Abstract
Kumamoto Port located on a tidal flat in Ariake Bay is being constructed under uniquely natural conditions; 40m soft ground layer, great tidal range of 4.5m and mild slope of 1/1000. To overcome technical difficulties, engineers have developed and introduced practical use, original technologies and methods such as: a new type of breakwater not requiring foundation improvement even on soft ground (Soft ground dike); the waterway submerged dike, a measure against waterway siltation; and the high-density air-compressed transport process, a method of transporting dredged spoil pneumatically, thus reducing water content in the spoil and thereby preventing marine pollution.
