Source: https://www.quantsurv.com/sectors/marine/ports-and-harbours
Content format: Markdown version of the public page.
Content reviewed: 2026-10-13

# Ports and harbours

Quantity surveying and claims support for quay, berth and associated port and harbour construction.

## Commercial challenges and how we approach them

Port and harbour projects bring marine structures together with landside access, utilities and operational areas. Work may need to be sequenced around vessel movements and the use of existing berths. Marine plant, mobilisation and the interface between water-based and land-based activities are significant parts of the construction account.

### Working around vessel movements and live berths

#### The Challenge

A piling spread can be ready to work while the berth is needed for an operating vessel. Port activity can interrupt the construction window without changing the physical scope.

#### Our approach

We establish which operational restrictions were included in the tender and compare them with actual berth releases and vessel movements. Plant records then help assess the resulting standby or resequencing. This distinguishes a changed restriction from the normal port interface the contractor agreed to manage.

### Quay foundations and underwater obstructions

#### The Challenge

Piling and quay-wall work can encounter old structures, variable strata or obstructions that were not fully established by surveys. The resulting change may affect plant, pile lengths and the installation method.

#### Our approach

We assess instructed removal, changed pile quantities and method effects against the tender ground information and site records, keeping the contract's allocation of risk in view.

### Dredging and quay construction meeting at completion

#### The Challenge

Completed quay concrete does not make a usable berth. Depth, scour protection, fenders and access may still depend on other contractors.

#### Our approach

We reconcile the scope and milestones across marine and landside packages. Where one dependency delays another, we trace the affected attendance and costs to the relevant records and responsibilities.

### Cranes, rails and shore services arriving separately

#### The Challenge

Port equipment can impose precise rail tolerances, loads and power requirements. Late supplier information may change foundations, ducts and service connections after civil construction is committed.

#### Our approach

We check equipment loads, tolerances and information dates against the civil and electrical orders. If the supplier revises them, the valuation follows the whole affected scope, including rails, foundations, ducts and connections, with credits for superseded details and evidence of work that genuinely had to be altered.