Norseman’s 5th Street Marina West Boatyard is located on the south side of the Miami River, along the northeast edge of the Little Havana neighborhood, approximately 1.5 miles upriver from Biscayne Bay. Its location makes it ideal for servicing vessels throughout the Miami area.

Bennco Engineering was contracted to provide marine engineering design and construction administration services for the redevelopment of the site, which previously served as a docking facility. The scope included the design of a new 312-linear-foot steel sheet pile bulkhead along the Miami River and a pile-supported travel lift basin structure to accommodate a 150-ton travel lift. With this upgrade, the boatyard is now capable of hauling vessels up to 105 feet in length.

The team also provided environmental consulting services to support additional mooring capabilities. This included securing permits from DERM, FDEP, and USACE for the installation of cleats and fender piles, as well as producing the engineering drawings for these mooring structures.

The bulkhead was designed as a cantilevered steel sheet pile wall with a concrete cap, allowing for efficient waterward mooring and future upland development without interference from underground anchors. The travel lift platform was supported by concrete piles and a concrete cap, with a steel sheet pile wall lining the basin.

Construction administration services included special inspections, field reports, contractor submittal reviews, and other active construction support. The project also involved significant filling and compaction of the riverbank to achieve the desired grade for the expanded boatyard, along with dredging of the haul-out basin to accommodate the design vessel.