Nuevo puerto Tánger MED 2maniobras de deslizamiento y puesta a flote de 105 cajones de hormigón de 3.400 toneladas

Abstract

In the construction of the Tangier Med 2 new harbor, VSL has completed 2 different HL contracts for the handling of the 105 concrete caissons. The main data of these concrete caissons is: 28 meters x 28 meter top view, 12,5 meter height, and 3.400 T weight per caisson. First contract, skiddings at ground level. There were 3 manufacturing lines where these 105 caissons were built. VSL supplied the skidding system for 2 of them. Each manufacturing line is divided in 3 different areas: construction, maturing and transborder areas. VSL supplied the skidding systems to move the caissons form one area to the next one. Each one of the 2 skidding systems was composed by the following main equipment: - 2 skidding track lines of 105 m length each (including the Teflon pads inside all the skid tracks), - 10 skidshoes with 14 hydraulic jacks (4 skidshoes of 1.000 T single capacity plus 6 ones of 300 T single capacity), - 6 push/pull units of 60 T single capacity and 1 m of stroke, - 6 EHPS 2x8,4 pumps, and - a monitoring system to control the jacking operations with accuracies of less than 3 mm and 20 bars among the 14 jacks. Second contract, waterings. The last manufacturing line brought the 3.400 T caissons below a lifting and skidding gantry. VSL has designed, supplied, installed and operated this gantry that picked up the caisson from the last transborder area, skidded it 45m meters and lowered it into the sea water until the caisson was floating by itself. This gantry had the following main data: - 32,25 meters of span, - 4 main transversal trusses of 4 m depth, - 12 meter wide, - 350 steel Tons weight. - Included one skidding system with the following main equipment: • 2 skidding track lines of 80 m length each one (including the Teflon pads inside all the skid tracks), • 8 skidbeams of 500 T single capacity, • 6 push/pull units of 75 T single capacity and 1 m of stroke,  And finally included one lifting/lowering system with the following main equipment: • 16 SMU 330, • 4 EHPS 2x65 pumps, and • the monitoring Bravo system including 4 laser points. Since October 2013 till September 2013 VSL has performance all these maneuvers with success, fulfilling and even improving the execution times initially estimated.