PerGenova Breakwater Consortium has carried out work to lay the third caisson to build the New Genoa Breakwater in Italy.

The PerGenova Breakwater Consortium, led by Webuild, aims to complete the breakwater by November 2026. By the end of 2024, they plan to lay 12 caissons, including the one to be laid this month. The third caisson, built-in Vado Ligure, measures 21.7m in height, 40m in length, and 25m in width, weighing 10,000 tonnes. These caissons will form the first 4km of the 6km breakwater. Over 1.5 million tonnes of gravel have been laid and approximately 6,000 submerged columns have been built to date. Work on the Vado Ligure construction site continues, with a protection barrier made of five smaller caissons compared to those for the main breakwater. This project is crucial for transforming Genoa into a major logistic hub for European trade, enabling the port to accommodate ships up to 400 m long and 60 m wide. The breakwater is being constructed by a consortium led by Webuild (40%), alongside Fincantieri Infrastructure (25%), Fincosit (25%), and Sidra (10%).

The caissons will measure up to 33 m in height (like a ten-story building), 35 m wide and 67 m long. The work will be divided into two phases:

• The first phase, to be completed in 2026 is the new entrance from the east, more than 300 m wide, which will be built allowing the maneuvering space for ships to be extended.
• In the second phase, to be completed in 2030, the widening of the Sampierdarena Canal to a width of 400 m will be completed, thus increasing the operability and competitiveness of all terminals in the historic commercial basin.