CLIMPORT project based on research into the effects of climate change on the design and construction of port infrastructure

Due to their long lifespan and coastal location, port infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Given this evidence, there is a need to establish new methodologies for the design and construction of ports that take into account the effects associated with climate change.

To address this problem, the project entitled “System of modeling the design and construction of port infrastructures adapted to Climate Change” (CLIMPORT) was formulated; which has recently been co-funded by the State Research Agency within the program of Public-Private Collaborative Projects.

This project aims at the design and construction of port infrastructure adapted to climate change, therefore will research and develop an innovative system that considers the effects of climate change on the design of resilient port structures, which is essential to ensure sustainable mobility.

The execution of CLIMPORT is in charge of a public-private consortium, led by FCC Construction, and integrated by the Institute of Environmental Hydraulics of the University of Cantabria (IHCantabria), three major constructors (FCC Construction, DRAGADOS and ROVER MARITIME) and three major engineering firms (Acciona, the engineering and technology group Sener and the engineering area of the Amper Group, PROES Consultores), which have extensive experience in the field of marine engineering and construction.

The project is expected to generate an innovative modular system that incorporates new professional methodologies for design and construction of port infrastructure, integrating statistical tools, databases, international regulations and state-of-the-art construction procedures.

One of the innovative elements of the CLIMPORT project is that it explicitly adds the analysis of risks associated with climate change; another innovative element is the integration of variables for designing and building ports, considering different temporal and spatial scales, which represents a unique approach in the international arena.

Among the key aspects of the CLIMPORT project are: climate risk analysis in the design and construction of ports, incorporating the effects of climate change and quantifying the uncertainty of the results; the development of the digital twin of the hydraulic behavior of the port, for different phases of its life cycle; the cooperation with the BIM philosophy; the modular system that allows great versatility and scalability and the characterization of renewable energy potential in ports.

Participation in this project demonstrates the corporate social responsibility of all partners in the public-private consortium. This can be seen because the implementation of CLIMPORT is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). In addition, the system to be developed will be a reference in the design and construction of resilient port infrastructures, which will strengthen the international competitiveness of the Spanish Science, Technology and Innovation System.