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Guia W buoys resist the strong currents of the Magdalena River, in Colombia

The river stands out for its great flow (8000m3/s on average and up to eight knots of current) and for the large amount of debris and vegetation (called ‘tarulla’) carried by the river. These difficult conditions caused the previous buoys to sink, requiring constant maintenance interventions. After studying this project, Almarin technicians verified that the standard solution for this project entailed that the Guia W buoys were adapted to strong currents. The solution designed and installed by Almarin to maintain the verticality of the buoys consisted of an adaptation piece for the Guia W buoys: the R accessory. This adjustable piece along the tail allows that, instead of holding the chain by the end of this, can be placed in the upper part or in the middle of the tail, according to the different forces of currents and depths. Its design makes it possible to balance the forces so that the buoy remains vertical.

Almarin also provided the hulls with a greater buoyancy reserve to increase the freeboard and thus make it difficult to accumulate weeds on the hull, which increases the weight of the buoy even to the point of sinking it. Likewise, this G2400T buoy model, from the Guia range with its stainless steel W structure, has a more hydrodynamic hull and is made of closed cell polyethylene and covered with a polyurethane layer to provide it with great robustness. In total, sixteen buoys were anchored with the R system in the Barranquilla area where the Magdalena River flows, showing satisfactory performance. The river inlet buoy required a readjustment of the R attachment to cope with the stronger current in that area of the river. During the installation, 6 knots were recorded in the anchoring area, but the inclination of the buoy was minimal, thus confirming the effectiveness of the R system.