Project

SHEET
Port expansion project, Ras Laffan, Qatar
EPIC for dredging, land reclamation and breakwater
construction/ design and engineering

INTRODUCTION features
The Ras Laffan project is one of the largest maritime
Client Qatar Petroleum (QP)
engineering projects in the world. Its sheer size can
best be viewed from space. Over a period of three Location Ras Laffan, Qatar
years, more than 3,000 specialists have been
Period 2005 / 2009
working together to create the largest LNG harbor
in the world. The total contract value is Contractor Boskalis Westminster Middle East Ltd
approximately USD 2 billion, with the Boskalis and Jan de Nul Dredging Ltd
share amounting to 50%. Qatar has natural gas (joint venture)
reserves of roughly 25 trillion cubic meters, 15% of
the world total. The gas is trans-ported from the
Offshore North Field (26,000 billion m3 ), 80
kilometers north of Qatar, into Ras Laffan, where it
is liquefied and pumped into latest generation
tankers. Qatar became the world’s top LNG
exporter in 2007. Export is expected to increase to
77 million m3 in 2010.

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS
This expansion made it necessary to review the
infra-structure of both the petro-chemical installations A
and the facilities for transportation of the products.
The new facilities were to be positioned in a
A Location map
sheltered area. The size of the existing harbor had to
B Main characteristics of the Ras Laffan Project
be increased from 106 km2 to 246 km2. Once the C Satellite image of the project, taken in May 2009
harbor is completed, there will be 10 loading D Work in progress. The project is carried out within a tight
facilities. To facilitate LNG berths and many other timeframe and subject to strict safety and environmental
related activities (cargo, gas-2-liquid products etc.) constraints
the following additional works had to be constructed:
‚‚ facilities for LNG tankers As part of this immense expansion the existing port had to be extended from
‚‚ liquid-product berthing facilities 8km 2 to 51.2 km2 . This project was awarded to Boskalis - Jan de Nul JV.
‚‚ cargo on- & offloading facilities
‚‚ vessel repair / dry-dock facilities WHAT MAKES THIS PROJECT UNIQUE ?
Design
Not only was the operational scale of the project enormous, the design of the
harbor’s breakwaters and revetments was also a project in its own right.
Boskalis took the lead in this area and eight marine civil experts from
Hydronamic, the Boskalis in-house engineering department, were mobilized to
Grenoble (France). They managed and supervised the entire design process
required for the details of the 20 km of breakwaters and more than 42 km of
revetment works. During two years of extensive detailed engineering, an
astonishing num-ber of approximately 40 detailed design reports, fifteen
B 2D-model studies and five 3D-model studies were developed in a challenging
environment in partnership with the external engineering consultant and the

C D
 Port expansion project, Ras Laffan, Qatar
EPIC for dredging, land reclamation and breakwater
construction/ design and engineering

client. The project's tight construction schedule environmental and safety limits. The environmental objectives were:
meant that the design had to be provided quickly ‚‚ to prevent environmental incidents and pollution
without losing sight of the extreme stringent quality ‚‚ to ensure that every individual on the project has a full understanding and
requirements for the design. awareness of their responsibilities and accountability
‚‚ to ensure that all employees are competent and able to perform their tasks
Complex logistics with respect for the environment
A complete organization had to be established ‚‚ to ensure that incidents are properly investigated and appropriate correc-
with different nationalities and facilities in just a few tive actions are taken.
months. The facilities covered campsites, offices,
workshops, equipment, materials, procedures and Compliance monitoring was carried out on a daily basis (suspended solids
logistics. A round trip by car takes three hours. A concentration, water temperature, turbidity, salinity), providing information in
wide variety of disciplines (authorities, supervision, order to control pollution and organize marine works within the environmental
dredging and reclamation, dry earthworks, constraints. Environmental effects were monitored on a regular basis in order to
construction of break-waters, concrete works, provide detailed data about water quality (physical, chemical and bio-chemical)
transport, quarries etc.) worked closely together in in the course of the project. In addition, sea grass, turtles and relocated oyster
order to achieve the ultimate goal. beds were monitored every day.

PROJECT SPECIFICATION WELL -TRAINED STAFF

The main activities under the contract were: Over 3,500 m2 of site offices were used, as well as a campsite with
‚‚ 24 million m3 dredging of waterways (widen- accommodation for 1,500 persons. The project was carried out by 350 staff
ing of the existing waterways and additional and more than 3,000 employees, working in Ras Laffan and overseas. In order
shelters) to achieve and maintain the highest environmental and safety levels, almost
‚‚ 29 million m3 reclamation (areas for tank stor- 10,000 attendees followed one or more of the 28 different types of training.
age, container handling and future dry docks
The information contained in this data sheet is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to changes. © Boskalis. All rights reserved.

‚‚ The construction of 33 kilometers of breakwa- EQUIPMENT

ters, for which the following materials were In order to cope with the enormous dimensions of the project, a vast amount of
required: equipment was needed. An impression of the equipment used: 6 large cutter
- 31million tons of local rock material suction dredgers, 12 large trailer suction hopper dredgers, 8 backhoe dredgers
- 9 million tons of rock from overseas, and grabs, 8 self-propelled split barges, 6 non-self-propelled split barges,
transported over a distance of 275 n.M.) flat-top barges (approx. 10,000 tons each), (sea-going) tugs, multi-cats, survey
- 2.5 million m3 of concrete vessels, crew- and monitoring vessels, a heavy plough & sweep bar system, a
- 250,000 concrete elements for protection of complete workshop for maintenance of cutters and land-based equipment, 2
the structures against wave conditions complete concrete factories, 15 concrete trucks, hundreds of land-based
(Antifers & Accropodes of 3-, 4- and 5 m3 equipment (excavators, pay-loaders, bulldozers, dump trucks, rock drilling &
each). sorting equipment) for the overseas rock, 4 pieces of custom-built off-loading
facilities, 350 trailers/trucks for hauling the local rock.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESTRICTIONS
The project was carried out within strict

E G

E The project was carried out by 350 staff

members and more than 3,000
employees, working in Ras Laffan and
overseas. Over 3,500 m2 of site offices
were used, as well as a campsite with
accommodation for 1,500 persons Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V.
F 250,000 concrete elements for PO Box 43
protection of the structures against 3350 AA Papendrecht
wave conditions (Antifers & Accropodes The Netherlands
01 — 2012

of 3-, 4- and 5 m3 each). T +31 78 69 69 000

G Construction of one of the breakwaters, F +31 78 69 69 555
F which are more than 10 kilometers royal@boskalis.com
long. www.boskalis.com