Construction of 7-Meter-High Parapet Wall Begins on New Breakwater in Genoa, Italy

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 8, construction of the wave-breaking parapet wall on top of the new breakwater at the Port of Genoa, Italy, commenced, with the PerGenova Breakwater consortium simultaneously completing the installation of the 32nd caisson. The project is led by Webuild and commissioned by the Western Ligurian Sea Port System Authority. The new parapet wall will be placed atop the already installed caissons and laid continuously along the breakwater alignment, reaching a maximum height of approximately 7 meters above sea level.

The project currently features a parallel construction layout involving the seabed foundation, caisson bodies, and above-water parapet wall. The breakwater is being built at water depths of up to approximately 50 meters, with the main structure composed of large reinforced concrete caissons. On July 31, following the installation of three new caissons, the total length of the breakwater reached approximately 1,350 meters; the latest large caisson installed at that time measured 67 meters in length, over 33 meters in height, and weighed approximately 15,000 tons. On August 10, with the placement of the next large caisson, the total breakwater length further extended to approximately 1.5 kilometers.

The large caissons are first manufactured at a precasting yard, then transported by sea to the construction area, where they are positioned and sunk into place. The large standard caissons used in the project measure up to approximately 67 meters in length, 30 to 35 meters in width, and approximately 34 meters in height, with each unit standing nearly as tall as a 10-story building. When the 21st caisson was installed in May, the project had already begun concurrent above-water superstructure works, utilizing offshore concrete production facilities to supply materials for the related permanent structures.

Extensive foundation consolidation work on the seabed had previously been completed. When the 16th caisson was installed in February, the project had laid approximately 4.2 million tons of foundation material on the seabed and completed dredging of nearly 110,000 cubic meters of sediment. By December 2025, when the 14th caisson was installed, the placement of seabed foundation material had reached approximately 86% completion, with over 49,000 underwater consolidation columns installed. At the end of March, the project also launched the production of reinforced concrete armor units to protect the breakwater foundation.

The current parapet wall construction corresponds to the continued progress of the breakwater's above-water permanent structure. This structure, located atop the caissons, will be laid along the entire breakwater alignment; meanwhile, the remaining caissons continue to be installed offshore. The project site maintains simultaneous multi-front operations across seabed consolidation, caisson installation, and superstructure works.

Once completed, the new breakwater will expand the access channel and vessel maneuvering conditions at the Port of Genoa, accommodating a new generation of large container ships. The project also interfaces with the Terzo Valico dei Giovi—Genoa Junction railway project undertaken by Webuild, forming integrated infrastructure linking the port area with the hinterland rail transport system.