Sector 5 is on its way
The first vacuum vessel sector produced in Europe travelled last week between Monfalcone, Italy, and the French port of Fos-sur-Mer.
The 440-tonne component had been protectively wrapped and inserted into oversize metal housing before being loaded onboard at the Port of Monfalcone on 30 September. Once lowered into the ship's hold, the load was securely latched by way of welded attachments to ensure its immobility during transport. In addition, sensors were attached to the vacuum vessel frame to capture data about any movement or acceleration experienced by the component during travel.
Two stages of the journey to °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ remain for vacuum vessel sector #5: crossing the inland sea of Berre l'Étang by barge (a stage that is dependent on good weather and low wind) and travelling along the 104 kilometres of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ itinerary over four nights to reach the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ site (a stage scheduled for the last week of October).
The European Domestic Agency, responsible for delivering five sectors to °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ, celebrated the completion of sector #5 with its contractors on 24 September.