Ports and marine

Ferry services play a crucial role,  particularly in Quebec, since the Saint-Lawrence River splits the province in two regions, north and south, from east to west. CIMA+ has worked on most of the province’s ferry wharves, from Sorel-Tracy to Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Blanc-Sablon, taking into consideration various constraints, including remoteness, the necessity to ensure continuity of services to users, absence of specialized local manpower, and extreme climate conditions.

Our team possesses in-depth knowledge of the technical particularities of various types of infrastructure assets, including wharves on piles, wharves built using steel sheet piling or concrete caissons, wharves with Berlin-type retaining walls, wharves with loading floors, etc.

Harbour terminals for the handling of solid and liquid bulk materials are of the utmost importance, as they accommodate and service high-tonnage ships. Our highly qualified teams will propose solutions based on environmental constraints (winds, waves, currents, ice, presence of endangered species, etc.), operational constraints, terminal utilization conditions, impacts of climate change, size and tonnage of ships, and the capacity of bollards and defence systems.

Our multidisciplinary teams participate in activities related to onshore developments, site configuration, drainage, lighting, hoisting, handling, and access control.

With the globalization of markets, the vast majority of manufactured goods are now containerized for transport, and the tonnage of cargo ships continues to increase. In keeping abreast of the latest technological advances, our team has been involved in numerous container terminal expansion and construction projects in North America, namely for the Montreal Port Authority, which manages the Port of Montreal, one of Canada’s major commercial ports of entry. Leveraging our wealth of experience and knowledge supported by continuous training, we are able to anticipate future developments in marine cargo transportation and propose innovative concepts.

Always synonymous with economic development, commercial ports have played a significant role in the evolution of business practices in Canada. The development of some ports remains strategic because of their geographic location, or necessary due to the remoteness of the communities they are meant to serve. For many years, we have worked in all the remote or isolated regions of Northern Canada, building new infrastructure assets, or repairing existing structures that are essential to the functioning and survival of local communities. At CIMA+, sustainability is a major consideration in all commercial port and terminal projects we carry out. Our designers specifically strive to maximize the service life of infrastructure assets, minimize maintenance costs, and recover materials at the end of their useful life cycle.

Fishing ports are among the most common structures in the field of marine engineering. The current trend is towards building wharves inside harbours that are protected by breakwaters.

Marinas serve various types of users, such as fishermen, yachtsmen and recreation and tourism organizations. This involves the cohabitation of watercrafts of various sizes in various numbers.

Witness to past large-scale port activities that supported the economic growth of cities and villages, recreational docks are being restored and redeveloped as recreation and tourism gathering places.

These marine infrastructure assets are often approaching the end of their service life. Our professionals have all the required expertise to carry out this type of project, whether it involves the demolition and complete reconstruction of structures, construction of new breakwaters, dredging, ocean floor excavation, installation of lighting systems and hoisting devices, etc.

Storms, higher water levels in the absence of ice cover, and other extreme meteorological phenomena attributable to climate change have caused serious damage to natural coastal protections and coastal infrastructure assets designed over the past 50 years. The impacts of these events, which are occurring more and more frequently, are significant, and include the disappearance of large portions of residential properties, building subsidence, destruction of road links between municipalities, etc.

This new reality greatly increases the importance of coastal engineering in connection with marine infrastructure assets.

Our experts have cutting-edge expertise in bank protection and are qualified to conduct feasibility studies and sensitivity analyses, evaluate various potential protection methods, and propose sustainable solutions. From revegetation to beach erosion repairs and riprap, each development option is carefully studied based on local topography and bathymetry, wave height and currents, and in terms of effectiveness, feasibility, and cost.

Rivers carry suspended materials, the movement of which is determined by currents and tides. When these waters find their way into harbour enclosures, the sedimentation of suspended particles occurs, and the water depth decreases over the years, making safe navigation impossible, especially at very low tides. As a result, dredging must be carried out to ensure the required minimum water depth.

We have qualified teams with all the necessary expertise to perform this type of work. By comparing recent bathymetric data to earlier ones, we can determine the annual sedimentation rate, establish a long-term action plan, and calculate the quantity of materials to be dredged. We also offer a range of mitigation measures to ensure protection of marine species.

Most channels are comprised of navigational locks to overcome obstacles such as dams, rapids, riverwashes, bedrocks, etc.  Our professionals have the necessary expertise to carry out the reconstruction of navigational locks, including work on mechanical, electrical, and automated systems for the opening of gates and sluices, as well as structural work, such as replacing mortar joints on sections of wall, replacement of hardware on gates, and stabilization of scouring areas at the base of the walls.