A Venetian affair

“It is thrilling to be part of such a unique project like M.O.S.E. *! For many decades, Venice and its lagoon have been suffering from higher water levels. From the beginning, engineers have been trying to solve the flooding problem in this breathtaking city. If all continues smoothly, by 2014, the rows of 78 mobile gates will be operational and this nightmare will be something we can all wake up from.

M.O.S.E. will allow shutting the 3 inlets of the Venetian lagoon to the Adriatic Sea whenever the flood levels rise above 110 cm. In normal conditions, the gates will be full of water and lie flat on the seabed.

Whenever the water reaches the critical level, the gates will be filled with air and rise from the seabed to form a mobile barrier, unique in its kind. A brilliant solution found using simplest principles of physics and founded on ArcelorMittal steel!

Our job, as a steel producer, is not only to supply high-quality technical steel solutions. We have been working very closely, from the beginning of the project, with the consulting engineers and the people of Consorzio Venezia Nuova (project owner). We have brought our best expertise and know-how to help make it a success.

Our steel solutions have turned out to be the most economic in terms of execution time, and most effective for achieving the established aims. More than 135,000 tons of our different steel sheet piling products made in Luxembourg have been used for this project!

Now, as M.O.S.E reaches its final stages, I am beginning to wonder what our grandkids will think of this enormous project. One thing is for sure – they will have the opportunity to appreciate the great view of St. Mark’s square without having to walk through water…”

* Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico– Electromechanical Experimental Module in English

Author: Dan Kohnen, Executive Sales Manager, Commercial RPS – Sheet Piling
Collaboration: Pascal Lamiroy, Long Carbon Europe, Communications