Beachgoers on the Costa del Sol have witnessed an unusual scene this week, as a vast, slab-like metal structure appears to be being hauled slowly by a tug.
What at first glance looks like a strange cargo ship is in fact the future deck of the new Anne-de-Bretagne bridge in Nantes – a piece of engineering so large it must travel by sea in a single block.
The deck, built in northern Italy, measures roughly 150 metres long and 42 metres wide, and weighs around 2,200 tonnes.
Once in France, the structure will be attached directly to the existing bridge to create a much wider crossing capable of carrying two new tram lines.
Instead of demolishing the original span, engineers will expand it sideways, effectively tripling its width.
The structure was fabricated over several months at the Cimolaï facilities between Venice and Trieste.
After being moved onto a reinforced barge in the port of Monfalcone, it set off on 26 October, towed by a small fleet of tugboats including the Dutch-flagged Multratug 18.
Since its departure it has crossed the Adriatic, threaded its way through the Mediterranean and is now approaching the Strait of Gibraltar at around six knots.
AIS tracking for the tug PBRY indicates the convoy is navigating under ‘restricted manoeuvrability’ with a draught of about 5.4 metres.
On November 17 the platform could be seen from different points along the Costa del Sol, its unusually low and exceptionally wide outline sparking curiosity from passers-by.
Engineers involved in the project have compared its proportions to a ‘horizontal tower block’ moving over the water.
The full trip will total more than 5,000km, taking the convoy past Cadiz and into the Atlantic before entering the Loire estuary between November 20 and December 19, depending on weather and tides.
The current estimated arrival time submitted by the tug is December 1 at 6pm.
