Westshore is one of North America’s largest bulk export terminals, responsible for moving up to 33 million tonnes of materials per year. Operating since 1970, Westshore has continually invested in the replacement, rehabilitation and upgrades to existing assets and equipment at their terminal to ensure smooth, efficient operations.
Ausenco has a long-standing relationship with Westshore, which started around 2016 when our team was engaged to provide structural inspections of material handling assets at the terminal. Since that time, Ausenco has continued to provide asset integrity and management services for the site.
Our team’s scope of work centers around the terminal’s conveyance system and major material handling machinery and equipment. This includes stacker reclaimers, ship loaders, rail car dumpers, concrete structures and marine structures (berths, trestles, and overhead galleries). For these assets, we provide:
- Annual structural and mechanical inspections of major material handling equipment
- Proof load testing of all vessel loading equipment to 125% capacity every five years, in accordance with Transport Canada regulatory requirements
- Design of structural remediation, restorative and corrosion mitigating repairs
Our practical and actionable recommendations to the client help prioritise terminal improvements and improve the reliability, productivity and safety of their operations.
The challenge
Westshore is an active terminal, and one of the challenges with conducting asset integrity and management activities at site is the need to minimise disruptions to existing operations. Key to success is staying flexible and responsive to the client, and scheduling integrity and maintenance activities around ongoing terminal activities to reduce impacts. This includes working around ship and train schedules. Our team took extra care in the scheduling of our inspection personnel, frequently working nighttime and extended hours to better accommodate terminal operations.
In addition, if short notice inspections or other asset integrity activities were required to quickly get equipment back online, our team made sure to be responsive and flexible to support these activities at site.
Project outcomes
With our strong relationship developed over the last nine years, we have been able to establish our team as trusted advisors to Westshore for their asset integrity needs. Working collaboratively with the client, we play an integral, substantive part in the sustainment of Westshore’s critical, revenue-generating assets well into the future.