Marine Geotechnical

Services

Simon Dickinson, Ph.D., P.Eng.

BGC Engineering Inc.

• Consulting firm providing specialist services in applied

earth sciences.

• Particular focus on the impacts of geology on engineered

structures.

• Our team of professional engineers, geoscientists, and

support staff provide a full range of geotechnical,

hydrological, hydrogeological and construction review

services.

• BGC provides technical expertise in Marine Geotechnical

Engineering for Pipeline, Marine Infrastructure, and

Energy Sectors.

Marine Geotechnical Services

• Owner’s Engineer

RFP development and review

Quality Assurance

Technical Review

• Prime Contractor

Site Investigation

Advanced Laboratory Testing

Geotechnical Interpretation

Engineering Analyses

Geohazard Assessment

Foundation Design

Example - Site Investigation Program

• 900 km Pipeline Project in BC

• 125 km of which traverses marine environment

• Drilled in water depths of up to 80 m, steep seabed

slopes, tidal environment

Varied Subsurface Stratigraphy

Borehole drilling

included:

• Sampling in

coarse, granular

material

• Soft sediment

sampling and

testing

• Bedrock Coring

… Multiple techniques were

used on a single project based

on geology, metocean

conditions and project needs

Options for Intrusive Marine Investigation

• Floating Barge (spud/anchor)

• Jack-up Platform

• Drill Ship

• Remotely Operated Drill

Laboratory Testing and Interpretation

• Automated Triaxial system

• Cyclic Dynamic DSS

• Automated Oedometers

Laboratory Testing and Interpretation

• Specialized equipment for soft marine sediments

• Testing of instrumented rock core for strength and

stiffness

Geotechnical Interpretation, Analyses

and Design

• Interpretation of engineering

parameters

• Geohazard Assessment

• Foundation Design

Undrained Shear Strength (su) kPa

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200

Depth

belo

w m

udlin

e (

m)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

UU

Sv (lab)

CKoU

CPT-BGC14-NASS-12 (Nkt=15)

CPT-BGC14-NASS-11 (Nkt=15)

Sv (f ield)

su/p

o'=0.22

idealized su prof ile

Effective Stress s ' (kPa)

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450

Sh

ea

r S

tre

ss

t (

kP

a)

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

At peak strength

At critical state

f ' CRIT= 36.5

o

y= 6

.5o

Bay of Fundy Wharf Improvements

• Lord’s Cove, Charlotte County, NB

• Dipper Harbour, Charlotte County, NB

• Capital Dredging of Cortenay Bay and

Main Channel, Saint John NB.

• Lower Wedgeport, NS

• Clark’s Harbour, NS

Geotechnical Investigations for Wharves, Breakwaters

and Dredging: