Boskalis Consortium to Develop French Port

A consortium led by Boskalis Nederland and Bouygues Travaux Publics has won a contract from the Occitanie/Pyrenees-Mediterranee region of France for the expansion of Port-La-Nouvelle in the south west of the country that will lead to offshore wind development.

The expansion will enable the port to accommodate the construction and assembly of pilot floating wind farms planned off the coast of Occitanie, Bouygues Travaux Publics said.

The total value of the project amounts to EUR 199 million, for an overall project cost of EUR 237 million, forming part of the Region’s programs for construction and coastline development.

When completed, the port of Port-La-Nouvelle will provide a draft of 14.5 meters, compared to the 8-meter draft offered by the current port.

The port extension will serve the double purpose of developing existing traffic and accommodating new projects, particular in connection with new energies. It will make possible the construction and assembly of pilot floating wind farms planned off the coast of Occitanie, for example.

Bouygues Travaux Publics and its partners will be responsible for Package 1, consisting of the creation of a harbor by extending the current southern seawall (600 meters long), constructing a northern seawall (2,430 meters long) and demolishing an existing seawall.

All the seawalls will be reinforced by an upper layer of Accropodes of between 18 and 45 tonnes, pre-manufactured at the site. These very highly resistant concrete blocks are designed to resist the action of waves on the seawalls.

The works got underway recently, and they should be completed mid-2023.