Creating a Green Marina in Panama Bay

This paper discusses the analysis conducted to design an offshore marina in Panama Bay to minimize impact to the existing littoral environment while providing a tranquil harbor with favorable siltation characteristics. The iterative design process employed utilizes advanced techniques and is applicable to other marinas around the world. The method considers complicated interaction between currents, waves and structures to help reduce future maintenance costs and achieve acceptable harbor tranquility even in cases of long wave swell. The shape and orientation of the marina breakwaters were developed to enhance the flushing potential of the basin, reducing future dredging requirements. The composition and alignment of the breakwaters and island flanks were also specifically configured to produce low wave reflection effects of long period swell waves. This enhanced the berthing tranquility and minimized wave agitation in the harbor approach channels.