Already published and appreciated internationally, patented in its innovative elements and at a very advanced stage, my project needs adequate funding to be realized.

The INSEAN Research Institute of the CNR, specialized in naval engineering with recognized competences all over the world, has already expressed interest in the certification of the project by carrying out in its experimental facilities all the necessary checks on structural dynamics and sea / structure interactions.

The world leader in shipbuilding is the italian FINCANTIERI s.p.a. After viewing this project through its naval engineers, FINCANTIERI immediately considered it to be innovative, declaring itself ready to implement it once it was funded.

the OFFSHORE PORT

As it is well known, ports are intended for the protection and the call of boats. For realizing a port, a thorough search of the site where to build it has to be made, site which is chosen not only on the basis of an obliged location, more or less strategic with respect to terrestrial, sea and air communication lines, but above all on the basis of physical conformation of the coast and of the local weather-marine conditions.

The construction of a port, therefore, implies a series of preparatory studies which take into consideration, among many other things, meteorology, waves, tides, topography, morphology, sismicity, sea currents, besides problems related to environmental impact. The possibility to free the construction of a port from an obliged geographic position is therefore vitally important for all the logistical, commercial, economic and environmental advantages that this may involve.

In light of the above, the present floating port is thought and designed specifically to allow its installation in a large number of sites, regardless of the conditions of the coast, especially in those countries overlooking the Mediterranean Sea where the offer of moorings is lacking if compared to request. The port offshore is anchored to the sea bottom and is capable of overcoming the known problems related to the site selection, so as to be located not at the border between land and sea, but only "over the sea". It is capable of resisting to the force of the waves and of compensating for tidal excursions, floating passively on the flow and backflow of them, always keeping unchanged the freeboard of the dock, thereby nullifying the unpleasant effect, typical in a traditional port, of the daily, rhythmical variation of the water level inside the port itself. This is possible thanks to the particular system of anchoring, also capable of transforming the mechanical energy transmitted by the movement of tides into electricity that can be used in the platform. Full energetic self-sufficiency of this port is further assured by the two wind turbines installed on the top of the drifts, the two propellers for storing sea currents installed between the underwater portions of the drifts, the 20000 square/metres of solar panels installed on the top of the hull and of the central island. The environmental advantages offered by this structure are countless if compared to a traditional port.  

This port is a ring-shaped floating platform, with a central island inside, connected by steel cables to an anchoring rotating pin fixed within a concrete base permanently implanted with piles into the depth.

The entrance of the port is obtained in correspondence of an interruption realized in the body of the ring, whose structural continuity is, however, ensured in its submerged part.

The primary attribute of this port is the ability of orienting its own entrance; on both sides of it, in fact, are arranged a couple of very big drifts. Drifts have a first out-of-water portion and a second under-water portion so that, prompted by wind and sea currents, the first acting as an airplane rudder and the second acting as a boat rudder, cause the rotation of the port around its axis, which passes through the anchor pin, according to the optimal angle ( the angle at which the port entrance is brought exactly on the opposite side of the wind direction with respect to the anchoring center ), keeping this angle all the time in which those conditions persist.

This happens automatically, albeit slowly, but it can also be speeded up, in case of sudden veering of very strong wind or waves, with the assistance of two propellers arranged transversely on each drift and properly operated to give a circular motion to the platform in the desired direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) and with the help of two helms that, rotating, reduce in the water the resistant surface of the drifts to the desired transverse motion.

This allows overcoming the limits of traditional ports, for which some sea currents and/or waves may occasionally cause a prolonged inaccessibility.

The floating platform is entirely hulled on its outer surface, so as to create a barrier against the waves. The external hard cover - similar to that of the aircrafts – is shaped so as to reduce aerodynamic resistance (e.i. wind pressure) and, at the same time, to increase resistance to waves. The internal side of the platform encloses a portion of very calm sea creating a dockyard protected and provided with all services to the boats. Into the central island are located the harbor-office ( the dome on the top ) and a multistore hotel with underwater-sighted rooms, radially distributed around a seawater indoor pool.

Of course, port has to provide a valid link with the mainland and, on it, an appropriate road network. In fact, as far as close the mainland may be, constant exchanges for both goods and people will remain necessary.

In order to satisfy this need, are provided one or more shuttles that link, according to a frequency correlated with the local maritime traffic, with some appropriate structures that constitute the interchange terrestrial node. If a traditional port was already nearby and the floating port was the extension of it, the shuttle could travel back and forth from/to it. Otherwise, should be built just a simple docking pier for the shuttle and a sufficient amount of equipment for the stop in correspondence of the terrestrial road links ( the construction of these docking piers not leading to significant interventions on the coast, as far as possible to respect environmental protection ).

Platform also comprises a landing plane for helicopters.

There is a growing demand for new ports that respect the coastal landscape and the environment: the creation of the "offshore port" can trigger an industrialization process for a new type of port shipbuilding, as well as a further development of the traditional shipyard, constituting a driving force for a sector full of potential.