The Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA) has put out to tender the works contract corresponding to the 'Execution Project for provisional and definitive fencing for the occupation of areas of the APMT terminal for the expansion of the Border Control Facilities for Goods (IFCM), public port domain area of Algeciras.' The project has a base tender budget without taxes of 351,746.13 euros, and the deadline for submitting offers will remain open until July 9, 2026.
The project is part of the necessary actions to prepare for the expansion of the IFCM at the Bay of Algeciras port, located at the Juan Carlos I dock. These facilities are intended for the physical inspection and documentation processing of goods of animal, vegetable origin, and live animals entering or leaving the European Union. Its activity has been conditioned in recent years by the growth of port traffic, both in containers and in road traffic, which has increased the volume of files and inspections carried out by the Border Inspection Services.
According to the technical documentation, the current IFCMs have a Customs Facilities area where non-animal origin products for human consumption are inspected, with eight access doors. The APBA believes that this provision is insufficient to address current needs and those anticipated in the coming years, in a context of increased controls resulting from European regulations regarding food safety and pest or disease prevention within the community territory.
The planned expansion can only be carried out by extending eastward the current building of the IFCMs. To do this, the Port Authority needs to have part of the land adjacent to the Juan Carlos I South dock, currently leased to APM Terminals, as well as areas of the dock itself that have until now been linked to the terminal's operations. These spaces will allow for the expansion of the operations area of the Customs Facilities and for reconfiguration actions in the area to improve the management of traffic accessing the control facilities.
The tendered contract focuses on the execution of provisional and definitive fencing, as well as the subsequent demolition of the current fencing of the concession, in order to redefine the new boundary between the inspection area and the APM Terminals terminal. The intervention is proposed as a preliminary action for the effective occupation of the space needed to undertake the expansion of the IFCMs.
The allocation of the area will be organized in two phases. First, before the start of the works for the expansion of the operations area of the Customs Facilities, a provisional fence will be erected along the eastern perimeter. This solution will allow for the relocation and positioning of the live animals tent next to this fencing, which is located next to the old shed, currently being demolished. In parallel, a first section of definitive fencing will be constructed along the northern perimeter of the area corresponding to the initial phase of the works.
The second phase includes the occupation of the entirety of the area currently leased at the Juan Carlos I South dock to develop the operations area expansion. At this point, the new terminal boundary will be defined, continuing the section of definitive fencing constructed in the northern perimeter up to the edge of the dock. Once this action is completed, the previously installed provisional fence for the relocation of the tent can be demolished.
The definitive fencing will include the construction of a HA-30 reinforced concrete wall, connected to the existing pavement with resin reinforcements, as well as embedded conduits made of reinforced PVC pipes and stainless steel manholes. On this base, a high-security anti-climb fence with TUPIFOR welded mesh, metal posts, and specific fixing elements for installation both on the wall and on the pavement will be installed.
For its part, the provisional fencing will have a total height of 2.5 meters and will consist of corrugated opaque sheet metal of galvanized steel up to two meters in height and five concertina wires at the top. The proposed solution includes galvanized steel posts, chemical-metal anchors, and conduits made of rigid steel CONDUIT pipes, as well as stainless steel manholes.
The project also includes works for clearing and removing existing elements, demolishing surface electrical installations, and erecting lightweight fencing. Additionally, it involves the installation of a equipotential grounding network due to the presence of metal conduits and junction boxes, in addition to quality control measures, construction and demolition waste management, and health and safety measures.
The estimated execution period for the works is two months from the signing of the verification act of the layout. However, the project sets a partial deadline of one month for the completion of the definitive fencing corresponding to the first phase and the provisional fencing. The estimated material execution budget amounts to 295,584.98 euros, while the base tender budget with VAT reaches 425,612.82 euros.
The processing has been declared urgent because the expansion project for the control facilities is already drafted and about to receive the approval of the State Ports. If the new fences are not ready on time, the works for the major expansion — awarded in September 2025 to the company Vías y Construcciones — could not start without delay. The APBA wants to prevent an administrative procedure from delaying a project that has been planned for years.
