Brazil: Construction Progresses on Açu Super-Port Industrial Complex

July 19, 2011

Construction work at what will the largest shipyard in Americas is now underway at the massive Açu Super-port Industrial Complex at São João da Barra, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The development follows OSX Brasil’s receipt last month of an Installation License for The Açu Shipbuilding Unit, a joint venture between OSX Construção Naval and South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries.

Development of the shipyard, which will have a 2400m quay, expandable to 3525m, enabling the integration of up to 11 FPSOs, is expected to create over 14 000 direct jobs; 10,000 of them during the shipyard´s operational phase and 4000 during the implementation and construction phase.

The shipyard is part of the Açu super-port. This envisages two port terminals: TX1, with a 3km access bridge, and TX2, with 14km of docks, both aimed at providing the best possible access for large cargo vessels.

Infrastructure services giant Acciona will engineer, design and construct the breakwaters for the shipyard using the caisson construction process. This is a ground-breaking method that is claimed to reduce the need for the materials used in traditional breakwater construction, as well as reducing the marine surface affected, resulting in minimum environmental impact.

The project envisages the construction of more than 3.8km of breakwater, of which 2.8km will be made artificially using concrete blocks.

[mappress]

Source: imarest, July 19, 2011