Efficiency for Haifa’s East Pier project

Specialist marine contractor Maagan Marine & Diving Works Ltd is using a robotic hydro-demolition technique rather than the more common jackhammers during a three year project to rebuild Haifa’s East Pier.

The Port of Haifa handles over 22 million tons of cargo each year but all this traffic has had an effect. “Due to the age of the pier, and the wear and tear it has undergone, the condition of the concrete was deteriorating to the point that the rebar was showing through in some places,” says Maagan Marine’s chief executive officer Avi Ben-David.

It’s no small area. A length of 964m and a height of 2.7m gives an approximate working area of 2,602.8m².

This has thrown up the need for efficiency. Mr David explains the Aqua Cutter 710V is able to do the work of between four and five traditional hammers during a single shift, and so the innovation reduces manpower and the risk of ‘white finger’ from vibration for the operators. He goes on to add that the demolition operation was originally set for a three year period but this has been “significantly reduced”. “A typical shift is about 10 hours, and we are using the robot for two-thirds of this time, Mr David goes on to say. “We are handling an area of about 8m² per shift, to a working depth of 17cm, and had we been using jackhammers we would have needed four or five of them working simultaneously to achieve this kind of progress.”

Stefan Hilmersson of Aquajet tells MJ: “The Aqua Cutter equipment normally runs on auto, which means once it is programmed to do what it is supposed to it will run fully automatic. The operator just need to monitor progress and intervene if something unexpected happens.”

The water cutter also leaves a cleaner finish. “The removal of the old concrete requires some precise removal work, because the rebar itself is still in good condition and will form the basis of the new construction and concrete work,” concludes Mr David.