Marine contractor DEME has won two contracts to help prepare Naples for the legendary America’s Cup sailing contest.
The 2027 America’s Cup will be held in Italy for the first time, and in preparation a range of marine civils works will be needed, including dredging, coastal protection and breakwater building.
The works will take place in the Bagnoli–Coroglio area of the Bay of Naples, a former industrial waterfront that is undergoing long-term redevelopment. The works are intended to improve both navigational safety and environmental conditions in the bay, while supporting the redevelopment of a high-profile urban coastline.
The scope includes the removal of contaminated and unsuitable sediments from the seabed, along with the demolition of redundant marine structures left from previous industrial activity. Around 130,000m3 of material are expected to be dredged as part of the remediation programme. DEME will also build around 900 metres of offshore breakwaters, designed to reduce wave action and help stabilise the coastal environment.
The works form part of wider efforts by local and national authorities to prepare Naples’ waterfront infrastructure for the logistical and safety requirements of a major international sporting event, while also addressing long-standing environmental issues in the bay.
DEME will deliver the project through its dredging and marine infrastructure division, working alongside Italian construction partners Savarese Costruzioni and Iterga Costruzioni Generali. Construction activity is expected to continue through 2026, with completion scheduled ahead of the America’s Cup venue preparations.
While the finals of the America’s Cup have not previously been held in Naples, preliminary events such as testing and qualification were held there in 2012 (pictured).
Founded in Belgium and active worldwide, DEME specialises in dredging, land reclamation, offshore energy infrastructure and environmental remediation. The company has been involved in a number of large-scale port, coastal protection and offshore wind projects across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In recent years, it has increasingly combined traditional dredging with environmental clean-up works, particularly at former industrial and port sites.
Alongside the Naples contract, DEME has also been awarded beach nourishment works in Valencia, Spain, in a sign of continued public investment in shoreline protection and adaptation projects across southern Europe.
The project will restore and protect three popular beaches (Sagunto, Sueca, and Cullera), which have experienced severe erosion over recent decades. Works include dredging and placing about 3 million m³ of sand using DEME’s advanced trailing suction hopper dredger Bonny River, which can operate at depths beyond 100 metres. Additional measures such as dune restoration and new groynes will ensure long-term coastal stability.
