The Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA) has awarded the project for the execution of the provisional and final enclosure for the occupation of spaces at the APM Terminals (APMT) terminal to the company Ampe Obras e Ingeniería. This action aims to free up the necessary land to undertake the future expansion of the Border Inspection Facilities for Cargo (IFCM), located in the public port domain area of Algeciras.
The award has been resolved for an amount of €296,730.00. The project is part of the essential preliminary works to prepare for the expansion of the inspection facilities at the Juan Carlos I dock. These facilities are responsible for the physical control and processing of the documentation associated with goods of animal and plant origin, as well as live animals entering or leaving the territory of the European Union. The activity of these offices has recorded a constant increase due to the growth of container traffic and rolling cargo at the Algeciras port.
The technical documentation of the project details that the current Authorized Customs Area, specialized in controlling products for human consumption of non-animal origin, has only eight operational gates. The APBA has determined that this infrastructure is insufficient to respond to the current demand for inspections as well as to the medium-term growth forecasts, marked by an increase in European regulatory requirements in food safety and phytosanitary control.
To carry out the physical expansion of the IFCM, which is planned through the extension eastward of the existing building, the port administration needs to integrate lands that currently belong to the APM Terminals concession at the Juan Carlos I South dock. The acquisition of these spaces will allow for the redesign of the customs operations area and improve the flows of trucks and vehicles accessing the verification points.
The contracted works include the installation of new security fences and the subsequent demolition of the current fence of the container terminal to establish the new boundary of the concession. The intervention has been structured into two distinct phases. In the first phase, a provisional enclosure will be built on the east side to relocate the tent designated for the inspection of live animals, currently situated next to a shed undergoing demolition. At the same time, a first segment of a definitive fence will be constructed at the northern boundary.
During the second phase, the APBA will take possession of the entire area that has been released from the terminal at the Juan Carlos I South dock. In this period, the definitive enclosure will be completed up to the edge of the dock, allowing for the removal of the provisional fence installed in the previous stage. The definitive elements will consist of a HA-30 reinforced concrete wall anchored to the ground, reinforced PVC piping, and a high-security metal fence with welded mesh and an anti-climb system.