The route from Slovakia

A journey which started in Kosice, a city in eastern Slovakia, near the border with Poland, Ukraine and Hungary on the river Hornád, which with its 240,000 inhabitants is the second most populous city in Slovakia. Three "exceptional" convoys of over 30 metres in length crossed the cold landscapes of Slovakia and Austria to reach Italy. Accompanied by safety cars along the entire route, the 3 convoys took about 5 days to complete the journey which then took them to Corleto Perticara, a village which is also at the foot of a mountain, but this time in the centre of Basilicata, in the province of Potenza in southern Italy.

Waiting for the 3 convoys there were 4 expert crane drivers and harness operators who transhipped the 3 sections of the chimney and loaded them onto a self-propelled 12-axle SMPT vehicle, ideal for overcoming the narrow bends of Basilicata thanks to the its 360° electronic steering and the steep 17% inclined slopes that separated the transshipment area from the final destination, a new total refinery in the heart of southern Italy.

After 3 days of up and down along the 17 km route, the three sections were at last in position at the base of the ashlar that will support them for many years. With the help of the brand-new Marraffa Srl ATF 400-ton crane by Marraffa Srl and a smaller crane, the 3 sections of the chimney were first lifted upright to vertical, one at a time, and then stacked one on top of another, to form a chimney with a total height of 65 meters.

In order to facilitate the operations of unloading and bolting together, MARRAFFA was able to rely on the 103 meters Wumag crane owned by VENPA SUD, which also supplied a Merlo 101 to simplify the positioning operations of the ATF 400 ton.