TRIESTE – The lifting of the main girder of the first 800-tonne rail-mounted Goliath crane being built at Porto Val da Rio in Chioggia by Cimolai Technology was completed yesterday.
The operation brought the structure to a height of close to 110 metres and marks the end of one of the most delicate technical phases of a project of international significance. The first crane will be fully assembled by the end of 2025, while the raising and installation of the second unit will be completed by spring 2026. Over the summer, both structures are scheduled to be loaded onto a barge, in separate operations. Their final destination is Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard.
The cranes will be able to operate individually or in tandem, reaching a combined lifting capacity of 1,600 tonnes. One of the project’s distinctive features concerns delivery: the cranes will be transported by sea already fully assembled, tested and ready for use, ensuring operational continuity for the shipyard dry dock.
Assembly is taking place at Cimolai Technology’s facilities in Chioggia, within the Val da Rio port area, used as an industrial and logistics platform for pre-assembly, testing and shipping. The project involves ACCS–Armando Cimolai Centro Servizi for the production of structural components, while Cimolai Technology handles design, construction and testing.
The yard covers more than 45,000 square metres in an area designated by the Port Master Plan for port-related economic activities, in coordination with local institutions and the Northern Adriatic Sea Port System Authority. CEO Roberto Cimolai said the completion of the lifting confirms the company’s technological and organisational capabilities, the result of integrated work across engineering, production and logistics.
«The operation launched today highlights the potential—still not fully expressed—of the port, and this is why, during my mandate, I intend to ensure adequate attention is given to the port. At Val da Rio, maintenance dredging for 250,000 cubic metres has already been planned to improve nautical accessibility. But the commitment I am making right away — said Matteo Gasparato, president of the Port Authority — confirms our commitment to Chioggia: ensuring a constant presence of the Authority on the ground. In 2026 a permanent AdSP office will be opened in the city. This initiative aims to build a more direct, day-to-day relationship with operators, institutions and local communities, moving beyond any logic of marginality».
