A Critical Review of the Current Practice of Design and Construction of Offshore Foundations in Hong Kong

Large diameter driven tubular piles have recently been used as the foundation system for the Hong Kong Offshore LNG Terminal located in the southern waters of Hong Kong SAR, to the east of the Soko Islands. At present, there are limited guidelines in local codes or guides for the design of offshore foundations in Hong Kong. It is observed that the current practice of regulatory control in Hong Kong will often cause great difficulties in planning and construction of foundation works. Moreover, it is of paramount importance to have experience in offshore pile installation, which is severely lacking in local industry, in order to produce safe and efficient foundation designs to handle the much more hostile site conditions. Some suggestions for revising the current practice are suggested to bring it more in line with accepted international practices for offshore foundations.