Financing EU in order to realize the prototype of the Mama Vessel that will connect the new offshore terminal of Venice



The European Union has granted to the Harbour Authority of Venice and to the Reunited Tugs Panfido, society that work the services of towing in the Venetian port, a co-financing of 9,7 million euros for the realization of the first prototype of the Mama Vessel, the semisinking ships devised in order to connect to the earth terminals the new offshore terminal planned from the Venetian harbour agency to out of Laguna ( on 23 September 2010).

The realization of the prototype is inserted inside of the project Poseidon approved of Med II in the within of ban 2014 of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for transport with a total budget of 53,2 million euros. In specific the European contribution it will regard the executive planning and the realization of the prototype of the boat (Mama Vessel or, technically, Semi Submergible Barge Transporter) that particular attention to the cure of the echo-compatible aspects that have carried to define a hull to lowland wave generation and a system of propulsion is devised by English BMT Titron placing dual-fuel LNG-diesel engine that guarantees low levels of emission of co2 and energy saving online with the last recommendations and directives EU and with a draught in navigation of 4,4 meters, compatible also with the lagoon atmosphere. Draft of nautical means that, for its specification, are conceived in order to be applied also in other European ports with limited draught and for the inland navigation to the harbour areas.

The executive planning is previewed for september the 2016 and construction of the first ship for July 2017 (term of the experimentation December 2017).

The Harbour Authority of Venice has emphasized that through the granted contribution the EU "recognizes and supports the technological heart of the project of the platform of height of the port of Venice and gives the go-ahead to an one of a kind innovation that will be the key of time for the sustainability of the entire offshore-onshore system. Arranged with the "floating cassettes" (special cargo pontoons that carry until 384 container one) - has remembered the agency - they allow the creation of a kind of "continuous belt conveyor" between the terminal in height and the various ports of call with earth (and vice versa) that it reduces the dead times in the phases of cargo and drainage of the container, cuts drastically the times of distance, the operating costs, the consumption, and the emissions".

"For these characteristics - it has found the president of the Harbour Authority, Paolo Costa - the Mama Vessel preview a combination of the best technology and European ingegneristica that unavoidably will involve increment of the quality of the processes and the competitiveness of the shipbuilding field of the European. Own on the base of such elements the EU commission has estimated positively our proposal, also graces support of the Ministry of Transportation Italian, recognizing are the highly innovative character of nautical means and of its system of motorization to LNG it is the positive fallen back ones that the boat could have for the marine transport".