The Port Project of the Century
Editor: Allison Braswell

The expansion of the Port of Veracruz in Mexico is the most significant port project to take place in the region within the past 100 years. The Port of Veracruz is the country's oldest, largest, and most vital port, which moves materials like automobiles, agricultural bulk, mineral bulk, and petroleum. Proposed in the late 1990s, the MXN $70 billion (USD $3.69 billion, about $11 per person in the US) project prompts for new breakwater elements, navigation channels, terminals, and port facilities. Since 2018 when construction first commenced, new opportunities for globalization between Latin America and other coastal regions have opened up as cargo capacity continues to increase. By the time the whole project is completed, the port will be able to accommodate 95 million tons of cargo per year--a more than 300% increase in capacity. 

For their role in this monumental project, SG Cimentaciones Y Puertos (SGC) is building a combi wall to provide soil retention on the job site. A combi wall is a type of retaining wall that combines large-diameter steel pipe piles and sheet piles. The pipe piles allow the structure to resist overturning forces while the steel sheet piles are placed between the pipe piles as in-fill to stabilize the structure. These retaining walls are designed to have extra high bearing capacity for heavy civil projects such as wharf construction, bridge construction, and expansion of ports. They can be temporary or permanent depending on the project's short-term and long-term needs. 

SGC applied the power of their own ICE® 50B Vibratory Hammer and ICE® 66C Vibratory Hammer to drive OZ steel sheet piles for the combi wall. OZ sheet pile combi walls combine tubular pipe piles (SSAW/SAWH pipe piles) and Z sheet piles, which connect to the pipe piles' interlocks and create an alternating pattern. The crew were amazed with how fast these ICE® hammers installed the pile and sped up their production time. International Construction Equipment, Inc values its Latin American customers and is proud to support the growth of Mexico's port infrastructure alongside a leading contractor in the country. Excellent work, SGC, for playing a part in positioning Mexico to soon be one of the next big logistical hubs in the world. 

Learn more about the ICE® 50B and the ICE® 66C. 

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Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA    
Vice President Marketing, Brand and Media Relations  

Vice President IT and IT Comm 
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc    
Office - 704-821-8200    
Email - marketing@iceusa.com