Wedoany.com Report-Nov. 7, Global construction group Webuild has announced the installation of the first of 35 mega caissons for Genoa’s New Breakwater, marking a major milestone in the redevelopment of the Italian city’s coastal infrastructure. The project aims to enhance the Port of Genoa’s capacity to receive large container vessels exceeding 400 meters in length and 60 meters in width, as well as modern cruise ships.

The debut mega caisson measures 33m in height, 67m in length and 30m in width.

The new breakwater will rest on a seabed reaching a depth of 50 meters and extend approximately 6,000 meters when completed. Construction involves around seven million tonnes of rock for the base, topped with precast concrete elements. Over 90 cellular caissons are planned for the first 4,000 meters of the structure. The first caisson, a concrete block measuring 33 meters in height, 67 meters in length, and 30 meters in width, now stands 50 meters below sea level.

The project will proceed in two stages. The first phase, scheduled for completion in 2026, includes the construction of a new eastern port entrance more than 300 meters wide, providing additional space for vessel maneuvering. The second phase, set to finish in 2030, will widen the Sampierdarena Canal to 400 meters, improving operational efficiency and capacity at terminals in Genoa’s main commercial district.

The PerGenova Breakwater consortium—led by Webuild with partners Fincantieri Infrastructure Opere Marittime, Fincosit, and Sidra—is managing the project on behalf of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority. Caisson manufacturing is taking place at the Vado Ligure basin, where production of both mega and standard units continues. Installation utilizes the semisubmersible Tronds Barge 33, which features a pump-controlled system for precise positioning of the caissons at unprecedented depths. Webuild stated that seabed remediation and consolidation are progressing simultaneously with caisson placement.

The New Breakwater project is one of Italy’s largest infrastructure initiatives and is supported by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. According to Webuild, it represents the most significant effort to upgrade an Italian port and forms part of a broader strategy to enhance road, rail, and maritime connections to the Port of Genoa and the Liguria region. Construction is expected to generate about 1,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Webuild is also involved in the Terzo Valico di Giovi-Genoa Junction Project, designed to strengthen Genoa’s role in the Rhine-Alpine Corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network. In August, the company’s subsidiary, Fisia Italimpianti, and its consortium partners handed over Lot 2 of the Riachuelo System to Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos in Buenos Aires, Argentina, further demonstrating Webuild’s international infrastructure expertise.