The under-dock piling of Piers 3, 4 and 5 at historic Port of Seattle Fishermen’s Terminal required pile improvements, including cleaning, wrapping, and installation of a cathodic protection system, in order to increase the life span of the aging facility. Global inspected, cleaned, coated, and wrapped 293 steel piles with Denso SeaShield 2000HD pile protection system. After wrapping the piles, Global installed 1400 magnesium anodes on the piles to make up the new cathodic protection system. The team also removed miscellaneous waste and debris from the lake bed around the work area.

Global used a 7-person dive team to perform the work, with two divers working in the water simultaneously under the direction of the dive supervisor. A 72’ foot barge was outfitted with a Global surface-supplied air dive spread and equipment to serve as a mobile work platform; additional Flexi-floats and a skiff were also used when needed. The team worked around vessel movements and limited moorage space to ensure marine operations on the docks went uninterrupted over the course of the project.

The project initially had a delayed start due to lead time and fabrication issues of the cathodic protection system; the China-sourced magnesium anodes were specified by the Port because of their longer sacrificial life. Actual water depths were 12 ffw shallower than specified on the Port’s original survey; Global worked hand-in-hand with the Port to quickly redesign the anode layout to meet their requirements and keep the project on schedule. Despite the late start and adjustments to the anode installation design, Global’s team finished the pile improvements significantly ahead of the original schedule and under budget, to the client’s satisfaction.