Amazingly, I just happened to be reading Geron Kees story, "Mooi" and came across the word "quay" in that story. Though it was posted in August of 2016, I'm just reading it for the first time as I'm new to the site. Here's the excerpt where I found the word:

"He turned and walked along the steel beam he'd been perched atop. For just a moment his foot slipped, and Coby did a small dance to regain his balance. No. Not by accident.   

He reclaimed his footing, moved to the end of the beam and stepped onto the ladder that dropped back down to the quay. He heard the slight tick-tick of some sort of equipment as the lights that adorned both sides of the steel crossing high above the tracks changed colors, again indicating clear tracks ahead. 

He hadn't locked his bicycle. There was no one about, here along the tracks, and Coby had not worried about someone stealing his old tweewieler. And had he had the courage to complete the mission for which he had climbed the steel in the first place, it would not have mattered. The first person to come along would have been welcome to it."

Just thought I'd comment since it seemed an interesting coincidence. 😁

quay, wharf, pier, jetty - all kinda similar, but different… I guess   I’ve never really figured out the differences properly

This is George Orwell’s famous Wigan Pier, but I reckon old Georgie boy got it wrong cuz to me it looks like a quay

pretty disappointing really   
This pic’s a tad more interesting with some local lads having a bit of a frolic 

“Wigan Pier” also means the area, just to add confusion  but this is an early 20th century (pre 1920) postcard pic of the legendary “coal tipper” structure 

as you can see the structure was bigger than the “modern” reconstruction but the site and quayside are essentially the same

Still doesn’t clear up which is the best word to use for the damned thing  Even the postcard printers weren’t sure, putting the word “Pier” in quotation marks

Just now, drpaladin said:

It had underpinnings when it was torn down and that fits the definition of a pier.

right, so it was a pier on a quayside