Large breakwaters in deep water in northern Spain

Abstract

The north-eastern coast of Spain is rugged and densely populated. To build new ports, land must therefore be recovered from the sea in areas that are very deep and subject to strong wave action. Designing, testing, managing and performing port construction projects is thus a great technological challenge. It has resulted in world-record-setting infrastructures, including large main breakwaters and enormous volumes of material in zones with unusual depths and exposed to extreme climate conditions. In the 1970s the ports of Abra at Bilbao, Gijón and San Ciprian (Lugo) were enlarged. At the end of the century the growth of port activity in northern Spain required the construction of the following breakwaters: Ferrol’s outer port, with a 1515 m long breakwater armoured with 90 t blocks, an 858 m long, 20 m deep quay and a 90 ha platform; Gijon port enlargement project, with a main breakwater 3834 m long, a 1380 m long, 23 m deep quay and a 145 ha platform; and a new port installations at Langosteira Point in La Coruña, with a 3354 m long, 40 m deep breakwater, a 921 m long, 16 m deep quay and a 145 ha platform.