IHCantabria received the visit of a delegation from the Port Authority of Tarragona
From left to right: Carles Segura, Raúl Medina, Saül Garreta Puig and Ramón Ignacio García Rodríguez.
In addition to visiting IHCantabria’s facilities, issues related to the ongoing work between the two institutions and future collaborations with the Port Authority of Tarragona were discussed.
The Institute of Environmental Hydraulics of the University of Cantabria(IHCantabria) received yesterday afternoon the visit of a delegation of the Port Authority of Tarragona(APT), composed by its President -Saül Garreta Puig-, the General Director -Ramón Ignacio García Rodríguez- and the Deputy General Director -Carles Segura-.
The leaders of the ATP were received at the IHCantabria facilities by the General Director, Raúl Medina, who offered them a cordial welcome and thanked them for their visit “and for the interest shown by the APT in learning first hand about the capabilities of the experimental facilities of this institute”.
The relationship between these two institutions dates back more than 20 years, a period during which IHCantabria has carried out several works required by the APT, such as the “Service of knowledge generation for the urban and social integration of the Contradique of Els Prats guaranteeing the stability of the beach”, which the institute developed over a period of 16 months.
This is a pioneering work in Spain.
Knowledge generation
The work developed by IHCantabria between 2023 and 2024, commissioned by the APT, aimed to generate the necessary knowledge to assess the impact of a change in the design of the Els Prats breakwater on the beach of La Pineda.
This project is part of the APT’s Master Plan, which seeks to integrate the port infrastructure with the environmental recovery of the beach, the regeneration of the marine ecosystem and the tourist and social use of the area, in a manner consistent with natural dynamics and climate change.
IHCantabria analyzed the possible effects that the modification of the original design of the counterdike ─from breakwater to vertical caissons─ could have, considering its impact on the beach; since this change could generate new coastal dynamics, such as wave reflection, which could affect the stability of the beach.
Based on its analysis and in collaboration with LANDLAB, IHCantabria proposed a conceptual design of the counterdike, which promotes urban and social integration, with an innovative approach that uses native and maritime species, in addition to considering the effects of climate change in the short, medium and long term.
For this design, the interaction between the port infrastructure, citizen and tourist use, the conservation of the marine ecosystem and the environmental recovery of the area protected by the Xarxa Natura 2000 was taken into account.
This study was carried out over 16 months and concluded with the conceptual design of the counter-dam, aimed at its landscape and functional integration, with a systemic approach that prioritizes both safety and the coexistence of natural and social dynamics.
The APT delegation that has come to Santander is participating, from September 3 to 6, in the Port Week 2024, an event organized by Puertos del Estado, the Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP) and the Port Authority of Santander.
