February 18, 2025 – A seventh caisson has been installed for Genoa’s new breakwater. PerGenova breakwater consortium has deployed a workforce of around 450 employees across multiple fronts

Around 450 people, including 150 working directly at sea, are engaged on multiple fronts in the construction of Genoa’s new breakwater. Despite challenging weather conditions, the seventh caisson has now been installed. This key infrastructure project, crucial for the future of the Ligurian capital’s port, is being carried out by the PerGenova Breakwater consortium, led by Webuild on behalf of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority.

Seabed consolidation work is also continuing alongside the caisson installation. So far, more than 19,200 submerged gravel columns have been completed, essential for ensuring the stability of the future breakwater.
Stone placement continues to form the foundation berm, while dredging operations in the outer harbour are advancing. These works will deepen the port’s access channel, allowing larger-draught vessels to enter once the project is complete. Additionally, in line with circular economy principles, the dredged material will be repurposed to fill the prefabricated caissons that are gradually shaping the new structure. At the same time, the removal of the existing breakwater’s rock formations is also underway. These rocks will be progressively relocated to protect the new structure as the caissons are put in place.

January 18, 2025 – New Genoa Breakwater: sixth caisson installation now completed.

Winter doesn't stops the construction site off the coast of Genoa. The work continues without interruption!
Work in progress for the construction of the New Breakwater, the largest intervention to strengthen Italian ports and the deepest dam in Europe.

December 12, 2024 - Fifth caisson installed

Off the coast of Genoa there is a construction site that works non-stop! Work in progress for the construction of the New Breakwater, the largest intervention to strengthen Italian ports and the deepest dam in Europe.

August 25, 2024 - Fourth caisson installed

Work on Genoa's new breakwater has advanced even throughout August, with the installation of the fourth caisson off the city’s coast. The PerGenova Breakwater Consortium, led by Webuild, plans to install a total of 12 caissons— including those already placed—along the perimeter of the new breakwater by the end of the year.

July 25, 2024 Pergenova Breakwater Consortium lays third caisson

In the submerged construction site off the port of Genoa, the third huge caisson was laid today. These caisssons will be progressively all be laid one next to the other on the submerged foundation of the new breakwater, a project that is being built by the PerGenova Breakwatet Consortium led by Webuild.
The Consortium, concomitantly with the laying of the caissons, also continues works to consolidate the seabde and therefore the dam's foundations, having already laid over 1.6 million tonnes of gravel and built over 7,000 submerged columns.

July 15, 2024 – PerGenova Breakwater Consortium soon to lay third caisson

In the Vado Ligure construction sites works continue non-stop to build the New Genoa breakwater, with the laying of third caisson to be placed on seabed off the city of Genoa, expected by the end of July. Creating a caisson is a complex procedure, which n this phase, requires, on average, 20 days. By end of year, a total of 12 caissons to be laid. A little over a year since works began, 6,000 submerged columns have been placed on the seabed and over 1.5 million tonnes of gravel have been laid.

June 29, 2024: the second caisson was laid at 20 metres' dept.

At a 20-metre-depth, the seabed off the city of Genoa hosts, from today, the second caisson of the new Genoa breakwater, built by the Pergenova Breakwater consortium, led by Webuild. Just over a year since the first foundation stone was laid, the activities of the construction site of new breakwater continue non-stop on many fronts, with cutting-edge techniques and equipment, in terms of innovation and sustainability, for a very complex project from an engineering perspective.

May 24, 2024: the first casson was laid at 25 metres' dept

In the maritime construction site of the new Genoa Breakwater, at 25 metres' depth, the first of the over 90 caissons that will compose the first 4 km of the overall 6 km of the work was laid.  Present at the event, the Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini, with the Italian Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Edoardo Rixi, the Extraordinary Commissioner of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority Paolo Piacenza, the acting president of the Liguria Region Alessandro Piana, the Mayor of Genoa and Extraordinary Commissioner for the Breakwater Marco Bucci, and Webuild CEO Pietro Salini.

February 6, 2024: Works continues with the construction of more than 1320 submerged columns. Final unexploaded ordnance search phase to begin

Works proceed rapidly to build the new breakwater, with a new milestone during these days: that of laying 1 million tonnes of gravel along the seabed, offshore from Genoa, reaching 40% of the laying activities. A quantity that allowed building, since May 2023, more than 1,320 submerged gravel columns, concomitantly safeguarding the marine ecosystem. While at the same time, the activities to search for the underwater unexploded ordnances continue to advance, 70% of which have been in fact already completed.

December 1, 2023: Works started on the second block of columns of the project

Activities at the construction site of the new Genoa breakwater continue unabated. To date, more than 600,000 tons of gravel have already been laid on the seabed off the city. In the "Test Camp 1" area, the 862 gravel columns have been completed, and the installation activities of the geotechnical monitoring instrumentation are beginning.

September 21, 2023: construction works of the first 850 columns now in the final stages

The first 850 gravel columns will be completed according by the end of September. The construction of this first group of columns will close the works of the first test camp. As of today, approximately 370 tons of gravel have been laid on the seabed. By the end of September, works on the block of columns of the second test camp will also begin.

August 1, 2023: unexploded ordnances search works started

An underwater search for unexploded ordnances along the seabed in a hyberbaric environment has started, for the first time in Italy. The 8 divers, in turn, will live for 60 days inside the hyperbaric system to clear the seabed. Consolidation activities also continue on the seabed: as of today, 220 gravel columns have been built.

July 17, 2023 - Construction of the columns to consolidate the seabed

A new important construction phase to consolidate the seabed is underway at the underwater construction site for the Genoa's new breakwater. The first gravel columns that will ensure stability of the base that will support the structure began to take shape in an area.

June 14-15, 2023 - Consolidation of the seabed of the New Genoa Breakwater

Works to lay the strata of gravel on the seabed and the consolidation operations continue, as per the time plan, in the New Genoa Breakwater construction sites. They will end in September 2024.