Three years ago in the strong international competition of many shipbuilders and manufacturers of steel structures, the Croatian shipyard Brodosplit was selected to participate in one of the largest construction projects in Italy's history.
The project ''Mose'' (Moses) worth more than 7 billion Euros is a project of protecting Venice from flooding. The Italian city usually floods fifty times a year, mostly in autumn and winter months, whilst every fifth year the entire city slightly sinks under the sea surface.
The Italian architectural and construction consortium Venezia Nuova selected the Croatian shipyard for construction of 63 steel gates in order to protect Venice from big problems caused by high tides.
The project ''Mose'' envisaged the gates to be installed at the Malamocco, Chioggia and San Nicolo inlets situated between the sea and the Venice Lagoon. Thus, the main aim is to close all three canals just before the tide comes from the open sea.
The steel gates are constructed as special reservoirs filled with air, i.e. water. When filled with water the gates rest at the sea bottom, but when the tide approaches, they are filled with air and lifted towards the sea surface in order to close the entrances to the Venice Lagoon. When the danger passes, the air is pumped out of the gates, which are then filled with water again and placed on the seabed.
The immersion operations of the gates are very sensitive because the gates must reach depth of 14 metres thus they are lowered with a frame carrier installed at the installation site.
The installation of the first gate was successfully carried out at the Malamocco inlet in February this year. It was a test that demonstrated the quality of the Brodosplit gates design and the validity of many systems developed in order to carry out all operations safely. It was also an opportunity to calibrate the systems in special conditions regarding the velocity of the current, the depth of the caisson, the weather and the sea conditions as well as the sea traffic in the Lagoon.
The process of installation of the tidal defensive system has been ongoing at the Malamocco inlet since February. The remaining gates are to be immersed in a row.
This big step forward in offshore projects is an important opportunity for Brodosplit for further positioning on the market that has a higher added value as well as for acquiring the necessary references for the next similar projects.