The build of a new breakwater is part of Italy’s most important economic growth project.
Ramboll has been appointed by the West Ligurian Sea Port Authority as part of the consortium led by WeBuild working on the landmark renovation of the Port of Genoa.
As lead in the design JV with F&M Ingegneria SpA, Ramboll’s international port and marine team will be providing design engineering services to the build of the new breakwaters, in a joint venture led by Webuild, FINCOSIT, Fincantieri Infrastructure Opere Marittime, and Sidra.
The breakwater’s foundation will require seven million tons of rock, and guided by principles of the circular economy, a significant feature of the project will be the recovery, re-use and transformation of material to meet the project’s requirements. 100 prefabricated caissons of reinforced concrete will then be laid to create the breakwater, some at heights equivalent to a ten-story building.
Billed as Italy’s most important economic growth project and the biggest project on the Ligurian coast for 25 years, the significant increase of the port’s capacity will enable access for larger, more modern shipping containers. These ships, some at 450-metres long, are double the size of the port’s current capacity and the improvements will strengthen Genoa’s role in the significant Rhine-Alpine Corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network.
Nick Clarke, global service line director for ports, marine and waterways at Ramboll, said: “It’s exciting to be part of this project, as a landmark development not only for Genoa and Italy but Europe itself and I’m pleased we can embed the principles of the circular economy in a project of this significance. Winning a project of such a complex and challenging scale is a testament to the expertise of our team.”
Work is set to begin early next year ready for completion in 2026 and as an offshore build, port activities will continue uninterrupted for the duration of the project.
