The Port Authority of Valencia has allocated 23 million euros in its Business Plan 2017-2020 to improve the draft of its container terminals. The works, which aim to increase the maximum limit of the three terminals up to 18 meters deep, will allow the port of Valencia to have all its terminals adapted for the next generation ships, which have a maximum capacity of 18,000 TEUs.
The Company Plan contemplates 5 million euros for the dredging of the Prince Felipe and Levante docks and 4.9 million euros for the improvement of Príncipe Felipe dock´s draft. Likewise, the PAV will invest 4.9 million euros to improve the draft of Levante dock, which is currently 15.2 meters, and 8.2 million euros to improve the draft of the transverse pier of Coast.
The objective of the Port Authority of Valencia is to undertake these works in phases, which will allow accelerating the start of the ship operation in some terminals. Currently, works for the Levante dock are underway and the completion date is scheduled for September. Meanwhile, the increase in the draft of the Prince Felipe dock in its central section is in the bidding phase while the works to improve the draft of the transverse spring of Coast are in the drafting stage.
In recent years, large shipping companies have opted for the construction of large ships to reduce operating costs, which has meant reducing the number of stopovers. These vessels, which currently carry out traffic between Asia and Northern Europe, are equivalent in size to four football fields and, by height, to a 24-storey building.
The port of Valencia has already received the punctual scale of some vessels as Morten Maersk, the largest vessel in the history of the enclosure. The ship had about 400 meters of length, 60 meters of sleeve and capacity to transport 18,340 TEU.
The planned works of the Port Authority of Valencia will allow the port of Valencia to consolidate as a stopover in the Mediterranean for these large ships on their routes East – North America.