On the wave induced motions of a floating mega island

Floating mega islands can provide an attractive solution for creating temporal or more permanent space in coastal areas with a high demand for real estate. Also at open sea in the vicinity of wind farms, fish farms or logistical cross points, a floating mega island could be used as a hub, eliminating costly transfers. One of the aspects which needs to be understood is the wave induced motion of such a floating mega island. A piece-wise flexible island has been model tested at MARIN. The motion behavior in mild and severe sea states has been investigated. In this paper, the motion behavior is described and explained by comparing model test results with numerical simulations. An interesting aspect in this is the relative importance of wave diffraction, wave radiation and the dissipation of energy in the construction. The wave drift loads on the island that consists of 87 interconnected triangular pontoons are calculated and analyzed.