Venice’s first two mobile dams arrive in lagoon for installation
After a couple of months during which there appeared to be little progress in modernising the city, there was an important development with the ‘MoSE’ mobile dam project.
The first two barriers for the dam project were transported to the lagoon, entering it at 15.45 on 28 February 2013. They were shipped from their place of construction, Monfalcone, to the Marghera industrial area on the mainland side of the Venetian lagoon. The barriers are massive, measuring 20, by 18.6 by 3.6 metres and weighing 13 tonnes each. These barriers are destined for the Lido inlet to the lagoon. The foundation base for these barriers was installed last September. By May, four barriers should be installed into these foundations. This should facilitate a ‘trial run’ for the dam at this inlet, as reported by the Italian news agency ANSA;
Mose, arrivate prime paratoie a Venezia
According to the newspaper Corriere Del Veneto, Venice’s dam project is currently scheduled to be completed in 2016:
Mose, e nel giorno degli arresti arrivano le prime due paratoie
Finally, let’s hope so!
However, it should be noted that this news was tainted by the arrest of four people from the companies constructing the barriers on the same day as the delivery. The arrests included Piergiorgio Baita, the President of the Mantovani company making the barriers, by Italy’s finance police on fiscal charges. Unfortunately, this could further delay progress with the project, as reported in the Venetian newspaper Il Gazzettino di Venezia;
Frode fiscale: arrestato Baita, numero uno della ditta che sta costruendo il Mose
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