As part of Weeks Marine’s design-build team, Halcrow is leading the detailed design for the new, US$1 billion Golden Pass liquefied natural gas import terminal on the Texas Louisiana border. The terminal, set to be fully operational by 2010, will supply natural gas from Qatar to the demanding US energy market.

The scope of the design includes two jetties each consisting of an unloading platform, breasting and mooring dolphins, as well as road and pipeway trestles to shore, tug berths and associated facilities. These jetties are able to accommodate the new generation of QMax gas carrier, the largest ever constructed, with a holding capacity of approximately 265,000 cubic meters.

The design makes innovative use of large-diameter mono-piles to secure the 345m-long gas carriers under extreme weather. To optimize the design, Halcrow is using Optimoor and Termsim mooring analysis software, which take into account the effects of passing ships.