Aging infrastructure needs to be regularly inspected. Marine infrastructure must be inspected above and below the water level; however, water currents, boat traffic, and decaying infrastructure can make underwater inspections impractical and dangerous for divers. As part of the Trent Severn Waterway Rehabilitation, AECOM and ASI partnered in November 2016 to complete underwater inspections of the dams and marine walls at Lock 45 of the waterway. The inspections were completed using remote underwater cameras and a sonar imaging system to allow a thorough inspection to be completed without requiring divers to enter the water. AECOM and ASI will also draw on past inspections of Port Dalhousie (original northern terminus for the Welland Canal) to show how sonar imaging can accelerate the inspections by identifying critical areas to inspect by the dive team as well as identifying areas unsafe for dive inspection due to advanced deterioration of the existing structures. 

This presentation will feature a discussion regarding the advancements in sonar imaging technologies and how it can be used to enhance the investigation of marine infrastructure and make the investigation safer. Using the dam at Lock 45 and other investigations as examples, the discussion will include when and where to use sonar techniques, what type of information can be expected from sonar, how it can supplement remote camera or human diver observations, and limitations to the technology.

James Wallace, Senior Engineer, AECOM Canada Ltd.
James Wallace is a senior structural engineer and project manager at AECOM Canada Ltd. With over 15 years of experience in the structural inspection and transportation and marine infrastructure. He has been involved in projects ranging from multi-span bridges to marine piers to ferry terminals to dams and weirs. He has design experience and code familiarity with many different marine construction systems including: steel framing, mass concrete systems, heavy timber systems including timber cribs, cast-in-place reinforced concrete and pre-stressed concrete, and masonry systems. James is the manager of engineer for AECOM’s Alternative Delivery Group in Ontario and is AECOM’s Marine Infrastructure lead for Ontario. 

Robin Houlik, ROV Services, ASI Group
Robin Houlik is a Certified Technician in the ROV division at ASI Marine, and specializes in marine geophysical and hydrographic surveys, and underwater inspections utilizing advanced sonar systems and ROVs with up to 10 km tethers. Robin's experience and responsibilities include the operation and maintenance of ASI's ROV technologies to enhance their capabilities and to accommodate new or unexpected conditions. The technologies, either separately or more effectively, when combined, are used to collect information on underwater assets so that owners can plan their maintenance activities on condition-based assessments.

As the pace of technological innovation continues to increase, two disruptive transportation technologies threaten to shake up the world of containerized shipping. This presentation will describe the potential impacts of Hyperloop and autonomous shipping on the container industry. 

Hyperloop is a high speed “5th mode” of transportation originally envisioned by Elon Musk and being pursued commercially by Hyperloop One and other companies. It relies on magnetic levitation inside an evacuated tube for minimal air resistance. Compared with conventional truck drayage, Hyperloop offers much higher speed, reliability, zero local emissions, and no congestion of roadway networks. It has the ability to virtually shrink the distance between marine terminals and inland warehouse districts. In Los Angeles for example, the bulk of the warehouses and distribution centers are approximately 100 km from the port. On congested roadways, this journey can take half a day via truck, but a container travelling via Hyperloop could make the transit in 15 minutes. This new technology promises to open up new possibilities for inland distribution, and shrink the size of container yards required to support marine terminals. 

On the waterside, a number of industry players are working hard to make autonomous shipping a reality. Over short distances, these ships could also be electrically powered. This combination will radically reduce the cost of short haul marine transit. Without crews, the cost of domestic shipping will become much more competitive with road and truck options. Much like Hyperloop, a large part of the appeal of marine shipping is reduction of impact on congested road and rail networks. The ocean as a highway also requires no maintenance, unlike roads and rails that require continuous upkeep. Many short haul routes that are infeasible today due to cost, or environmental objections due to ship emissions, may suddenly regain appeal if costs are radically reduced and ships are emissions free. Destinations such as Portland (OR), Stockton (CA), Albany (NY), Baton Rouge (LA), and locations around the Great Lakes may suddenly spring up as reinvigorated freight hubs due to their convenient waterfront access, not for mainline mega-ships, but for automated feeders that will connect them to major ports nearby, or to other domestic destinations.

Mark Sisson, Senior Port Planner, AECOM
Mark Sisson, PE, leads AECOM’s marine analysis group. He is responsible for business development, project execution, and oversight of research and development of our simulation models. Mark has over 22 years of experience managing and executing a wide range of marine and rail terminal planning, simulation, and analysis projects. Typical projects involve supervision of field data collection, model development, and presentation of analysis results.