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Agenda 2011: Congresses and Technical Seminars

We present some of the congresses and technical seminars for the forthcoming year 2011, relating to Ports and Coasts and the marine environment, in general.

XI Spanish Ports and Coasts Seminars
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SPAIN
5-6 May 2011
http://www.costasypuertos2011.com

Coastal Structures 2011
5-9 de September 2011
Yokohama Japon
http://www.jsce.or.jp/committee/ocean/coastalstructures/


ICOMIA World Marinal Conference 2011

10-12 May 2011
Singapur

4th International Congress on Energy and Environment
Engineering and management

(CIIEM)
25-27 May 2011
Mérida, SPAIN
http://www.ciiem.net

PIANC World Congress
1 May 2014
San Francisco USA
http://www.atpyc.org/

IV NATIONAL CONGRESS ATPYC – II Mediterranean Days
8 – 11 May 2012
Valencia, SPAIN
http://www.atpyc.org/

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Ministerial Degree on the management of Special Zones in the Macaronesian region

By virtue of Decree ARM/3521/2009, of 23rd of December, the marine Sites of Community Importance and the marine environment of Natura 2000 Network’s Macaronesian region were declared to be Special Areas of Conservation (SAC’s).

To this effect, the Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, on 8th of October of 2010, made public on the Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs Website, the Bill for the Ministerial Decree by which the administrative means were approved for the Special Areas of Conservation in the Macaronesian region referred to in Decree ARM/3521.

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A storm of wind and rain keeps the 47 provinces on alert and causes considerable damage on the coast

Last November a wind and rain storm (Becky) battered the coasts of the Canary Islands and the North of the peninsular, causing considerable damage.

The wind that affected the peninsula on the 10th, 11th and 12th of November whipped up waves of up to 18 metres in Villano- Sisargas (Galicia) and up to 16 metres in Santander and Bilbao.


The President of the Xunta, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, confirmed that storm Becky had caused damage in around twenty ports of Galicia with an estimated cost of some four million euros, according to data compiled by the Ministry of the Sea.

In San Sebastián the Paseo Nuevo was affected, which had to be cut off after the appearance of a large 20 x 15 metre hole. Municipal authorities calculate that this stretch will be closed for several months.
The San Sebastian City Hall is assessing the damage and believes that it could come close to the 5,8 million euros of losses which occurred in 2008 due to another storm.

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Siport21 up-dates its version of Real Time Ship Manoeuvre Simulator

Siport21 has updated its Real Time Ship Manoeuvre Simulator with the latest version of the simulation software Mermaid 500 (MARIN). This action brings greater realism and quality to the visual models used in its Ship Manoeuvrability Simulators, which increases the ultimate quality of projects and the immersion capabilities in the workplace of the Captains and Pilots who attend their facilities.

The most notable improvements, which directly affect the visual reproduction of the models of ports and ships used in the company’s simulators, facilitate the more realistic simulation of the appearance of the waves and the effect of the wind upon same, as well as the wakes of the vessels and the bow waves.  It also significantly improves the effects of light (day and night) and the reflection of the Sun and the Moon on the water.

On the other hand, meteorological agents: clouds, rain, hail and their corresponding influence on the surface of the sea, both in colour and in terms of their reflection, have been substantially improved. The exact location of the Sun, the Moon and the stars have also been incorporated into the simulations, depending on the geographical location and the time of day being simulated.

With this update, Siport21 continues with its policy of providing its clients with the best and most advanced manoeuvrability simulation tools for undertaking studies on the manoeuvrability and behaviour of vessels, maritime safety projects, analysis of floating structures and the development of training programmes and training of Merchant Navy personnel.

Siport21 has undertaken more than 400 studies on the manoeuvrability and operation of vessels, diverse training courses and port design projects, becoming a benchmark in this field.  Amongst its projects, of note by way of example is its participation in the extensions of the ports of Barcelona, Bilbao, Gijón, La Coruña, Algeciras, Cartagena and Valencia, and on an international level, it has worked in the ports of Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Albania, Portugal, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, Benin and the Persian Gulf.

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Hidtma XX years in engineering and consultancy

The HIDTMA company celebrates XX years in Spanish and international engineering and consultancy and continues working and incorporating new technologies with which to face the future.
HIDTMA (Hydraulics and Environment) is a private engineering and technical consultancy company specialising in environmental studies and port and coastal engineering, created in 1990, some XX years ago now, by a group of professionals from the field of applied research and of renowned prestige.
Since its creation, it has worked for both Public Administrations and private companies alike, developing projects and studies of relevance within the national and international ambit.
HIDTMA undertakes it work with complete independence, basing itself on its human resources and the latest available technologies, using the most advanced techniques supported by numerical models of highest quality, together with the most sophisticated data acquisition equipment and laboratory analyses.
Throughout these last twenty years the diversification of HIDTMA into different companies of linked and complementary activities has facilitated the development of in-depth and detailed work on our part.
Therefore, and since the year 2001, the HIDTMA ECOMAR company located in Valencia, has been undertaking marine environmental and analytical laboratory work, having become a frontline company in environmental coastal engineering.
Around the same time SIPORT21 was founded, a company in which HIDTMA has holdings, specialising with a high technical level in the study and analysis of vessel manoeuvrability,with numerical models and real time vessel manoeuvring simulator.

On the other hand, HIDTMA forms part of the ABARLOA2 group of companies dedicated to port, coastal and environmental projects of an international nature.
After these twenty years in close contact and working with our clients, we would like to express our gratitude to all those of you who have placed your trust in HIDTMA. For our part it has been wonderful and a pleasure to work with all of you.
THANK YOU

Hidtma crossing 2010

HIDTMA, aware of the circumstances we are all going through in this profound economic/financial crisis, and to ensure that the prow of our ship may always point the way forwards, is planning an “educational-scientific” crossing for its employees and for those adventurous clients who dare to join in.

The crossing will cover an area of the Mediterranean and will have specific scientific objectives with measurements of oceanographic parameters, water quality, immersions for the study of marine benthos and whale-watching.
On the other hand, we want those participating to enjoy the sea, its wealth and beauty, and for us all to return with renewed hope and energy to continue with our work.

Coastal eco-cartography of the province of Castellón – Completion of work

In the year 2009 the HIDTMA company undertook Eco-cartographic field work in the province of Castellón. During the first semester of 2010 the desk work and final report for this extensive study was completed.

With the completion of this eco-cartographic study,HIDTMA –as a Joint Venture with Iberinsa-, has now completed eco-cartographies of the Mediterranean coastline between the provinces of Castellón and Granada, inclusive.
All the information is structured and organised within a GIS or Geographical Information System (Arc View 9.2), and is the property of the General Directorate of Coastal and Sea Sustainability (MARM)

Cadiz Eco-cartographic tender

The Joint Venture made up of HIDTMA-IBERINSA was deemed to have presented the best bid by the Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM).


The public tender for the Eco-cartographic Study of the province of Cádiz has a budget of 3.532.443 € and an execution deadline of 20 months.

Studies in the Marin area

The HIDTMA company is undertaking a variety of work for the Port Authority of Pontevedra-Marín, relating to the different extensions of the Marín Port.


The work involves environmental monitoring of the extension work on the Western Commercial Dock, monitoring of the area of discharge of dredged materials into the sea and a study of the environmental impact of the extension project for the New Commercial Docks.
HIDTMA has vast experience in the execution of oceanographic and environmental studies in the Pontevedra Ria, where it has been carrying out its activities since 1993.

Up-dating and fine-tunning the modelization software

HIDTMA continues up-dating and fine-tuning its numerical modelization techniques for their application to the development of their work, and to do so maintains fluid contact with, principally, the Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI), as well as with other international bodies.


Currently HIDTMA technicians are fine-tuning the MIKE ECOLAB for its application in the coastal waters of the Spanish Mediterranean, attending to its particular physical, chemical and biological characteristics. Similarly, it could also be applied to reservoirs and marshes.
Said model will permit the simulation of water quality processes, eutrophication, heavy metals, oxygenation and, in short, the simulation of water quality processes and frontline biological processes, produced in the marine and continental aquatic environment.

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