The two longest steel beams in the world are "made in Italy", more precisely from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.
175 meters for 6,500 mt each, they were built by Italian group Cimolai Spa and will be installed on the Pioneering Spirit, the largest construction vessel in the world, to lift oil platforms. Over a thousand people contributed to the project and worked at all four of Cimolai's plants in Friuli for over two and a half years of work.
The two beams were loaded on the Iron Lady barge of the Swiss company Allseas and sent to Rotterdam, where they will be installed on the Pioneering Spirit. For the same boat Cimolai built sixteen TLS beams in 2015.
Cimolai described the project as avant-garde and of considerable complexity, both for the dimensions of the product and for the material used, i.e., S690 grade steel. Since the two beams are integral parts of a complex system, the client required very high attention and precision in compliance with construction tolerances. The project has been completed with electrical, hydraulic and instrumental outfitting systems and the management of the water ballast tanks that allow them to rotate.
Cimolai has a turnover of €500 million and employs over 3000 workers, of which 1500 directly, in projects all over the world.