The Santander Port Authority is spearheading the development of a methodology aimed at designing resilient port infrastructure. This initiative will be carried out by the Fundación Instituto de Hidráulica Ambiental de Cantabria (IH Cantabria Foundation) through a research contract with the port administration.
César Díaz, president of the Santander Port Authority (APS), emphasised the need to anticipate changes in port operations and those associated with global warming, aligning with the recommendations of the Strategic Framework of the Spanish port system.
During the signing of the research contract with Raúl Medina, vice president of the IH Cantabria Foundation, Díaz stated, "The goal is for the port of Santander to anticipate the increasingly frequent changes in demand, enhance its versatility in defining operational strategies, adapt to the effects of global warming, and ensure environmentally sustainable solutions."
He further reiterated, "The port must be prepared to face these challenges and be capable of applying them to the design and development of its infrastructure, in line with the objectives outlined in the Strategic Framework of the Spanish port system, all while maintaining our functionality and reliability standards."
Once the methodology is developed by IH Cantabria, it will be piloted at the breakwater of Marina del Cantábrico, an infrastructure that the APS plans to rehabilitate due to its deteriorating condition. This project is part of a comprehensive reorganisation of the port area and is linked to the APS's strategy to promote recreational boating as a driver of the blue economy in the region, through three new concessions.
The contract, which has a budget of €55,000 plus VAT and a duration of seven months, includes various tasks such as: a review and systematic analysis of resilient and sustainable port protection infrastructure design; the formulation of a replicable methodological framework for other port works; the application of this methodology to the pilot case of the Marina del Cantábrico breakwater; and the preparation of technical documentation and a plan for transferring this information for future replication of the methodology in other port projects.
