Quay wall

A quay wall is the vertical retaining structure that forms the berth face, holding back the reclaimed land behind it while providing a working edge alongside which ships berth. The main structural types are gravity walls (caisson or blockwork relying on self-weight), sheet-pile and combi-walls, and suspended-deck or relieving-platform walls. Design in the UK follows BS 6349 and in Spain the ROM recommendations, accounting for retained earth pressure, surcharge, berthing and mooring loads, and dredge depth in front.