The Alicante Port Authority has confirmed the start of construction work on a new specific terminal for handling bulk cargo, the contract for which was awarded to Eiffage Infraestructuras, after Alicante City Council’s Urban Planning Department issued an urban planning compatibility certificate for executing the project on quay 17. The work involves strengthening the existing quay “by applying innovative techniques, using columns of rigid unreinforced concrete inclusions, arranged longitudinally to the quay”. “The fundamental objective of this technique is to increase the strength of the rear part of the quay to enhance its stability, even in the event of seismic movements. The terminal will be automatic, with no personnel inside the warehouse and therefore no exposure to particulate matter. This guarantees the best health conditions in the terminal and its surroundings. The facility will have a surface area of 23,900 m2 and a single enclosed warehouse measuring 292 m long, 45 m wide and 25 m high. With all of the above, the new building will have a storage capacity of 100,000 tonnes in an enclosed warehouse and 30,000 tonnes outside the warehouse. The warehouse will also be fitted with conveyor belts and a shiploader for loading goods onto ships. A ship loading speed of about 2,000 tonnes per hour is expected, which reduces the vessel’s stay in port by more than half. It should be noted that the new terminal will allow vessels up to 230 metres long and 70,000 tonnes of capacity to be serviced. Due to all these operational, structural and health improvements for the terminal workers, the budget is 50% higher than the basic project for which the tender was awarded. A total investment of 14,000,000 euros, and an execution period of 14 months.
