 T


Gijón Port Authority (APG) is carrying out a large extension to the port, including a new basin seawards of the present


port facilities. But the building process can often be hampered because the local wave climate is dominated by


swells. To improve the operability of the operation, UTE Dique Torres (Dragados, FCC, SATO, FPS and Alvargonzález Contratas) asked Deltares (formerly


Delft Hydraulics) and MARIN to perform model tests and simulations.


   


The Gijón project brought together the unique capabilities of Deltares in coastal engineering and MARIN’s


expertise in the field of the dynamics of floating structures.


One of the main objectives was to determine the operability and optimise the caisson in- stallation procedures. Possible improvements would increase the allowable weather win- dow and reduce the time needed for the in- stallation procedure, so that more caissons can be placed in the same time window.


The northern boundary of the extension, the “Dique Norte”, is formed by caissons of about 50 m long, placed on a gravel bed. Around 30 caissons are needed to form the 1,530 m long boundary. Many aspects had to taken into account when considering the operability of the operation. Accuracy was crucial when placing the caissons and in order to be able to close the gaps between


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