Photo: Miho Bakalić

On the coast of the Adriatic Sea, there are more than a thousand and five hundred harbours and bays that offer safe mooring. Not only is boating tourism experiencing steady growth but it is also facing global challenges related to environmentally friendly technologies and the protection of environmental sustainability, which it must rise to if it is to continue having its star status. After more than four years of work, the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geodesy in Split, in partnership with the company Dubina Inženjering, has completed the Pinna Nobilis-SSMA19 project, the aim of which was to construct the first Croatian underwater mooring system that anchors vessels and floating jetties. Within the project, a series of activities were carried out, resulting in the development of a new product, which minimises the negative impact on the environment, offering, at the same time, a technical solution that is reliable in engineering terms. The end product is conceptually unique and has several variable project parameters that make sure it can be applied in almost any seabed condition. There is also a user-friendly application, which can offer support to the designer in choosing an optimal solution, i.e. the appropriate project parameters for the mooring system. The aim of the Pinna Nobilis-SSMA-19 project was to increase the quality of services in tourism and maritime transport with a focus on applying sustainable technologies and preserving natural aquatic ecosystems, and to develop a reliable system for anchoring vessels in the conditions of a realistically represented foundation soil, which is adaptable to all seabed conditions and suitable for vessels and wave fields with variable characteristics – all of which was met with complete success. The project was co-funded by the EU’s European Regional Development Fund…