Italian port transformation kickstarted

The Piattaforma Europa is an expansion and redevelopment project that was adopted 10 years ago to allow Livorno to compete with international ports, but has only now been given the go-ahead.

It has been designed with 3km of quays, two large terminals and two million square metres of new areas.

Extensive dredging will be required – around 14.5 million m³ will have to be dredged to deepen the access channel to around 17 metres and the internal basins and docks to 16 metres.

Two new breakwaters will be built, the existing Meloria breakwater will be moved and dredged material will be re-used to build them entirely out to sea, according to the North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority, which operates Livorno and five other ports on the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Mediterranean.

New service areas will be built with dredged material at the Darsena Europa dock and areas of the coastline will be replenished.

The North Tyrrhenian ports are vital to Italy and Mediterranean countries for both cargo and tourism, handling around 45 million tonnes and 10 million passengers a year. Livorno takes the vast majority of those goods, at around 35 million tonnes a year.

Belgian marine contractor DEME has won the dredging and coastal defence contract for the works as part of a joint venture that also includes Fincantieri and Societa Italiana Dragaggi.