COMMISSION 
AGENDA MEMORANDUM                        Item No.          4b 
ACTION ITEM                            Date of Meeting    September 12, 2017 
DATE:     August 7, 2017 
TO:        Dave Soike, Interim Executive Director 
FROM:    Michael McLaughlin, Director, Cruise Operations 
Mark Longridge, Capital Project Manager, Seaport Project Management 
SUBJECT:  Authorization for procurement of additional Cruise Standoff Barges at Terminal 91 
(CIP # C800910) 
Amount of this request:               $1,050,000 
Total estimated project cost:          $1,100,000 
ACTION REQUESTED 
Request Commission authorization for the Executive Director to advertise and award a contract
for cruise standoff barges for use at Terminal 91 berths in an amount of $1,050,000 for an
estimated total project cost of $1,100,000. 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
This project procures five additional standoff barges to replace deteriorated barges, facilitate
safety, and complement the existing fleet of barges providing standoff for cruise vessels at
Terminal 91. These floating standoff barges are part of the fendering system for cruise ships. 
They are seasonally deployed at Terminal 91 along the face of the berth with flexible
connections to the fender piles.  This allows adequate space between the dock and the cruise
ship for provisioning and servicing through the full tide cycle. 
The current barge fleet used at Terminal 91 consists of ten newer style standoff barges
designed by Port staff and procured in 2012 and 2014 (7 & 3 respectively), along with several
older 'unifloat' style construction barges originally purchased second hand, then repurposed
from the Terminal 30 Cruise Terminal for use at T-91. The newer style barges are longer,
lighter, stronger, more stable, and superior in every respect to the unifloats. They were custom
designed and built as part of the fendering system and have performed very well over the last
several cruise seasons.
JUSTIFICATION 
This project contributes to the Port's Century Agenda goal to advance the region as a leading
tourism destination and business gateway and doubling the economic value of cruise traffic to 
Washington State by supporting the capacity to accommodate larger cruise vessels. 

Template revised September 22, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. 4b                                  Page 2 of 5 
Meeting Date: September 12, 2017 
The current remaining unifloat standoff barges were purchased used in 1999 and were not
designed for the current class of cruise ships.  While they have performed well over the last
several years, they are now showing significant deterioration. With the addition of the newer
design of standoff barge in 2013, these older floats are used as a backup or in secondary
positions. The addition of five additional barges would provide a full complement of barges for
berthing on the east and west sides of Terminal 91 for current and larger ships in the future and
reduce reliance on these older barges. 
DETAILS 
While the current fleet of unifloat standoff barges has served well, they have been having more
difficulties in the last few years. Last year one of the barges sank while in service and needed to
be replaced with another from the reserve fleet, and several have been showing wear, both
from deployment in heavy weather incidents and general corrosion in the primary wall
structure.
In 2010, these floats were nearing the end of their service life.  The port included the design
and procurement of replacement barges in the authorization for the replacement of the fender
system on the east side of pier 91 and had seven barges built for that purpose. 
The performance of these new barges was excellent and the Port exercised an option to
purchase three more under the same contract in 2015, bringing the fleet total to ten.  This
configuration still relies on older unifloat barges for the largest of cruise ships currently
berthing at the terminal, and the addition of five more barges would alleviate this reliance on
the older style barge except in the case one of the newer barges was pulled from service. 
The existing unifloat barges are at or near the end of their service lives. Continued use o f these
barges would require extensive repairs at considerable cost for limited additional service life.
The addition of five newer style barges will allow for retirement of the remainder of the unifloat
barges from regular service and allow for safe and efficient docking of the largest cruise vessels
throughout the barge design life of 30 years. 
Scope of Work 
Procure five ladder frame pipe truss standoff barges, each 55 feet long by 10 feet wide by 5 feet 
deep and weighing approximately 36,000 pounds each.  They are an open frame design to
better resist wave forces and ride low in the water for stability and low windage. The materials
used for this design are primarily epoxy coated steel pipe, ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW)
plastic, and plastic lumber, all of which have high recycled content.  The top surface of the
barges carries a non-slip fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) grated decking for safe staff operations
while deploying, if needed.
These barges have been designed specifically to withstand the loading of cruise ship berthing,
wind, and line loads providing the necessary standoff distance required for servicing of the

Template revised September 22, 2016; format updates October 19, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. 4b                                  Page 3 of 5 
Meeting Date: September 12, 2017 
cruise ships while at port. There are no commercial off-the-shelf options available that provide
the needed capability. 
The barges will be seasonally deployed for use during the cruise season and have been
designed with feet for dry storage on the terminal.  The design also includes fork pockets for
safe and simple movement with a forklift and the capability to be stacked for efficient storage. 
It is expected these barges will be shop fabricated and coated offsite and brought to the
terminal by truck to be inspected and deployed. 
Although this authorization is primarily a purchasing procurement of barges, the Port's Seaport
Project Management team is partnering with the small business group to identify possible small
business opportunities within both goods and construction phases.
Schedule 
The new standoff barges are scheduled to be fabricated and delivered for use before the next
cruise season begins in May of 2018. 
Activity 
Division design authorization                     2017 Quarter 1 
Design start                                       2017 Quarter 1 
Commission procurement authorization         2017 Quarter 3 
Procurement start (advertise)                    2017 Quarter 3 
In-use date                                       2018 Quarter 2 
Cost Breakdown                                     This Request           Total Project 
Design, Project Management                              $50,000              $100,000 
Construction                                             $1,000,000             $1,000,000 
Total                                                         $1,050,000              $1,100,000 
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED 
Alternative 1  Keep the existing older unifloats in service. 
Cost Implications: Previous structural repairs and retrofitting of the unifloats in 2008 was
approximately $100,000 and provided a few years additional service life. Additional risk if
barges fail in service, including potential damage to ships and/or terminal. 
Pros: 
1.  No capital funding required and leaves capital funds available for other projects. 
Cons: 
1.  Keeping the existing fleet in service presents significant risk of failure of one or more of
the unifloat barges, resulting in possible disruption to cruise operations. To keep the

Template revised September 22, 2016; format updates October 19, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. 4b                                  Page 4 of 5 
Meeting Date: September 12, 2017 
current floats in service they would each need to be inspected repaired and retrofitted
at significant expense.
2.  Even in this upgraded condition these floats were never designed to take the berthing,
weather and line loads presented at the cruise terminal, presenting more risk of
potential failure. 
This is not the recommended alternative. 
Alternative 2  Procure additional standoff barges. 
Cost Implications: $1,100,000 (total project) 
Pros: 
1.  Improved operations and pier protection from upgraded barge design. 
2.  Longer expected asset life and improved life cycle cost than repairing the current fleet 
(system is designed for a minimum 30 year life). 
3.  Provide immediate protection of Port assets. 
Cons: 
1.  More expensive in initial capital outlay than extending the life of the existing barge fleet. 
This is the recommended alternative 
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 
Cost Estimate/Authorization Summary              Capital        Expense           Total 
COST ESTIMATE 
Original estimate                                   $880,000               $0        $880,000 
Current change                                  $220,000               0       $220,000 
Revised estimate                                $1,100,000                0      $1,100,000 
AUTHORIZATION 
Previous authorizations                             $50,000                0         $50,000 
Current request for authorization                $1,050,000                0      $1,050,000 
Total authorizations, including this request       $1,100,000                0      $1,100,000 
Remaining amount to be authorized                    $0             $0             $0 
Annual Budget Status and Source of Funds 
This project was included in the 2017 Plan of Finance under CIP# C800910, T-91 Camel
Replacements, in the amount of $930,000.  The additional $170,000 will be available in
C800002 Maritime Contingency. 
The project will be funded from the General Fund. 

Template revised September 22, 2016; format updates October 19, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. 4b                                  Page 5 of 5 
Meeting Date: September 12, 2017 
Financial Analysis and Summary 
Project cost for analysis              $1,100,000 
Business Unit (BU)                  Cruise Operations 
Effect on business performance     At completion, incremental depreciation expense is
(NOI after depreciation)             estimated at $36,666/year, based on a 30 year asset life. 
IRR/NPV (if relevant)                No incremental revenue. NPV is present value of project
cost. 
CPE Impact                       N/A 
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST 
(1)    Presentation slides 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
June 14, 2011  The Commission authorized construction of Phase II of the T91 fender
system including the procurement of the current fleet of standoff barges. 












Template revised September 22, 2016; format updates October 19, 2016.