A berth is a structure on an artificial or natural reservoir, the main purpose of which is the mooring of ships. From the point of view of the location of the objects, they are divided into embankments, floating, roadsteads and piers. Each of these varieties has certain additional functions in shipping. Taking into account the capital, three basic classes of structures can be identified - less than 20 meters high, 20-25 m and above 25.

By purpose, berths can be general, passenger and settling. The first option is intended for various types of cargo, passenger ones are distinguished by a lightweight format, and ships are repaired on settling ones.

Berth construction technologies

Erecting piers is an extremely responsible matter, because first of all, attention is paid to the safety of using the object in the future. In this case, it is important to correctly determine the construction technology. Most often, the choice depends on the type of object.

Pontoons or floating piers, which do not provide for a rigid connection to the shore, can be made of any materials, including plastic.

Stationary ones, which are installed on supports fixed in the bottom soil, require a preliminary survey of the composition of the soil and the characteristics of water freezing in winter. That is why the most important stage before starting construction is calculations based on preliminary measurements and designing the pier.

The main types of supports that are usually used in the process of installing piers are the following:

• tubular from metal;
• sheet metal from a metal profile;
• wooden from certain types of wood;
• reinforced concrete;
• screw from rolled steel.

Tubular ones can have a closed tip or be open. The latter type, after installation work, is reinforced with reinforcement and poured with concrete. Installation of such supports is mainly carried out at a depth of at least 20 meters.

Reinforced concrete ones are not used very often, since concrete has the ability to deform due to constant contact with water. At the same time, the installation process itself is quite energy-consuming. The specifics of their installation is to ram the supports with copra.

Wooden supports with a protective coating are characterized by durability, since constant contact with water helps to increase their strength. The only drawback of this technology is the rather high cost of materials.

If it is necessary to build a pier for any purpose, the best option for completing this task is to order services from construction companies. Most often, specialists offer turnkey construction, handing over the facility completely ready for operation. During the design and construction of the facility, the following points are usually taken into account:

• Purpose

This is the most important parameter that determines not only the model of the facility and the technologies used, but also the size of the entire complex. Its carrying capacity, types of materials and a list of necessary additional equipment directly depend on the purpose of the pier.

• Water area

It is also of great importance for planning the facility. For example, an open body of water or a peat lake will have different characteristic features. Wind gusts, the presence of underwater currents, the type of coastline are also taken into account - all this will determine the basic model of the pier design.

• Additional infrastructure equipment

This list includes mooring devices - bollards or ducks, separate beams, mooring fingers. To protect the safety of passengers and crews of vessels, it is necessary to install railings or a railing fence, lighting racks, service columns that provide fresh water and electricity supply at the berth. Ladders or stairs are also used that connect the pier to the shore or the deck to the berth. For this, sets of inter-sectional fasteners are used.

• Delivery and installation work

Delivery of materials and structural elements is another service provided within the turnkey format. Representatives of construction companies transport everything necessary to the location, after which they perform installation work taking into account safety standards. Before handing over the facility, the berths are necessarily tested and accepted by the customer in accordance with the quality and strength requirements.

Turning to professional builders of RСC ALBA, you can count on a full range of performance of all stages of work taking into account the customer's requests and needs.