Puerto Rico Ports Authority starts $1.2M fender replacement job at Puerto Nuevo docks
The Puerto Rico Ports Authority announced the start of a $1.2 million project to replace some 78 fenders at the Puerto Nuevo ports zone, at the C and H cargo loading docks, agency Executive Director Joel Pizá-Batiz said.
The fenders “must be replaced as soon as possible, because, due to their state of deterioration, they did not fulfill their duty of providing protection, both to cargo vessels, and to the docks,” he said.
It is the Port Authority’s contractual responsibility to provide the necessary equipment for the safe use of the loading docks, he added.
The agency’s Engineering Division conducted a bidding process to procure the 78 fenders, including the materials for its anchoring system. The bid was awarded to Del Valle Group, S.P., which presented the lowest proposal of some $1.2 million, which will be paid with the agency’s own funds, he said.
Staff from the agency’s Port Conservation Division will install the equipment that arrived to the island this week.
The work, which will be carried out in stages and coordinated with the shipping companies operating in Puerto Nuevo to avoid affecting their operations, will take an estimated 10 to 12 weeks to complete, Pizá-Batiz said..
“We’re moving ahead with the governor’s capital improvements plan to rehabilitate and strengthen maritime infrastructure, in this case to ensure that our food and supply chain is more resilient and secure,” Pizá-Batiz said.
