To main content

Port expansion, Gijón

The Spanish port of Gijón on the Bay of Biscay processes more than 12 million tonnes of bulk goods annually. With the expansion of global trade and increasing ship sizes, the terminal was lacking capacity to handle the traffic. The maximum draft for the ships of 18 meters is another obstacle to the development of the port. So the Port Authority of Gijón developed a plan for additional modern facilities in an area measuring 145 hectares to the north of the existing port. This includes a bulk terminal with a transfer capacity of more than 25 million tons and a storage area measuring 60 hectares for a maximum of 2 million tons of coal and iron ore a year.

The dredging projects amounted to approximately EUR 70M. Boskalis/Sedra – as partner in UTE Dragado Gijón – took on approximately 50% of that total. Because of the storms in the Bay of Biscay, it is only possible to work efficiently in the summer months. The first phase of the project began in the summer of 2005 and it  comprised approximately 1M m3 of trench dredging using a medium-sized TSHD for the foundations of the caisson quay walls. After the construction of the quay walls, work started on the new harbor area. The 2009-2010 operations will result in approximately 17M m3 for land reclamation. Two medium-sized TSHDs delivered the first 10M m3 of sand to shore in 2009.

Related projects

Selected filters
hfd_onder_header.jpg

Creating two berths pockets, NCIG terminal

For 200 years the Port of Newcastle has been Australia’s premier coal export harbor. Of the 95 Mtpa of various commodities such as steel, aluminum, minerals and so forth exported from Newcastle in 2008-2009, 90.5 Mtpa were attributable to coal. Average annual growth rate of coal exports from 1990 to 2006 was 6.1%. This constant increase has caused a spike in ships queuing to enter the harbour to be loaded. To increase capacity and avoid these traffic jams, a decision was made to develop a new coal stockpile area and construct a third coal terminal.

Balboa_2_header.jpg

Port expansion, Balboa

The plans to expand the Panama Canal represent one of the most important infrastructure improvements of the 21st century. Since its opening in 1913 the Canal has provided the shortest and most economically viable shipping route from Pacific to Atlantic seaports. With the ever-increasing size of modern-day vessels, it was inevitable that the Canal would need to be widened and deepened. The expansion of the Canal has made the extension of the Port of Balboa at the mouth of the canal on the Pacific Ocean a necessity. The Phase 4 projects included Marine Works and Civil Works to improve two existing berths and to build a completely new berth capable of handling not only Post Panamax but also Super Post Panamax ships.

DSCF0226_header.jpg

Land reclamation, North Manama Causeway

The purpose of the project was to provide additional land to accommodate a section of a proposed new highway system to service the area and to relieve congestion on the corniche road. Boskalis appointed Hydronamic (the in-house engineering department of Boskalis) to provide detailed design and on site assistance with supervision of the sub-contractor for the rock works.

Figure_1_header.jpg

Port environmental mitigation measures, Hamina

Hamina, which is close to the Russian border in south-east Finland, is a home port for the oil industry and a transit harbor for timber, cars and other goods on their way to Russia. To provide access for larger vessels it had to deepen the existing channel by two meters to 12 meters and create a new channel section. Terramare Oy, a subsidiary of Royal Boskalis Westminster, won this assignment in late 2008. The project started in July 2009.

Raahe_1_header.jpg

Port development, Raahe

The Raahe project is the largest dredging contract in Finnish history. Access for larger ships is economically important for the clients using the port of Raahe, such as the steel company Ruukki.

_L4F8705_header.jpg

Port development, Pipavav

As a result of the booming container market in recent years, GPPL and APM Terminals introduced a long term investment plan to further develop the port’s facilities. Phase 2 of the expansion program included the reclamation of a new storage (container stacking) area and the extension of the port’s capacity by deepening the approach, channels and berths, allowing larger (container) vessels to enter the port. Zinkcon Marine Singapore, a subsidiary of Boskalis International B.V., won the contract for the dredging and reclamation works for Phase 2. In the beginning of 2009, however, the client re-evaluated the investment against the background of the dramatic effects of the economic crisis, which seriously affected the global container market. GPPL, APMT and ZMS agreed to optimize the project in such a way that all parties would benefit.