Floating Breakwater in Monaco
- Monaco
A remarkable achievement in floating marine engineering.
The Monaco Floating Breakwater protects the harbour of Port Hercule while creating new space for public and commercial use. Designed and built as one of the world’s largest floating concrete structures, it demonstrates how advanced engineering and sustainable design can go hand in hand.
FDN Group has studied all types of floating breakwater structures in the world and has experience in many types of floating breakwaters. FDN is the specialist in hydrodynamic and structural design of large floating breakwaters to damp waves from 1,5 metres to 8 metres height and supported the project with specialised expertise in floating structures and hydrodynamic design.
Project Description and Location
Located at Port Hercule in Monaco, this floating breakwater extends the existing harbour and simultaneously houses parking facilities within its hollow concrete structure.
Length: approximately 360 metres
Width: around 28 metres at the surface and 44 metres under water at the bottom
Depth: about 16 metres below sea level and total height of 19 metres for the floating body
Built in Spain and towed to Monaco, the breakwater is among the world’s largest floating concrete structures, serving both as a protective barrier and a multifunctional marine platform and parking garage for the municipality.
Challenges of the Project
The Monaco breakwater faced a unique combination of engineering and logistical challenges:
Deep-water conditions of 50m water depth required innovative mooring and stability solutions.
Wave dynamics of 8m maximum wave height demanded advanced modelling to ensure comfort, safety, and minimal motion.
Transport and installation involved towing a massive 40,000-ton concrete caisson over long distances with precision alignment in Monaco’s port.
Functional integration of commercial and infrastructural spaces added complexity in design, utilities, and long-term maintenance.
Sustainability
Sustainability was a central consideration throughout the project:
Off-site prefabrication reduced on-site disturbance and construction emissions in Monaco.
Floating design preserved the seabed and protected marine life.
Durable materials ensure longevity and minimal maintenance, reducing lifecycle impact.
The result is a structure with a design life of 100 years that not only protects the harbour and coast but enhances the city’s environmental resilience and solves parking problems.
Innovation & Technology
The Monaco Floating Breakwater is a showcase of cutting-edge marine technology:
Articulated joints connect the floating structure to the shore, allowing controlled movement under wave action.
Stabilising wings and advanced hydrodynamic shaping ensure stability and optimal wave attenuation.
Multifunctional concrete body integrates public and commercial use within a marine structure — a pioneering example of space-efficient design.
These innovations make the breakwater a reference project in floating infrastructure worldwide.
FDN Contribution
FDN Group with its research into floating breakwaters analysed also this structure as specialist and made simulations for the wave damping and needed structural design. FDN has a partnership with a team of consultants to produce such large floating breakwaters in the world and has already made several designs for large international coastal breakwaters.
Our team of 20 engineers have expertise in design and constructability:
Floating and semi-submersible structure design
Hydrodynamic and stability analysis, after studying floating breakwater structures and its design parametres with computer simulations. Our FDN consultants can determine the required size of the breakwater for damping the local extreme waves
Structural optimisation and durability assessment for 100 years design life
Through these studies, FDN can contribute for such large breakwaters to meet the highest standards of safety, innovation, and performance — embodying our vision of smarter, more sustainable infrastructure.
Partners
This project was realised through close international collaboration:
Client: Principality of Monaco
Main contractor: Dragados (Spain), FCC, SMIT (Netherlands)