Nautilus Dragados Marítimos held a working meeting today with the Association of Municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol to address two of the major challenges currently affecting the coastline: the accumulation of algae on the beaches and the erosion and loss of sand caused by storms.
The meeting, held at the headquarters of the Commonwealth, allowed us to present and analyze the technological solutions developed by Nautilus for the containment, concentration and collection of algae, as well as our systems of action using specialized amphibious machinery for the maintenance, recovery and regeneration of beaches.
Representing the Commonwealth were Félix Romero, president of the Commonwealth of Municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol and first deputy mayor of Marbella City Council; Francisco Cerdán, delegate of Tourism and Beaches of the Commonwealth; and Francisco Abel Carrasco.
Representing Nautilus Dragados Marítimos were Fran Manen, CEO of the company, and Toni Fernández, Director of Logistics and Institutional Relations at Nautilus.
A new approach to the algae problem
One of the main issues discussed during the meeting was the problem posed by the arrival and accumulation of algae at different points along the coast of the Costa del Sol.
Municipalities such as Marbella, Estepona, Mijas and other coastal towns need to have systems capable of acting quickly and efficiently, but also with a preventive approach that allows intervention before large concentrations reach certain beach areas.
Nautilus has developed specific algae containment and collection systems that allow the problem to be addressed from a different perspective: not just removing the material once it has been deposited on the sand, but studying its interception, controlled concentration and subsequent extraction using systems adapted to the characteristics of each area.
The goal is to achieve more efficient actions, reduce the impact on beaches, and improve the capacity to respond to episodes of massive algae blooms.
From repairing beaches after storms to maintaining them all year round
The second major focus of the meeting was on coastal erosion and the loss of sand caused by storms.
Nautilus’ technological philosophy proposes evolving from a model based primarily on large, one-off emergency actions towards a concept of continuous and preventive beach maintenance.
To achieve this, Nautilus has innovative equipment and amphibious machinery, capable of working in areas where conventional systems encounter significant operational limitations.
These teams allow intervention both from land and in very shallow waters, carrying out selective and highly precise actions.
The objective is to be able to periodically act on the points that show loss or displacement of sand, recover beach profiles, mobilize sediments when technically feasible and anticipate situations of severe degradation.
Technology applied to the protection of one of the main assets of the Costa del Sol
Beaches constitute a fundamental environmental, social and economic asset for coastal municipalities.
At Nautilus we believe that the incorporation of new technologies, amphibious machinery and specific intervention systems can open a new stage in the management of the Costa del Sol coastline.
Our proposal is based on three principles: prevention, continuous maintenance, and the ability to act immediately.
Today’s meeting represents a first step towards jointly analyzing the different needs existing on the western coast of Malaga and studying the application of Nautilus solutions in different scenarios.
“Our goal is to change the traditional concept of action on beaches: not to wait until the problem reaches a critical dimension, but to have technology and means capable of maintaining the coastline continuously, preventively and sustainably.”
From Nautilus we would like to thank the president of the Commonwealth, Félix Romero, as well as Francisco Cerdán and Francisco Abel Carrasco, for the attention received and the interest shown in our technologies and systems.