General Manager of Bellingham Marine’s operations in Australia and Asia, John Spragg, received top honor during the Marina Industry Association’s Marine 13 Conference, held in Sydney, Australia, April 28th – 29th. Spragg was recognized for his contributions to the Marina Industry and was awarded the Outstanding Individual Contribution to the Marina Industry award.
The award, which is part of the Association’s annual awards program, recognizes the industry’s top contributors. “The award was first developed to showcase individuals that have achieved exemplary business practices and have made major contributions to the marina industries and to their wider community,” said Andrew Chapman, Chairman of the MIA
John Spragg entered the marina design and construction industry in 1994 after 25 years in major construction in Australia. In 1996, Spragg joined the Bellingham Marine team and helped set up the company’s operations in Australia. Today, Spragg is a Director and General Manager of Bellingham Marine Australia, Bellingham Marine South East Asia and Bellingham Marine Singapore; Director of Bellingham Marine New Zealand and Bellingham Marine Xiamen; Representative Director of Bellingham Marine Korea Co.; and is responsible for the Licensee JV partner Septech in the Middle East.
“John is a true professional,” said Chapman. “He has not only helped build some of the world’s most acclaimed marina facilities, but he’s been instrumental in the growth and success of Australia’s and now Asia’s marina industries. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award.”
On an industry level, Spragg was a founding member and director of the Marina Industries Association, first set up in 1997 and has made a significant contribution to the Association in his 16 years of involvement with the MIA.
In Australia, John has overseen the construction of over 10,000 marina berths, a number of which have been awarded Marina of the Year in past years. He was also involved with the iconic Yas Island Marina in Abu Dhabi and Keppel Bay Marina in Singapore.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized but I am especially humbled by my nomination for the award,” said Spragg. “Even though this award is for individual achievement, it’s only through the efforts of our teams worldwide and a very supportive family that I am able to do what I do. Together, along with our trusting clients and esteemed colleagues, we’ve driven the success of the marina industry around the globe. It’s a privilege to be a part of such a great group of people.”
At 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011, a tectonic shift off the coast of Japan set in motion a 9.0 magnitude “100-year” earthquake, the most powerful in Japanese history. Japan is the best prepared place on earth for a tsunami, but nothing could have prepared the Japanese for what followed. Floodwalls built to protect coastal towns were easily overtopped; 16,000 people killed and 217 square miles inundated. Many are still missing. Bits of lumber were found on the hillsides of Iwate Prefecture 124 feet above sea level. Children’s soccer balls are noW washing ashore in Alaska.
The Tsunami raced across the ocean at the speed of an airliner. As the underwater shock wave reached the Medocino Escarpment, a two-mile rise in the ocean floor extending 1,200 miles westward from Cape Medocino, itS energy was funneled toward the coast of Northern California. At about 7:45 a.m. PST, ten hours after the quake, Crescent City, Calif., was in the grip of a 2.5 meter tsunami. The town of Santa Cruz, south of San Francisco, was also struck but with lesser force. The tsunami devastated the harbors of the two communities and threatened further damage to the local economies.
This is the story of two harbors and the two paths they took to rebuild their marinas. Each had to jury-rig temporary moorage and get operating again. Each chose a different solution to dock replacement. Both benefited from inspired leadership from their harbor and port executives.
FOR A COMPLETE COPY OF THE ARTICLE, DOWNLOAD THE PDF
Hurricane Ike taught Scott Johnson, director of Parks and Recreation for Baytown, Texas, home to Bayland Marina, two important lessons. “I learned that a 100-year storm doesn’t take 100 years, it can happen tomorrow. And I discovered that a hurricane will rewrite your job description.”
Bayland Marina’s four-year journey from devastation to re-opening is instructive, particularly to marina operators in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. No operator can anticipate all the consequences of a hurricane, but the experience at Bayland can help you assess your own readiness for a disaster.
Bayland Marina is owned by the City of Baytown and operated by a concessionaire. The tenants of the 101-slip marina enjoy fishing or sailing in Galveston Bay. The oil and gas industry has a strong presence in this city of 73,000 located 25 miles from Houston. The city has a theme: “Where oil and water really do mix.”
Johnson overseas the marina property for the city in addition to managing 1,000 acres of parks. His life got more complicated in the early hours of September 13, 2008, as Hurricane Ike smashed into Baytown.
Preparing for a hurricane
Hurricane Ike was the most intense storm of 2008 and the third costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the US (after Katrina and Sandy). Ike flattened Cuba with Category IV winds and headed north over the Gulf of Mexico. Over the next several days it developed an unusually large wind field and, as its top winds diminished, was lowered to Category II.
As the storm approached, Johnson’s team went through their Parks’ checklist, including checking chain saws and generators, and boarding up buildings. The marina operator secured the boats and, stowed loose equipment. The County and City ordered evacuations of the majority of Baytown. Hurricanes are categorized on the Saffir-Simpson scale by wind speed, but wind speed is not a sufficient indicator of its true destructive power. Ike was rated Category II, but its low barometric pressure, huge wind field and potent storm surge was at the level of Category IV. Ike hit Baytown at 4:00 AM with 110 mph winds. The long fetch and shallow depth of the bay amplified the storm surge.
Wind pressure on the boat hulls created enormous forces that were transmitted through the cleats to the docks and then the pilings. As the surge crested the marina’s breakwater it lifted the docks and boats to the tops of the pilings. This is an ultimate test of strength of the pilings. When the docks are high on the pilings, the forces are at their greatest distance from the fulcrum point. This creates leverage and maximum stress on the pilings. With a few exceptions, most of the pilings held. As the surge overtopped the pilings whole sections of the marina, docks and boats together, washed ashore. A line of large pine trees prevented the docks and 87 boats from going further inland. Most of the boats were still tied to the docks when the storm receded.
FOR A COMPLETE COPY OF THE ARTICLE, DOWNLOAD THE PDF
On the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, boaters welcome the reopening of three new piers at Picton Marina. Marlborough Sounds Marinas contracted Bellingham Marine New Zealand to construct 40 new berths on jetties 7, 8 and 9 as Stage 2 of a four stage expansion and upgrade of the Marina’s inner basin. Stage 2 was completed in November, 2012, following on from Stage 1 (also a Bellingham project) in 2009.
The new concrete pontoons supplied and installed by Bellingham Marine feature 2.1 meter wide walkways with full length, single piece fingers and 400mm freeboard. The new berths cater to vessels 12m to 16m in length and include provisions for utilities. Town water as well as 230 volt, single phase power is available at each berth.
Bellingham Marine also upgraded the floating fuel dock at neighboring Waikawa Marina as part of a separate project. The dock is fitted with both petrol and diesel pumps as well as sewer pump-out facilities for tenants and visiting boaters.
Rose Prendeville, Projects Manager said, “The new berths at Picton have received a fantastic response from our customers this summer; they appreciate the aesthetics of the Bellingham product as much as the functionality.”
“In terms of project delivery, Bellingham was once again excellent to work with, and we look forward to continuing our relationship through the final two stages of the Picton upgrade,” added Prendeville.
First built in the mid 1960’s with fixed timber piers, most of the berths at Picton Marina have been updated over the years with modern concrete pontoons. The marina provides berthing for boats from 8 – 35+ meters with capacity for 232 vessels.
Located at the entrance to Marlborough Sounds, the marina is in easy walking distance from the interisland ferry and is well serviced by land and sea transportation to a wide range of popular destinations in the vicinity. Also available nearby are boat repair and marine engineering facilities.
As the world’s leading marina design-build marina construction company, Bellingham Marine produces Unifloat® concrete floating dock systems, Unideck® metal frame floating dock systems and Unistack® dry stack systems for marinas worldwide.
Public Relations Contact: Bellingham Marine New Zealand, 15 – 17 Springs Road, East Tamaki, PO BOX 51053 Pakuranga, Auckland, New Zealand; ph. 64-9-273-5311 fax. 64-9-273-5312; bmnz@bellingham-marine.co.nz; www.bellingham-marine.com
In the pre-dawn hours of March 30, 2012, a fire broke out inside a 12,000 square foot covered boathouse on G Dock in Squalicum Harbor Marina in the city of Bellingham, Wash. The boathouse included thirteen slips enclosed within a continuous metal roof, back wall and two ends; all supported by a wood structure. Fuel tanks aboard the twelve boats moored inside were likely topped for the winter. Propane tanks and other fuel sources were stored in the boats and boathouses. Whatever the cause of the fire, still unknown, it lit up the night in Bellingham Bay.
Wind and Fire
Shortly after the first call to the fire department around 5:30 a.m., a liveaboard couple dialed 911 from their cabin in a boat moored in one of the G Dock boathouse berths. The fire fighters heading to the marina were immediately alerted. They were met with a locked entrance gate, which took time to retrieve a master key. Once inside they sprinted toward G Dock with forceful-entry tools and attempted to locate the couple.
The Bellingham Fire Department incident analysis report, dated Sept. 6, 2012, described the situation:
“There’s heavy smoke here. We’re in rescue mode. There are approximately five boathouses fully involved. The flames and falling boathouse material are blocking access this far onto the dock. We’re also fighting a heavy headwind.”
The couple remained in communication with the emergency operator for several minutes before the phone went dead. Unfortunately, the firemen found it impossible to get into or near the boathouse. Fire Marshal Napier surmises the couple was trapped in their cabin. The fire was so intense it allowed no escape route.
“Fighting this fire was particularly challenging for many reasons,” said Napier. “G Dock is 1,200 ft. from the main entrance, one of the longest distances of any marina in the country. Remodeling work was underway so the new dock lighting was installed but not connected. We were in a blackout situation. Onshore winds were blowing smoke and fumes back toward the firefighters. They had to wear breathing equipment (SCBA) which further reduced visibility.”
TO READ THE COMPLETE COPY OF THE ARTICLE, DOWNLOAD THE PDF.