The research project funded by the European Commission entitled “
MARINA PLAN: reliable and innovative technology for the realization of a sustainable marine and coastal seabed management plan” deals with industrial-scale testing of an innovative and sustainable technology for seabed management at the entrances of small ports.
Said technology may revolutionize the way ports are currently managed by drastically reducing maintenance dredging operations or even by making them useless. In fact, this equipment avoids sedimentation of solids next to ports’ entrances thanks to the installation of submerged elements, called “ejectors”, laid on the seabed and fixed to it.
Said devices, suitably flushed with high-pressure water, are capable of sucking the surrounding solid/liquid mixture and then deliver it, through a piping system, to an area where it does not impair navigation, thus always keeping seabed elevation constant.
The project began in October 2016 an completed by December 31, 2019, and will last some 39 months.
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Project Actions
A.1 Preliminary on field tests: a preliminary series of tests will be carried on at the demo site to optimize the ejector efficiency.
Responsible: UNIBO
Collaborator: TREVI, Comune di Cervia
B.1 Demo plant design: on the basis of preliminary tests result and of data about previous local management activities, the plant for seabed management will be designed.
Responsible: TREVI
Collaborator: UNIBO, Comune di Cervia
B.2 Demo plant realization, commissioning and management: realization of the demo plant, installation and commissioning. Then, the demo plant will be operated and managed for at least 12 months.
Responsible: TREVI
Collaborator: UNIBO, Comune di Cervia
B.3 Design of seabed maintenance management plan: development of a management plan for seabed maintenance, thus giving a general tool for technology implementation at local level.
Responsible: UNIBO
Collaborator: TREVI, Comune di Cervia, ICOMIA
C.1 Monitoring the project’s environmental and socio-economic impacts on Port of Cervia: demo plant environmental and socio-economic impacts on port of Cervia environment will be monitored through the planning of targeted sampling campaign series, the setting up of specific indicators, a collection of existing data on them, and space/time statistical analysis of the whole collected data. Furthermore, plant energy consumption and CO2 emission will be measured.
Responsible: Comune di Cervia
Collaborator: UNIBO, ICOMIA, TREVI
D.1 Dissemination Pack and Communication Plan: tools and relevant material to be used for the dissemination activities of the project, including a Communication Plan, will be produced
Responsible: UNIBO
Collaborator: ICOMIA, TREVI
D.2 Dissemination planning and execution, Replicability: networking, dissemination
Responsible: ICOMIA
Collaborator: TREVI, UNIBO, Comune di Cervia
E.1 Project Management, Monitoring and After LIFE Plan: sound management of the project, including reporting, monitoring and After LIFE Plan.
Responsible: TREVI
Collaborator: UNIBO, ICOMIA, Comune di Cervia