Abstract
Located 500 km north of the Arctic Circle, the massive Mary River Iron mine project required an operating ore dock to annually ship 3.5 million tonnes of iron ore to world markets. The high latitude Arctic ore dock loaded its first bulk carrier on August 8, 2015 from the its record breaking −17.75 m deep water berth. The project was executed by a design-build team selected by the owner after it became apparent the traditional design-bid-build method could not achieve schedule and budget objectives. Major challenges facing the design-build team included −35 degree celcius temperatures, 24- hour darkness, remote logistics, compressed schedule and varying geotechnical site conditions. To minimize risk in this challenging environment, the design-build team redesigned most of the project with a major focus on modularization of components in the south and utilization of a land-based construction methods rather than reliance on a fleet of marine equipment.