On October 14th, 2022 the Port Network Authority of the Ionian Sea – Port of Taranto signed a Grant Agreement with the European Climate Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) to finance the project named Taranto Breakwater: Studies for the upgrade of the breakwater protecting the core port of Taranto.
The project involves the port of Taranto as part of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor and aims to complete all planning and design phases for the restoration of the breakwater protecting the port of Taranto (commercial, industrial and cruise area), the city and the military port.
The breakwater’s modernisation is essential to face the impact of climate change on the port of Taranto and the city’s future operations and protect them from adverse events such as storm surges, extreme phenomena, rising sea levels. All these events represent a real challenge for a breakwater built in the first half of the 20th century and that is currently partially collapsed.
Indeed, restoring an adequate degree of functionality to this fundamental infrastructure is necessary in order to reduce both the intensity of the waves and the action of coastal waters and to ensure high standards of safety and maritime accessibility to the port of Taranto.
The project was financed by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) amounting to € 1,172,568.00 out of a total budget of € 2,345,136.00 on the topic CEF-T-2021-COREGEN-MARP-STUDIES (Maritime ports – studies).
Project activities started on July 1st, 2022 and will be completed within 30 months.