Sept-iles Pier Defenders

On Canada’s rugged northern shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence is the largest raw minerals port in North America, the Port of Sept-isles (Seven Islands). With a capacity exceeding 200,000,000 tons annually it is a critical part of the Northern Quebec economy. It needed a corrosion solution.

This natural harbor allows the export of the vast mineral riches of the region while also receiving all that is needed to exploit the many mines and all the supporting infrastructure and the towns that rose around the port and environs. One of the many terminals here is Pointe-Noire (Black Point), it serves the critical importing role of receiving petroleum products needed by the railways, mines as well as the energy needs of the inhabitants of the region. The principal pier is 1,600 feet long and its concrete structure is subject to damage from docked ships. To protect the pier a series of swing-away Pier Defenders are used to keep the ships a safe but stationary distance from the dock. Ever-present seawater, constant de-icing operations for more than half the year along with repeated abrasion and impact call for a very challenging level of strength and durability to corrosion. Also, the remote location called for assured fit and optimal product identification, the nearest replacement part was hundreds of miles away. A series of these Pier Defenders needed to be built right, be built quick and installed quick. The solution? Hot-Dip Galvanized Steel. The cost-effective strength of steel is hard to beat; its only weakness is corrosion in brutal environments like this. Enter Hot-Dip with legendary durability, better abrasion resistance than the steel itself and it’s almost miraculous “self-healing” properties. These advantages are well and long known but there is even better news in recent years. Hot-Dip with state-of-the-art automated galvanizing facilities can offer a high level of consistent quality and product control and identification never seen previously while also providing even initial cost at less than inferior alternatives. All this allowed the Port of Sept-iles to quickly protect its pier with new defenders. And this superior solution in both short- and long-term performance came at lower cost thanks to steel and the new Hot-Dip. That is a high value solution anywhere, but perhaps here in the rugged rocky wilderness of Northern Quebec, it is even more so!