Pacific Coast-based maritime construction companies have been busy with work on a variety of projects recently, including burying cable, upgrading pipelines and important dredging plans, both big and small.
Pacific Maritime reached out to a selection of companies to find out about some of their notable projects.
Power Engineering Construction
Power Engineering recently worked on projects that live up to its reputation of tackling complex marine and heavy civil construction projects along the West Coast.
As part of critical infrastructure development to enhance communication networks across the San Francisco Bay, the company was recently enlisted to deploy and bury a long stretch of subsea telecom cable. The Power team quickly accomplished the challenging task.
The record-breaking installation efficiency was primarily achieved due to the diameter and capacity of the fiber optic cable, as well as the swift execution of the shoreside landings, explained Project Manager Brian Shalk in an email. A total of 17 miles of fiber-optic cable were laid in under six days, with burial completed the following week.
An on-site crew of more than 40 team members worked around the clock to ensure the project was completed on time and safely, Shalk noted. This number does not include offsite engineering and planning partners, such as the cable manufacturer, shipping logistics teams and other key contributors.
The 24-hour schedule was necessary for several key reasons, he added.
“Once the cable is deployed from the barge, continuous progress is essential to mitigate risks. An exposed cable presents a hazard to navigation and remains vulnerable in the water column, where it can be damaged by inclement weather, barge movements or surrounding vessel traffic,” Shalk explained. “Additionally, the mooring arrangement utilized floating anchor lines (Dyneema) to prevent seafloor scour and comply with environmental regulations. These floating lines posed a navigational hazard, requiring constant surveillance to prevent vessels from crossing over the mooring spread. Beyond navigation risks, any damage to the mooring lines could compromise barge positioning, survey accuracy, cable alignment, and even risk cable failure.”
Gaeaquatic, a global specialist in subsea cable engineering and management, looked to Power Engineering for their local knowledge, fleet of marine assets and skilled personnel to address the complex challenges of the marine operation—like a heavy lift over water, fluctuating depths, currents, navigable areas and other daily changes.
Tasked with a pivotal role, Power Engineering assisted with the unloading and deployment of the custom-manufactured cables, crafted in Germany. The team then maneuvered the cable onto the seafloor and supported the intricate process of jetting and burying the cable, while adhering closely to land-lease requirements dictating a 30-meter variance from the proposed alignment.
The Power team came up with innovative solutions to operate the heavy machinery in shallower waters while still upholding environmental protocols.
A shallow-draft deck barge was used to stage cable-laying materials and equipment while accessing the bay’s shallower areas without the risk of grounding, Shalk said.
To prevent anchor wire scour on the bay floor and avoid subsea gas lines supplying fuel to San Francisco International Airport, Dyneema mooring lines were utilized, he explained. The four-point mooring spread, paired with intricate survey equipment, ensured precise cable alignment. Power’s deck engineers operated six individual anchor winches to maneuver the barge across the bay while maintaining a 30-meter cable alignment specification.
Shalk also highlighted the use of a shallow-water anchor handling barge and low-draft jet boats. These vessels were deployed to support continuous operations during the fiber-optic cable shore landings.
A shallow-draft self-propelled work barge followed the cable-laying operations, housing a secondary crew responsible for immediate cable burial. Using a high-volume jet pump and a custom-fabricated cable burial sled, the team buried the cable as soon as it was laid on the seafloor, Shalk said.
The project also demonstrated global collaboration, as Power worked with partners from Germany to England and Greece to coordinate with various stakeholders throughout the process.
In another project, Power Engineering Construction’s ADCI-certified dive team upgraded the structural support system of two 950-foot-long parallel seawater intake pipelines located in a Marine Protected Area along the California coast. The underwater team was supported by topside crew, dive vessels and a construction barge.
Despite the challenging conditions, the team finished the work without any issue, said Diving Department Manager Allen Deaver in an email.
“With all the project’s complexities and environmental sensitivities, work was completed on time and without incident,” Deaver noted.
The pair of 16-inch diameter high-density polyethylene pipes were initially supported by concrete blocks placed at 15-foot intervals on the seabed. Officials noted that the existing support system showed levels of age deterioration and a comprehensive renovation was necessary to ensure the continuous and sound operation of the system while maintaining its minimal ecological footprint.
Based on the seafloor geology, Power divers utilized a two-pronged approach. In the surf zone (five to 20 feet below sea level) and intake zone (55 feet and deeper), concrete block supports were retrofitted with stainless steel brackets that secure them to the seabed. In the sand zone (20 to 55 feet below sea level), concrete blocks were replaced with socketed pipe-and-beam support systems designed for the sandy seabed’s stability and long-term reliability.
The installation is intended as a 100-year fix, Deaver noted.
Due to sensitive marine habitat, the team also had to adhere to strict regulations, including continual surveillance, observation and monitoring.
“To mitigate disturbances which could disrupt the normal behaviors of wildlife near the worksite, each piece of equipment and procedure was tailored to minimize environmental impact to the fullest extent possible,” Deaver said.
For example, when marine mammals were observed within a predetermined distance from the worksite, vessel operations, deployment of tethered equipment or anchors and subsea work would stop until the animals moved beyond that specified distance, he explained. Sensitive species such as whales, for example. were given a safe distance of 500 meters.
The company was allowed three seasons (June to December) from 2022 to 2024 to complete the project. They finished operations on-site in October 2024, Deaver said.
Curtin Maritime
A few recent projects from Curtin Maritime, a Long Beach, Calif.-based company that provides a range of maritime services, from marine transportation to construction, have reached milestones and highlighted the company’s cutting-edge clamshell dredge.
Curtin recently completed a major dredging project in Puerto Rico with the hybrid powered D/B Avalon dredge vessel, company spokesman Brendan Raasch told Pacific Maritime.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials described the vessel as designed with a fully automated dredging system capable of an all-electric operation, with shore-power connection, making it a true zero-emissions operation. The groundbreaking system greatly minimizes turbidity pollution and the necessity to clean-up dig, completing depth targets faster and further reducing the carbon footprint of any project.
The Corps of Engineers awarded a $56.7 million contract to Curtin Maritime for the widening and deepening of the inner channels of San Juan Harbor in Puerto Rico in June 2023. Curtin kicked off dredging in April 2024.
San Juan Harbor is a vital hub for commercial cruise ships, petroleum tankers and terminal operators on the island, although access for larger vessels was restricted over the past decade due to the accumulation of bottom debris and the increasing size of ships.
“The San Juan Harbor deepening and widening project demonstrates how effective coordination and collaboration among all stakeholders is crucial to project success,” Col. Charles L. Decker, commander of the USACE Caribbean District, said in a statement.
The Avalon is a state-of-the-art clamshell dredge, one of the largest and more efficient dredging vessels in North America.
The scope of work included deepening Cut-6 of the entrance channel to -47 feet, deepening the Army Terminal Channel and Army Terminal Turning Basin to -46 feet, and deepening channels adjacent to the cruise terminal to -37 feet. The channel was widened by 100 feet and added flares where it meets the basin.
By the time Curtin wrapped up the project on Nov. 13, an estimated 2.9 million cubic yards of material had been removed.
The Corps of Engineers and Curtin Maritime worked together to prioritize the safety of both the crew and navigation waterways during the 24/7 dredging operations. Efforts were made to minimize environmental impacts, such as turbidity and disruptions to marine life, ensuring that the dredging process adhered to strict environmental protocols.
Curtin Maritime also recently used the Avalon to complete a phase of the Baltimore Harbor and channels dredging project.
The crew discharged approximately 550,000 cubic yards of dredged sediment from the Fort McHenry and Curtis Creek Channels into the Cox Creek Dredge Material Containment Facility and moved on to work on other areas in the harbor.
The removed material consists primarily of mud, silt, sand, shell and other mixtures. Another roughly 1.74 million cubic yards of material are to be dredged from various Maryland approach channels—Craighill Entrance and Angle, Cutoff Angle and Upper Range Channels—and re-used at the Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration Project at Poplar Island.
These channels are used by large container ships traveling to and from Port of Baltimore facilities. They will be dredged to their respective authorized dimensions, plus an allowable over-depth of 1 foot.
USACE, Baltimore District, awarded a $33.5 million contract to Curtin Maritime for the project. Completion is expected in March.
American Marine Corp.
American Marine Corp., which provides full-service marine construction support for a variety of projects, has been busy with some notable projects.
The company, which has locations in Alaska, California and Hawaii, works on projects including subsea outfalls and pipelines, pile driving, marina and pier construction and dredging.
In an email, Executive Vice President David Shahnazarian highlighted the Wailoa maintenance dredging project the company completed at the end of 2024 out of their Hawaii office.
Initial funding for the project was released in January 2024 and the Corps of Engineers expeditiously handled the required permitting process. According to state officials, dredging at Wailoa became a critical concern for Hawaii Island boaters after the Pohoiki ramp was surrounded by lava during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption.
AMC was hired by the state of Hawaii to provide emergency dredging at Wailoa River Basin.
The water depth was at “dangerously shallow levels” and created a hazards for the fishing and local boating community. AMC mobilized the company’s spud barge with a dredging excavator to tackle the critical situation.
The project finished with roughly 23,000 cubic yards of material dredged and deepened the channel to a depth of eight feet. Sediment was moved from the harbor basin and spread along the shoreline, where it was trucked away to a county facility for the state to reuse.
The team had to overcome some unique conditions during the project, including high currents from rain runoff, rough water conditions, monsoons and floating debris that interrupted dredging operations.
AMC was also hired by the state of Hawaii to repair the Ke’ehi Small Boat Harbor boat ramp in Honolulu. Work included constructing a new concrete abutment and installing an aluminum framed loading dock with plastic lumber fenders and fiber-reinforced plastic decking.
Existing piles needed to be repaired via cleaning and adding underwater concrete for pile foundation and pile encasement. Pile caps were poured to support the new aluminum dock installed. A crane was used to lower the new dock onto the piles.
Sara Hall has 15 years of experience at several regional and national magazines, online news outlets, and daily and weekly newspapers, where coverage has included reporting on local harbor activities, marine-based news, and regional and state coastal agencies. Her work has included photography, writing, design and layout.