Facilities for handling large draft vessels, modern container ships and tankers have become essential due to the rapid growth in marine traffic. A pile supported skirt breakwater (PSSB) is one of the most promising concepts that could fulfill this requirement as PSSBs are environment friendly and economical for locations where tidal fluctuations are large and soil conditions are poor compared to other types of conventional breakwaters. The structure consists of an impermeable barrier piercing the free surface and extending up to a certain depth of submergence. The barrier which is responsible for attenuating the incident waves through partial reflection is supported on closely spaced concrete or steel piles. The barrier would consist of pre-cast elements that are connected to the piles on site. A numerical model based on the Eigen function expansion theory for linear waves to investigate the reflection and transmission characteristics of a PSSB consisting of single and double rows has been developed. The wave run-up on the skirt of the front row as well as the oscillation of the water surface in between the two rows was also computed. The results on the above stated parameters are reported as a function of wave and structural parameters in a dimensionless form. The numerical results are compared with experimental results and the agreement in general is found to be good. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.