INNOVATION
BUSINESS
SUSTAINABILITY
PORT-CITY
Communication
Communication
Press releases
2024-03-11. Work on refurbishing the Outer Transversal Quay and the Heel Quay of the Ro-ro ramp at the North Dock in the Port of Castellon is moving ahead on schedule. The project kicked off in November last year after being awarded to the Acciona Construcción and Becsa consortium for an amount of €7,301,055 excluding VAT and has a completion period of 12 months. Its purpose is to rebuild the quay and fully restore its serviceability.
The first stage of the works using special technical resources has already been concluded, consisting of the demolition of the slabs and diaphragm wall enclosures together with building new foundations using high-strength concrete.
The Port Authority of Castellon’s Inspection and Maintenance Plan identified major damage to this quay in both its raised and submerged structure as a result of the marine environment. The inspection uncovered issues including corrosion of the bollards, damage to the paving, partial loss of protection devices and an altered position of some fenders, shortcomings in the frames and holes in the reinforced concrete screens.
Accordingly, PortCastelló decided work needed to be done on the quay to restore its serviceability. This meant that the affected area of the quay had to be partly closed down. However, as the Chairman of the Port Authority of Castellon, Rubén Ibáñez, pointed out, the work is being carried out over two stages “to enable one of the areas of the quay to remain operational”.
He also notes that “this project is designed to upgrade a quay which is crucial for traffic in the Port of Castellon.”
The first section of the Outer Transversal Quay was built in 1987 and consists of a reinforced concrete slab supported on reinforced concrete screen caissons filled with loose materials. Its purpose was to attract solid bulk traffic. Construction was completed in 1988 and the quay became the largest in the port with a berthing line measuring 251 metres and a depth of 10 metres. In 1996, the quay extension project was begun.
Technical specifications
The slabs between the screens of the Heel Quay and two sections of slabs between the caissons of the Transversal Quay have already been demolished. After vertically drilling the slab at a number of points, lengthwise cuts were made with diamond wire. Subsequently, the partially cut piece was attached to the girder launching gantry and crossways cuts were made. When the 130-tonne piece was loose and suspended, it was lifted and moved towards the inner part of the quay. The next step was to demolish it with a hydraulic hammer, using a magnet to separate the steel from the concrete so as to optimally manage the extracted material.
