La Romana –  Dominican Republic – Study and design of maritime works for the construction and extension of Casa de Campo

Client: —
Period of implementation: 1997 / 2002-2004
Total value of works: Euro 20.000.000
Value of our services: Euro 200.000

The Casa de Campo Marina is located near the city of La Romana, along the southern coast of the Dominican Republic, on the Caribbean Sea. The company has conducted studies and the design of maritime works for the construction and extension of the Marina, with the following features summarized below:

  • overall area of the protected body of water: 84,000 m3;
  • area of the protected body of water per berth: 560 m3/mooring place;
  • overall extension of jetties: 682 m;
  • overall extension of the waterfront with berths (both sides of the jetties added to the front of the new quays): 1,460 m.

The extension of the Casa de Campo Marina consisted in the creation of an additional body of water to the south of the existing Marina, protected by a new outer breakwater, with docking facilities for 150 recreational vessels (length overall between 210 ft / 64.0 m and 50 ft / 15,2 m). The docking system consists of four fixed jetties, anchored on piles, and a quay near the boatyard site. The boatyard site has a slipway and a dock for travel lifts.

Besides a general description, the company has produced a technical report for the dimensioning of the maritime works, a geotechnical report, a report for the calculation of the reinforced concrete structures, the bill of quantities, a summary of the economic setting and finally, the related drawings. A study was also undertaken on the maritime hydraulics including the analysis of the exposure of the coastal waters, the wind patterns, the offshore and coastal wave conditions and the study of wave action in the new harbour. The latter study has in particular, enabled the definition of the ground plan of the port entrance, designed to reduce the incoming wave patterns and to guarantee an adequate level of boat access to the Marina.

Planned works

Outer breakwater

The new outer breakwater consists of a curved structure placed in-situ with the concave part facing land and a total length of approximately 950 m. This breakwater is located near the right bank of the Rio Chavòn river mouth and runs from east towards west. The cross section of the breakwater has an “S” shape with a berm at its toe on the sea side; it is a rubble-mound breakwater.

The double layer riprap mound has an external facing with a slope of 1/3.5 and the portside facing of 2/3. The crest is built at +4.00 m above sea mean level where the seabed on the outer side is less than -4.90 m deep. The berm facing the sea has a crest elevation at +0.60 m above sea mean level.

The filter layer under the mound consists of a double layer of rubbles; its thickness is variable under the breakwater outer and inner toes to connect with the natural seabed. The filter layer is in turn supported on a core of quarry-run rock laid on the existing bottom.

A green nautical signal light supported by a concrete base is located on the end of the outer breakwater.

Inner breakwater

The inner breakwater is a structure built near the head of the existing Marina breakwater, approximate 60 m long and running south in a straight line. The breakwater crest is +2.00 m above sea mean level.

The external mound consists of a double layer of riprap piled on a filter layer which in turn is located on the core with quarry-run rock. The slope of the external facing is 3/4.

A red nautical signal light supported by a concrete base is located on the end of the breakwater.

Jetties on piles

Plans call for the building in the extended area of 4 fixed jetties anchored on piles set into the outer breakwater of the existing Marina and with a width varying from 4.80 m and 2.80 m.

The jetties have variable crest elevations (+1.50 m, +1.40 m, +1.40 m and +1.20 m above sea mean level).

The first three jetties are secured orthogonally with respect to the existing breakwater while the fourth is anchored to the quay area of the boatyard. They consist of decks in cast in-situ reinforced concrete and supported on reinforced concrete prefabricated beams, supported in turn on cast in-situ reinforced concrete dosserets and secured to square section reinforced concrete prefabricated piles. Vertical air holes are included in the deck structure to relieve upward pressures during extreme events (spillover of outer breakwater and reforming of the wave).

The central jetties are equipped with spaces for the movement of small wheeled electric vehicles while for the larger jetty there is an open space at the end for fuelling the boats (the tanks remain on the breakwater at the beginning of the jetty). Some jetties are served by jet bridges for lateral docking of the vessels, while the others will have docking by anchor blocks, catenaries  and polypropylene ropes.