Port Al Thani in Marbella

The drivers of the project for the expansion of the port of La Bajadilla (Port Al Thani in Marbella), compare the impact of this project in the XXI century of Marbella to what Puerto Banús meant for the city in the second half of last century.

The consortium formed by the group of Sheikh Al Thani and the town hall of Marbella through its municipal maritime company, provided a project that not only will make a substantial improvement in the supply of Marbella in the field of nautical tourism, but will also be a key to urban development in the east of the city "like Puerto Banús involved the development of the west of Marbella all the way to San Pedro Alcántara," according the documentation presented in form of proposal by the developers themselves, which ultimately was the winner in the tender organized by the Public Ports Agency of Andalusia.

In their view, the urban development which will involve the implementation of the port expansion will help to balance the growth of the city in the east-west axis. It is "a-state-of-the-art port facility” which will create “the most important territorial centrality in the urban area of the Costa del Sol”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rXaxR4toR4

The project, whose production involved the engineering of Berenguer Engineers, the firm Axel Logis and the architectural study of Seguí, is proposed as an operation that goes beyond conventional models of marinas in proposing a circular design that achieves a capacity of 1,220 sport boats with lengths between six and 125 meters. Of these, 860 may be permanently afloat, and 360 in dry dock. The circular design had already been proposed by the town hall when the Public Ports Agency developed the basic project, although the proposal was rejected. However, the agency of the Board when they invited tenders advanced the only requirement for the extension would be that the proposals could not occupy an area greater than the assignment of water under the baseline.

According to the promoters, the project design is based on advanced technology that will convert the Bajadilla into a reference for the port culture of this century.

In that sense, one of the highlights is the design of protective embankments, to be produced with precast concrete with color treatment which will replace the piers of stone or concrete blocks that have a negative impact on the landscape of the city and which will provide one of the most unique aesthetic to the new port.

However, one of the biggest news for the city will be the point of berths for cruise ships up to 175 meters, which will have a special spring inside the port area. Safety in the maneuvers of entry and cruise ships docking at the wharf designed was verified, as the group won the contest by using the simulator with the most advanced cockpit technology in Spain.

Both the possibility of the arrival of cruise ships and commercial activity linked to the port may be a salutary lesson for the city economically. The project includes 45,000 square meters of retail space and leisure. The project will offer the opportunity to create 1,500 direct jobs and 3,000 indirect "all of high stability considering the size of the project" as said in the documentation presented.

The complex will feature over a thousand parking spaces, namely 683 and 450 ground surface.

Although the bid, which refers exclusively to the port, was won by an investment of 84 million Euros and for a term of forty years, the overall investment that arises in the project, including tertiary services, commercial and hotel will total approximately 400 million euros. "Just announcing the start of the investment could mean economic recovery for the city of Marbella", say the promoters of the project.

Source: Diariosur.es

• By Surestates
• Marbella and Costa del Sol Property News.
• 30 Nov -0001