Introduction and description of the project

Abstract

Since the early 20th century the Port of La Condamine, in Monaco, has been unable to expand owing to the great depth of the adjacent seabed. Several possible solutions were studied until, in the 1980s, innovative new attempts were explored using technologies applied in the offshore oil sector. The concept finally chosen consists of a floating dock as the main structure with a counterdike. The dock, which is over 350 m long, is linked to the land with a special ball joint to a fixed caisson on the abutment, while at the other end it is tied to the seabed with anchor lines. Besides protection the port area, it enables large ships to moor and includes a car park and dry dock for smaller vessels. The main exterior part of the dock structure is a twin prestressed- concrete shell, divided into ballast compartments, while inside it is divided into the four storeys of the car park and two storeys in the dry-dock area.