Offshore Breakwaters for Port Development In Brazil

Abstract

This paper presents site-specific case studies of offshore breakwater projects for port development along the Brazilian coastline. Most of the breakwaters are of the berm concept, developed based on hydraulic physical model investigations. Two case studies are presented: The Sergipe Marine Terminal, in Sergipe State, where an offshore breakwater was constructed on soft marine clay layer, and the Port of Pecém, in Ceará State, Northeast Brazil, where marine works were recently started for a port expansion. New sites where breakwaters are under construction or proposed will be briefly discussed.