Breakwaters

A breakwater is an infrastructure that provides protection from the direct action of the sea, enabling port activity in naturally unsheltered areas. The main function of these coastal protection structures is to reduce the wave action through reflection and/or dissipation of the incident wave energy.

Breakwaters are one of the most characteristic harbour constructions, and can be regarded as basic infrastructures in the conceptualization of any port area. There are very different kinds of breakwaters, depending on how they dissipate the wave energy, their structural elements, shape, etc.

Circular cells structures are especially well suited for the design and construction of breakwaters, as they are a gravity structure that allow substantial retaining heights, and can easily withstand significant wave action.

Double steel sheet pile walls are an alternative for building breakwaters.

Breakwaters built with steel sheet piles have a vertical face on the sea side. In regions with large waves, they are usually complemented with rouble mound or concrete blocks on the sea side to reduce the reflexion of the waves. Breakwaters built with circular cells and an embankment / revetment on the sea side can in most cases beat any other solution.