STABILITY VERIFICATIONS OF MARITIME GRAVITY STRUCTURES: THE ITALIAN REFERENCE STANDARDS

The design of maritime structures in Italy (and in Europe) is not supported by current technical standards that deal specifically with criteria and methods for evaluating the meteoceanographic loads governing the design. We refer specifically to port breakwaters or coastal defense structures involving gravity type structures, such as caisson breakwaters, concrete sea walls and rubble mound breakwaters. For the design of these structures, like for building structures in general, the 2018 “Technical Standards for Constructions” (NTC 2018) edited by the Italian Ministry of Infrastructures and Transport do apply. These standards, however, do not specifically address the key aspects affecting the design of maritime structures. Therefore, for marine engineering topics designers typically still refer to a specific standard dated back to 1996, the “Technical Instructions for the Design of Breakwaters” edited by the Italian Superior Council of Public Works (CSLLPP). While the 1996 Technical Instructions are still reliable guidelines for many aspects, they are not up-to-date and aligned with the limit state design method.