· Engr. Mateen Ul Hassan · Project Controls · 2 min read
Case Study: 1,073-Activity Master Schedule for the Baltimore Container Terminal
An in-depth breakdown of the integrated master schedule, seasonal dredging windows, and cost/resource loading for the SPCT container terminal development in Baltimore, Maryland.
The South Port Container Terminal (SPCT) development in Baltimore, Maryland represented a complex multi-year infrastructure program with an indicative budget of ,000,000 USD spanning 33 months of design and execution.
As Planning & Scheduling Engineer, Engr. Mateen Ul Hassan built the complete integrated master schedule hierarchy consisting of 1,073 activities in Oracle Primavera P6 Professional (Project ID: SPCT-M-1).
Program Architecture & WBS Structure
The schedule was architected into a strict master-to-detail hierarchy that preserved visibility from executive milestones down to weekly site work:
- SPCT-M-1.1 Key Contract Milestones: 29 major commercial and contractual deadlines.
- SPCT-M-1.2 Key Project Milestones: 11 executive progress gates.
- SPCT-M-1.3 Design Phase: 109 activities tracking 60%, 90%, and Issued for Construction (IFC) review packages for dredging, Dredged Material Containment Facility (DMCF), wharf, and landside works.
- Construction & Marine Execution: 924 activities covering mobilization, seasonal dredging windows, wharf piling and deck construction, container yard pavements, gates, utilities, and testing.
Seasonal Dredging Windows & Critical Path Logic
Marine environmental regulations imposed strict seasonal dredging windows restricted to 1 October through 31 March. Dredging mobilization and production cycles were modeled as driving milestones linked to environmental compliance dates. This seasonal window shaped the entire marine sequence:
- Substantial completion milestones were decoupled for wharf construction, landside container yards, the DMCF, and main channel dredging.
- Floating plant mobilization was scheduled to avoid demurrage penalties while meeting dredging volume targets.
Cost & Resource Loading
The entire budget was loaded across 7 dedicated cost accounts:
| Code | Cost Account | Budget (USD) | Loading Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Design Phase (Dredging, DMCF, Wharf, Landside) | ,150,000 | Resource-driven |
| 02 | Mobilisation & Preliminaries | ,700,000 | Resource + Lump sum |
| 03 | Dredging Works | ,650,000 | Resource-driven |
| 04 | DMCF Facility | ,400,000 | Resource + Lump sum |
| 05 | Wharf Construction | ,950,000 | Resource + Lump sum |
| 06 | Landside Yard, Gate & Utilities | ,900,000 | Resource + Lump sum |
| 07 | Testing, Commissioning & Close-out | ,250,000 | Resource-driven |
| Total | Budget at Completion (BAC) | ,000,000 | 100% Loaded |
Peak monthly spend reached ,894,556 in October 2027 with peak site and marine manpower of 222 personnel. Through rigorous baseline locking and monthly Earned Value Management (SPI/CPI analysis), the project maintained schedule float and clear variance forecasts.
