Posted on July 15, 2026
The Southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian Sea Port Authority has launched the tender process for the completion of dredging works in the Gioia Tauro port channel, covering the northern section of the port opposite the Eranova dock and along the associated turning basin.
The specific project is valued at EUR€2,628,355 and forms part of a broader EUR€5 million water depth enhancement programme, with a contractual modification option that could increase the value by a further EUR€1.3 million if deemed necessary by the Authority.
The works are designed to achieve a depth of 17 metres in the affected areas, complementing the existing 18-metre depth already present along the container terminal’s deep-water channel.
The dredging will be carried out using a Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger, allowing all operations to be conducted entirely at sea without the need for onshore storage areas, with the construction site delimited by a dedicated buoy field.
The expected contract duration is 60 days from the signing of the work delivery report, with operations organised to maintain port activity continuity and limit temporary closures to docks directly involved in the excavation.
The project is structured across two distinct activities.
The first covers the completion of northern area dredging to the target depth and the restoration of full functionality to the inner basin and ship manoeuvring areas.
The second involves reusing a portion of the dredged sediments to construct a submerged barrier approximately 350 metres in length near the adjacent shoreline, as part of a coastal nourishment initiative.
President Paolo Piacenza described the dredging as an investment in the port’s future capacity to attract traffic, generate economic development and maintain Gioia Tauro’s position as Italy’s principal transhipment hub and the only Italian port capable of accommodating the latest generation of ultra-large ocean-going container vessels on strategic Mediterranean routes.
