Port of Hualien, Taiwan International Ports Corporation, Ltd.

The 6.0 earthquake that hit Hualien in early February of this year caused various degrees of damage to Port of Hualien outer harbor wharves and other infrastructures. Survey work by port authorities in the immediate aftermath of the quake quickly assessed the damage and put into place a repair schedule that would not interfere with normal port operations. Damage to the most-severely affected areas of the port will be completely repaired by the end of this month (October).

In order to expedite repairs to earthquake-damaged infrastructures, the Port of Hualien established an internal rapid-response team to report on damage details and assess associated budget and time needs for repair. Subsequently, the port requested onsite assessments from the National Center for Earthquake Engineering and CECI Engineering Consultants in order to determine the actual extent of infrastructure damage and verify current repair plans in order to minimize the time necessary to bring all port facilities back online.

The Port of Hualien notes that damage from the February earthquake was concentrated in reclaimed areas along the outer harbor, where general subsidence was reported. Wharves 19-22 subsided by 5~15cm and Wharves 23-25 subsided by 5~50cm, with the damage affecting normal access and use of Wharves 24~25. Professional survey work has further confirmed that Wharves 19~25 have not shifted position either horizontally or vertically, that wharf wave-break structures and caissons were undamaged, and that wharf walls, fenders, utility pipes and drains, runoff gullies, power systems, network systems, lighting systems, and surveillance systems were not damaged.

Most of the earthquake damage at the port was concentrated along reclaimed land at Wharves 23~25 and the adjacent section of Xiti Road. After targeted emergency repair work, damage to Xiti Road was fully repaired at the end of May. The contract to repair Wharves 23~25 was put into effect on May 18th. To maintain normal cargo handling operations, repair work was staggered into three stages and traffic was rerouted for safety and efficiency. At present, repair work is 87.56% complete (5.25% ahead of schedule), and the entire project is slated for completion by the end of this month.

Provided by：Construction Management and Engineering Department
Contact Person：Ching-sheng Cheng, Manager
Telephone No：03-8325131#2271
E-mail Address：cscheng@twport.com.tw