Over 400 people engaged on the project, of which 150 in the open sea

Genoa, January 18, 2025 – The laying of the sixth caisson of the New Genoa Breakwater, a project built by the PerGenova Breakwater consortium, led by Webuild, on behalf of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority, has now been completed. 

The caissons, which will be approximately 90 in total, are as large as buildings. And they are built and filled with specialist techniques to ensure the safety and resilience of the infrastructure. The project, which is technically very challenging, currently engages a total of over 400 people (direct and third-party personnel), of whom 150 are working in the open sea. 

The seabed's consolidation along the perimeter that will host the new dam, is also proceeding. On it, approximately 17,800 submerged gravel columns have been built, which are destined to improve the resistance and stability of the work's foundation. This phase of the work sees a fleet of means equipped in total with six vibroflots (i.e. advanced instruments that allow making terrains like the ones of the Genoa seabed, more compact). Vibroflots use ultra-technological machines to check the water pressure, depth and sea conditions. They are driven and guided by specialised personnel on cranes as high as 100 metres. And are brought downwards, slowly, to be progressively inserted into the terrain. These then make holes into the seabed, dropping gravel into these holes, through vibrations, and then make everything more compact. The activity consolidation plan raises these vibroflots to a total eight, with two more units compared to the number used up to now.

The New Genoa Breakwater will allow ships as long as 400 metres to access the Port of Genoa. The project is destined to consolidate the role of the Port of Genoa in the Rhine-Alpine Corridor of the TEN-T trans-European transport, to which the Terzo Valico dei Giovi-Genoa Junction Project also being built by Webuild also belongs. This will therefore further contribute to the development of Genoa's port system, specifically focusing also on environmental sustainability.