations Kuwait is using specialized methods and technologies to meet the unique challenges of onshore and offshore pile construction for the causeway in Kuwait City.

For instance, it’s critical they avoid polluting the water in the bay. So excavation debris is discharged directly into watertight caissons and the overflow of the polymer slurry used to stabilize the boreholes is caught in a tank below. Casting piles deep into water is also a challenging, delicate process that must be performed without interruption at the right speed to ensure the polymer slurry rises properly as it is displaced by the concrete. Trevi Foundations Kuwait is avoiding interruptions in the casting process by using two barges, each with a concrete mixing plant and a pump with a spraying arm long enough to reach the piles.

Trevi Foundations Kuwait is relying on their ingenuity, experience, and Soilmec equipment to successfully build foundations for yet another complex marine project. So it’s no surprise that they’ve been selected as one of the top marine construction companies this year.