Optimizing Wharf Asset Management in Metro Vancouver

Challenge

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (the Port) needed a practical way to proactively manage a large inventory of port structures while maintaining reliable port operations. The Port’s reinforced concrete wharves serve container, general cargo, breakbulk, and cruise terminals, so any structural failure could cause berth downtime and disrupt shipping activity. To support effective maintenance and rehabilitation planning, the Port needed a consistent, defensible method to compare risks across assets and identify where investment would deliver the greatest benefit.

Solution

Tetra Tech developed and applied a risk-based structural assessment approach supported by life cycle cost analysis to help the Port build a multi-year works program. The team reviewed as-built records, inspection data, and repair histories, and developed GIS-based asset information for each wharf. Structural analyses were completed to estimate demands on critical elements, while deterioration and corrosion effects were modelled to project future capacity loss over time. For reinforced concrete structures, the methodology accounted for degradation of concrete and corrosion of steel reinforcement and tendon systems at ten-year intervals, with additional refinement where needed. 

The resulting framework enabled the Port to monetize risks across its network, compare funding needs, and evaluate risk mitigation scenarios. This approach provided a cost-effective decision-making tool to prioritize maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation activities and support the long-term reliability of the port’s structural assets.