OHLA expands Cubipod export with the granting of new licenses for its application in two maritime infrastructures in Morocco
May 31, 2023
OHLA has signed new licenses for the use of Cubipod in two maritime projects in Morocco. The company continues to advance in the commercialization of this innovative and sustainable precast element made of mass concrete used to the protection layer of mound breakwaters and to protect riverbanks, and does so through its subsidiary specialized in maritime works, SATO.
In particular, Cubipods of up to 55 t will be used as part of the expansion of the port of Casablanca, which includes the extension of the breakwater by 400 meters. In addition, the Dakhla Atlantique port, the country’s new maritime infrastructure with more than 4.5 km of
Denmark was the first European country to which OHLA exported the license for the use of Cubipod in the Hanstholm harbor expansion where more than 2,700 pieces ranging from 15 to 33 t have been installed.
Cubipod is the result of OHLA’s commitment to R&D&I, which has accumulated more than 300 innovative projects over the last two decades and currently has 11 patent families in force, with a presence in 28 territories. In the case of Cubipod, it has been developed in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Valencia and is marketed through its specialized subsidiary SATO.
Main contracts
OHLA has a varied portfolio of maritime projects in which this technology has been used. These include the San Andrés breakwater in the port of Málaga, the harbor wall of the Langosteira Outer Port Phases I and II (A Coruña), La Esfinge Secondary Breakwater (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) and the Naos Secondary Breakwater (Lanzarote). These initiatives have involved the construction and installation of 33,000 Cubipods ranging in size from 3 to 45 tons.
Awards and recognitions
Cubipod has innovative advantages over traditional cubic block, such as more robustness and structural strength, while preventing the pieces from adopting a self-packing arrangement and increases friction with the underlying layer. In addition, its sustainable nature, thanks to its lower concrete consumption, results in the reduction in the consumption of cement, aggregates, energy and transport and in a great saving of the ecological, energy and carbon footprints.
In fact, its innovative and sustainable nature has earned Cubipod multiple recognitions, including the Gold medal with honorable mention and the prize for Best Spanish Invention awarded at the International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva; the National Innovation Award, in the category Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions, for the first real application in the Port of Malaga; and the best Spanish invention from the Spanish patenting company Garcia-Cabrerizo, awarded by the Foundation of the same name.