MOTCO - REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

The Military Ocean Terminal Concord (MOTCO) Project is located on Suisun Bay, 30 miles northeast of San Francisco, in Contra Costa County California. MOTCO’s infrastructure was constructed by the U.S. Navy beginning in WWII and operated as a Navy installation. The U.S. Army MOTCO began operations in 1997. Under a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, the installation was transferred to the Army in 2008. MOTCO is a SDDC munitions and general cargo transshipment facility. This installation is the primary West Coast common-user ammunition terminal, home to the SDDC’s 834th Transportation Battalion, and supports critical Department of Defense wartime and contingency operations throughout the Pacific Theater.

The work includes the underwater relocation of 5 debris objects located in the dredging areas of the MOTCO piers. Use of barges to relocate the debris objects is prohibited. All labor, materials and equipment to dispose and maintain an accurate record of the method of debris relocation from the MOTCO site is the responsibility of the contractor. Acceptance of the debris relocation will be based on relocating all the debris objects in the MOTCO dredging areas within the contract period of performance.

The debris relocation work is also within an area of historical importance stemming from the 1944 explosion disaster, which destroyed a wooden Pier (Pier 1), two munition cargo ships, and resulted in the death of 320 soldiers, disproportionately African American men. Shipwreck debris remains in the dredging areas as well as the potential for smaller artifacts such as human remains and personal items and Unexploded Ordnances (UXOs). Wreckage from the two ships will remain in water and be relocated in designated areas in the bay outside the dredging areas. A multibeam survey was conducted in 2020 that identified 5 debris objects within the dredging areas and 8 debris objects outside the dredging areas. The relocation areas for the debris objects are shown in Figures 2 and 3.