Evaluation of different breakwater designs of a new port at Al-Max, Egypt

Careful planning for harbor development is vital for improving the flow of international trade and the economy of any country. Evidently, offshore breakwater reduces wave height approaching a harbor, but it is necessary to be designed as efficiently as possible. This study analyzes the development of Al-Max area as a promising new harbor connecting Alexandria’s Western Harbor and El-Dekheila harbor. This development is an important step towards improving the capacity and efficiency of Alexandria’s ports in order to expedite imports and exports. These objectives align with multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), given the fact that the specific actions and measures taken within the middle port project will determine the extent of their impact on each goal. Necessary information, such as the bathymetric map and annual wave climate were collected and analyzed. The Delft3D FM software package was used for carrying out the numerical simulations. Sheltering the whole area of the port through establishing several new offshore breakwaters, which are going to be installed at a number of locations using best-in-class designs, will partially enclose the basin containing the three harbors, while considering the existing channel of navigation. The results of the simulation prove that breakwaters with the maximum segment length and minimum clearance for navigation channels could reduce the wave height significantly.