Barcelona, 25th July 2007 – ADELTE, a world leading designer and manufacturer of passenger boarding bridges for cruise and ferry terminals has recently been awarded a contract to design, manufacture and install an innovative passenger boarding bridge for the new Sans Souci cruise terminal in the Port of Santo Domingo, scheduled to be inaugurated in December 2007.
The Port of Santo Domingo is currently undergoing an ambitious reconstruction and expansion programme with the concession of Sans Soucí Ports S.A. One of the main projects is the construction of a new cruise terminal, adjacent to the Colonial section of the first city in the New World. The new terminal building will have three floors. The second floor will house immigration and business offices while the third level will provide ample passageway around the building and provide access to the cruise ships. This level features the most modern security equipment and boarding systems.
The new cruise facility has been designed by Diconfo, a Dominican engineering and construction firm, with the technical expertise of Westmar, a leader in port and maritime structures design. The general contractor is River Construction Group, a construction firm that has the sole responsibility for the port terminal’s operational readiness by the end of 2007.
A real novelty for a Caribbean cruise port is the installation of a modern state-of-the-art passenger boarding bridge, similar to the boarding bridges in use at airports. This boarding bridge is the first of its kind to be installed at a cruise terminal in the Caribbean. Boarding and disembarking will be a fast and smooth experience for cruise passengers visiting Santo Domingo.
Through a competitive tender process, Sans Soucí Ports S.A. selected ADELTE as the provider of the passenger boarding bridge. The boarding bridge of the KRONUS range that ADELTE has designed and is currently constructing for the Port of Santo Domingo is telescopic, glass-mounted and will have the possibility to extend from 25 to 49 meters. The cabin of this bridge is equipped with a uniquely integrated hydraulic telescopic docking ramp that, when attached to the cruise ship, automatically follows the vessel’s movements and will immediately undock in case of an emergency. The clearance under the bridge will enable continuous truck, equipment and supplies traffic. This boarding bridge can serve any cruise ship that will call on the Sans Souci cruise terminal and is compliant with international safety and security standards.
María José Garcés, Project Director of Sans Souci Ports S.A., commented: “With diligence and commitment ADELTE has designed the best possible passenger boarding bridge for our new Cruise Terminal in the Port of Santo Domingo. Their KRONUS design has several advantages, including the flexibility and capability to serve any cruise ship, which helps us to provide the best possible service to our clients’’
According to Jordi Floreta, Managing Director of ADELTE, the commitment of Sans Souci Ports S.A. to invest in a sophisticated passenger boarding bridge is a positive sign of current developments in the Caribbean cruise market. Jordi commented that “Sans Souci Ports S.A. is a great example of a modern and customer focused cruise terminal operator who realizes that a sophisticated boarding bridge increases terminal aesthetics, frees up the wharf area for other logistic uses and provides safe and comfortable boarding and disembarking for cruise guests. We are therefore very proud of being contracted by Sans Souci Ports S.A. and to be part of this state-of-the-art project.”
This current project is ADELTE’s second in the Caribbean. In 2003 ADELTE installed a boarding bridge in San Juan, Puerto Rico at Carnival Corporation’s cruise terminal. The KRONUS boarding bridge will be installed in November and will be fully operational prior to the arrival of the first cruise vessel of the season, Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas. ADELTE has designed and installed similar KRONUS type boarding bridges in the Port of Southampton (UK) in 2003 and earlier this year in the Port of Kiel (Germany).
