The works to reinforce the dock of the Los Cristianos port is on schedule to be finished in March, meeting the deadline set by the Tenerife Port Authority, which says that by then 1,048 concrete blocks weighing 30-tons each will have been put in place to protect it from future storms.
So far, the biggest crane in the Canary Islands has installed 645 blocks in a 100-metre stretch along the dock, and the rest will be placed in the remaining 55 metres.
Satocan SA started the work at the end of August with an execution period of 10 months, and has not interfered with the movements of passengers or ferries of the two shipping companies (Fred. Olsen and Armas) that operate out of the dock, since all work is carried out at night, between 8pm and 7am.
Each block measures 2.32 x 2.32 metres, and are manufactured in the Granadilla industrial estate by the Canary Concrete Group, and are then being installed by the crane with the highest lifting capacity, of up to 600 tons, in the Canary Islands. Workers are able to place an average of 25 blocks per night, using an underwater camera and high resolution echo sounder giving real-time images to ensure that the blocks are correctly crimped together.
The Los Cristianos port was built in 1974 and just five years later there was a storm that caused the first damage to it, which required emergency repairs in 1980. In February 2010 it was damaged again, but this time it affected the docking area of the ships, causing damage to ferries.
This work will notably improve the safety of the southern pier, from which all maritime communications with La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro depart. The 2020-2024 Investment Plan of the Port Authority, which was recently agreed with Puertos del Estado, includes an investment of 10.4 million euros in the Arona port during this period, an expense that includes the second phase of reinforcement of the dock between 2022 and 2023.
The Los Cristianos port is one of the main in Spain for passenger traffic, with an average of almost two million people a year before the pandemic. 90% of the travellers who embark or disembark are from Fred Olsen and Armas ferries.
