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Interviews
Rafael García Arroita,
head of the Maritime
Project
How did you participate in the project?
I joined the project as the head of produc-
tion to take charge of the dredging activity,
driving of piles, fillings, and pillars. Since
August 2014, I have been the project ma-
nager.
What would you highlight about the
project?
Undoubtedly, it was the pioneering use of
a cofferdam-type waterproof retaining wall
so as to be able to work underwater cutting
and welding and preparing the pillars over
which the prefabricated beams are subse-
quently placed.
This work had never been performed in this
type of project and it was thanks to the ex-
clusive intervention of FCC (design, manu-
facturing and execution from scratch) that
made it possible to implement this solution,
complicated mainly because of safety con-
cerns.
Also the pile-driving operations had to over-
come the difficulties of terrain as complica-
ted and unpredictable as the gravel in Lima.
It should also be mentioned that the project
is being executed in a port and piers in ope-
rations which means that any task is com-
plicated due to sea and land traffic. The
From left to right: Rafael García, Fernando Herrera and
Helios García.
coordination with other APMT (operations)
areas is constant and requires enormous
efforts since the project is a full-time job for
both parties.
What has this experience meant for
you?
Professionally, I had to adapt to a work
method in a country where, despite spea-
king the same language, is very different
from Europe in terms of pace and magni-
tudes. You are also more exposed than in
Spain since the problems have to be solved
mainly by the personnel at the worksite.
Personally, I am very proud of completing
two of the milestones and to see that, des-
pite the problems encountered, we were
able to achieve the objectives that, looking
from outside, seemed impossible. It was
also hard to see how many colleagues were
affected by the demands of work abroad
and in such a complicated project.
Lastly, this is a FIDIC (International Federa-
tion of Consulting Engineers) Red project,
one of the most frequently used construc-
tion contract model worldwide, drafted in
English and both the client as well as Su-
pervision involves personnel from various
countries such as England, Holland, Malay-
sia, etc. This has enabled me to learn diffe-
rent ways of working and I have found this
to be very enriching.
What do you think marks the difference
between FCC and the competition?
The know-how and the team of people who
contribute the Company’s vision of profes-
sionalism and safety. The involvement of
the personnel in the project is also a diffe-
rentiating factor.
What is it like to live in Lima? What do
you like and what don’t you like about
it?
The city spreads over a large area, but we
live our lives in two neighbourhoods and,
therefore, at the end, it seems very small. I
don’t like the traffic jams and the few leisure
activities to be able to disconnect, also the
fact that you have to take a plane and travel
far if you want to leave Lima. What I like the
most is the food and the habit of running.
The problem is that working from Monday
to Saturday, there is little time left to discon-
nect from the project.