Engineering geological studies for the Sines harbour (Portugal)

Abstract

The Sines Harbour which is under construction near Sines, 150 km South of Lisbon, will be one of the most important harbours in Europe, and it is mainly intended for oil and mineral tankers. The main breakwater is 2km long and the depth of water reaches 50m at its far end. For its construction about 6 million cubic meters of rock fill have been used, part of them made out of rock blocks 3-6, 6-9, 9-12 and 12-20 tons in weight. The layout of the harbour includes many other structures spread over an area of about 5 km 2

The paper describes the engineering geological studies conceming mainly the foundations of the marine structures and the selection of a quarry for the extraction of rock material adequate to the type of works.