The dock of Escombreras expands its facilities
The important traffic growth experienced in recent years, along with the demand of the companies in the sector of new lines of docking and more area for logistics activities, has led to the port authority of Cartagena to put into practice an ambitious project of enlargement of the dock of tailings. A project that will enable operations 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
In the 19th century, with the construction of the pier of Alfonso XII, the first commercial Wharf of the port of Cartagena, the movement of goods through the port begins to have unique relevance in the economy and industry of the region.
Half of the 20th century, in the nearby Valley of Escombreras, installs an oil refinery. As a result of this fact, and to serve the refinery, in the Bay of Escombreras, more open than the Cartagena, but also sheltered by mountains, built dams and docks that the refinery can receive its raw material: crude oil, and to export its production: gasoline, butane, propane, diesel, etc. In little more than fifty years, its proximity to the docks of the dock of dumps and the synergy created by successive industries that have been installed in the area, have given rise to one of the most important industrial concentrations of Spain. The Valley of Escombreras is today a strategic location for the Spanish State in a sector as vital as it is the production of energy.
The figures of traffic of goods in the port of Cartagena in recent years have shown a clear upward trajectory, which portends that traffic growth will continue in the future. For this reason, the port should anticipate the needs of its customers and users, and design and plan an expansion of its facilities.
But it is not enough to get new docks so you can carry out loading and unloading. The ports are points where the goods change of mode of transport: maritime transport / trucking. A modern port, agile and good operability must have facilities to enable this intermodality and the physical proximity of the actors involved in it: railway, facilities for truck terminals, warehouses, space for companies transitarias, stevedoring, forwarding, official bodies, etc. In addition, the industrial character of the port of Cartagena is that many industries want to settle as close as possible to the port area, and this proximity in some cases absolutely necessary for the viability of the company.
The port expansion
When designing the enlargement, the port is located with mountains that have given to have through the centuries to their two docks, and who have made this one of the safest in the world portthey are an insurmountable limitation to gain ground inland. The only solution is to grow towards the sea.
Expansion project of the dock of Escombreras, due to its large size, be broken down into two phases. The first stage includes the construction of the outer dykes, which will stop the swell and will define the new port area by the side of the Mediterranean. The second phase consists of the construction of new docks and the filling between them and the ditches of the first phase.
Expansion project of the dock of Escombreras, due to its large size, be broken down into two phases. The first stage includes the construction of the outer dykes, which will stop the swell and will define the new port area by the side of the Mediterranean. The second phase consists of the construction of new docks and the filling between them and the ditches of the first phase.
The works of the first phase was awarded in 2000 to the joint-venture formed by the company Dragados and Drace, Necso, winners of the open public competition. Work began on December 21 of that same year. Dams that make up this first stage are three: the South Dock, from the tip of the Aguilones to the vicinity of the island of Escombreras, which will serve as a closure to the South to the future site, with a length of 600 meters; the perimeter dike that borders the island of Escombreras, with a length of 580 meters; and the Southwest dike, which begins in the vicinity of the island of Escombreras and flows in northwestern direction, with a total length of 1,040 meters.
The extension of the dock of Escombreras is an extremely complex project due to the great depths that are very close to the coast: the mountains that surround the dock continue descending underwater, so that in the area of enlargement works with a depth of between 50 and 52 meters. These depths are an exciting challenge to modern engineering, and the challenge is solved building vertical dikes through drawers of concrete, of a size never before used. These concrete boxes are manufactured in a floating dock installed on the same site. This dique-cajonero has manufactured boxes for this work with variable dimensions, depending on its location. The larger blocks have been measured 67 m. in length, 24 m of manga and 29 m of prop.
With this new infrastructure, the port of Cartagena may face years with facilities and sufficient surface to meet the demands of its customers and users.
As industrial chemical sector or companies related to it that they are present in tailings and make use of the port, we can mention to Repsol YPF, Iberdrola, Enagás, General Electric Plastics, Izar Construcciones Navales, Compañía Logística de Hidrocarburos, Terliq, AES Corporation, Ecocarburantes SpanishFertiberia or group SGS Spain.