Navantia has announced that the Syncrolift at its Cartagena Repairs division has reached 50 years of service after completing 1,077 lift-outs since entering operation. The company dates the facility’s commissioning to December 1976, meaning the half-century milestone will be reached in December 2026.
The infrastructure is used to dry-dock military and civilian vessels for repair, maintenance, and modernization work. According to Navantia, the vessels handled include S-60 and S-70 series submarines, mine countermeasure vessels, surface ships, and civilian craft. The facility has also been involved in operations related to S-80-class submarines.
A platform with eleven work positions
The system operates through a 150-meter platform that submerges to receive the vessel before lifting it with steel cables and synchronized equipment. Once out of the water, the vessel can be moved along rails to one of eleven land-based work positions.
The facility has a maximum lifting capacity of 6,000 tons and completes a lift-out in around three to four hours, according to company data. Its lifting speed is 21 centimeters per minute.
Navantia identifies the 111.5-meter megayacht Alaiya, weighing approximately 4,500 tons, as the vessel with the greatest displacement lifted by the Syncrolift to date. The length record is held by the Pola de Lena, at more than 143 meters.
Modernization since 2020
The company said the modernization program launched in 2020 upgraded the control system and motors and incorporated digital monitoring tools. The facility’s mechanical principle has been retained, based on lifting vessels in a synchronized manner and then transferring them ashore.
Among the projects completed, Navantia highlights the recovery of the mine countermeasure vessel Turia following its accident at La Manga, which included engineering work, dismantling, structural reconstruction, and systems upgrades. The company also credits the Syncrolift with supporting projects including reconstructions, conversions, and hull lengthening using prefabricated blocks.
