Vietnam | Cai Mep International Terminal

Project Overview

Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT) is strategically located 50 kilometers southeast of Vietnam’s commercial hub, Ho Chi Minh City. It is the only terminal in Vietnam and one of the only terminals in Southeast Asia capable of accommodating vessels larger than 18,000 TEU.

The ground level of CMIT needed to be raised by up to 6 m, whereas the foundation soil was soft clay of 35 m deep. The stability of the riverbank could not be ensured, and the initial solution was soil mixing along the riverbank.

Ground Condition

The subsoil that required treatment is the 35 m thick of very soft to soft clay with the consistency increasing with the depth. This is followed by a firm to stiff clay layer found from a depth of 35 m to 44 m. Beneath the clay layers is the fine to coarse dense sand.

Menard Solution

Menard Asia’s solution on Cai Mep International Terminal was using Menard Vacuum Consolidation (Soil Consolidation) as alternative to the soil mixing to treat a 60 m wide by 600 m long area beside the riverbank. Not only was the solution more economical, but it also allowed the Contractor to use a vertical drain and preload solution for the land part of the quay as well as piles for the wharf that could be installed only a few meters away from the ongoing Menard Vacuum Consolidation works.

The Menard Vacuum Consolidation method is an atmospheric consolidation system used for preloading soft saturated fine-grained soils (clay, silt, peat). It provides up to an equivalent of 4 m surcharge fill and ensure stability of the side slope of the treatment area.