Near-shore geophysical and geotechnical investigations in support of the Trieste Marine Terminal extension

The Port of Trieste is an international hub for land and sea trade with the dynamic markets of central and eastern Europe. Thanks to its deep natural draft (about 18 m), the modern high-capacity vessels can moor to the piers. In view of the foreseen increase in maritime traffic, this harbour is undergoing modernization in order to improve the commercial traffic capability. In this expansion plan, the container Trieste Marine Terminal, Pier VII, is seeking an extension by about 200 m. In support of this feasibility study, multidisciplinary data acquisition was conducted in order to characterize the seabed, the sub-bottom sediments and the bedrock (flysch formation) in front of the Trieste Marine Terminal. The acquisition of high-resolution swath bathymetry, side-scan sonar and magnetometer data allowed a detailed analysis of the seabed conditions from an environmental and safety perspective. High-resolution seismic reflection data enabled us to characterize the Plio-Quaternary soft sedi...