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The first caissons
On 15 April, FCC started loading and trans-
ferring at the Algecíras Harbour (Cadiz) the
first five caissons for the construction work
that will commence in Açu Port, around 315
kilometres north of Río de Janeiro (Brazil).
The rectangular caissons have a volume
of 3,722 cubic metres of concrete, weigh
9,871 tonnes and will serve as the founda-
tion of the new port in Brazil.
FCC’s construction subsidiary is building
Made of
reinforced concrete, the five
caissons have a volume
of 3,722 cubic metres and
weigh 9,871 tonnes
9 of the 49 reinforced concrete caissons
which will serve as the foundation of Açu
Port. The company chose Algeciras as the
site to build the first components because
of its draught, since the Açu facilities are
not yet prepared to moor the caisson pro-
duction vessels.
The caissons are 45 metres long, 24 wide
and 18 high. Caisson loading requires an
extremely high-precision manoeuvre given
their size and the scant space between
them (approximately 4 metres).
The caissons were loaded onto a Black
Marlin semi-submersible vessel measu-
ring 217.50 metres long (equivalent to two
football pitches) with a beam of 42 metres.
The five caissons were transferred from the
dock to the vessel using two tugboats and
two support boats.
The Black Marlin was partially submerged
to a depth of around 12 metres during the
loading process and, once completed, it
broached the surface again. The caissons
were secured to the deck using steel plates
to impede movement during the journey.
The journey
During the 15-day journey, where the Black
for the Açu harbour in Brazil are ship
bound for Brazil
The caissons
were shipped on
a semi-submersible
vessel measuring two
football pitches long and
travelled almost 8,000
kilometres in 15 days
Marlin travelled 4,300 nautical miles (7,960
kilometres) between Algeciras and Río de
Janeiro (Brazil), the five caissons arrived at
Rio de Janeiro on 8 May.
The customs procedures for unloading the
caissons were carried out at this Brazilian
city on 13 May.
The caissons were towed to São João da