Creating the World’s Largest Proprietary Container Terminal
The Problem: Scaling for Global Trade Demands
By the late 1990s, the Port of Los Angeles—the busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere—needed a massive increase in capacity to handle the surge in global maritime trade.
- The Need for Land: To accommodate the next generation of ultra-large container ships and increasing cargo volumes, the Port required an entirely new landmass.
- Extreme Scale: The project, known as Pier 400, required the creation of 484 acres of new land in the middle of the harbor. This was not a simple maintenance job; it was a massive “land-from-the-sea” reclamation project.
- Volume Requirements: The project necessitated the relocation of over 50 million cubic yards of material from the harbor floor to create the new terminal footprint.
The Solution: The Ellicott® Custom Super-Dredge “Florida”
To meet the unprecedented demands of the Pier 400 project, the lead contractor, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (GLDD), utilized one of the most powerful dredges ever built: the Ellicott®-designed “Florida.”
- The Equipment: The Florida is a massive, heavy-duty cutter suction dredge specifically engineered for large-scale reclamation and deep-port deepening.
- Unrivaled Power: Equipped with a total of 16,000 HP (11,930 kW), the Florida was capable of pumping high-density slurry across vast distances to build up the new landmass.
- Custom Engineering: The dredge featured an Ellicott®-designed 34-inch (863 mm) discharge pump, allowing it to move millions of cubic yards of sand and silt with industrial efficiency.
- Second Stage Execution: During the critical second stage of the project, the Florida was tasked with the precision placement of fill to ensure the structural integrity of what would become the world’s largest proprietary container terminal.
The Outcome: A Global Logistics Powerhouse
The completion of Pier 400 transformed the Port of Los Angeles and set a new global standard for port infrastructure.
- 484 Acres of New Economic Space: The Florida successfully pumped enough material to create a nearly 500-acre terminal, now home to the APM Terminals facility.
- Deepened Access: Simultaneously, the dredging deepened the harbor’s navigation channels to 63 feet (19 meters), allowing the world’s largest container vessels to dock safely.
- Unprecedented Production: The relocation of 50 million cubic yards remains a hallmark of dredging productivity, proving that Ellicott® designs can handle the most grueling, high-volume schedules in the industry.
- A Legacy of Partnership: The success of Pier 400 solidified the relationship between Ellicott® and Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, demonstrating that when the world’s largest contractors take on “mega-projects,” they rely on Ellicott® engineering to deliver.