The structure of the extraordinary commissioner for cruises in Venice finds it useful to provide an update and explanation regarding tenders for the assignment of designing interventions for the maintenance of port canals. It is important to clarify that these are “design and environmental impact study tenders” and not for the design and execution of the works. As previously stated, it is emphasized that all projects, envisaged and financed by D.L. 103/2021, will nonetheless undergo an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) (without a preliminary assessment of the need for it), as specifically indicated by the Commissioner, due to the firm adoption of an approach geared towards the establishment of a sustainable port system. The environmental compatibility of the interventions will be defined during the EIA evaluation, also considering the pollutants these interventions must take into account.
As of today, the following tenders have been published:
- Tender for the assignment of design (including surveys, investigations, characterizations), environmental impact assessment studies, site supervision, and safety coordination (benefiting the port, the Provveditorato, and the city) for the Deposition of lagoon sediments along the Malamocco Marghera canal. This is a technical services tender (not for works) worth €3,203,800, aimed at conducting all necessary studies, investigations, and projects for the national Environmental Impact Assessment, following which the development of the executive design will proceed. This will be followed by another public tender for the execution of works. The intervention is planned in two phases, with a capacity of approximately 3 million cubic meters each and a total cost of €41,500,000. The deadlines for submitting offers have expired, and the conclusion of the tender operations is expected within the next week with the identification of the top-ranked economic operator.
- Tender for the assignment of design (including surveys and investigations), specialized studies using a mathematical model, environmental impact assessment studies, site supervision, and safety coordination for the Dredging of the access channel to the current maritime station, an intervention stipulated by D.L. 103/2021. This is a technical services tender (not for works) worth €1,999,200, aimed at conducting all necessary studies, investigations, and projects for the national Environmental Impact Assessment. Following the EIA, the development of the executive design will proceed, followed by another public tender for the execution of works. The intervention is planned in two phases, totaling 1,280,000 cubic meters: the first phase, entirely funded with a cost of €21,000,000, will restore the canal to a depth of -8.0 meters s.m.m. (compared to the current -7.5 meters and the previous -11 meters) with a canal width of 70 meters (compared to the current 50 meters). The second phase, requiring additional funding with a cost of €18,500,000, will deepen the canal to -9.0 meters s.m.m. with a canal width of 80 meters. This intervention will allow medium-small cruise ships to reach the current maritime station. The tender is currently open for submission, and the deadline is set for November 14.
Tenders expected to be published by November:
- Tender for the assignment of design (including surveys and investigations), specialized studies using a mathematical model, environmental impact assessment studies, site supervision, and safety coordination for the Dredging of the Malamocco Marghera Canal, an intervention stipulated by D.L. 103/2021. This is a technical services tender (not for works) worth €5,489,000, aimed at conducting all necessary studies, investigations, and projects for the national Environmental Impact Assessment. Following the EIA, the development of the executive design will proceed, followed by another public tender for the execution of works. The intervention is planned in two phases, totaling 2,600,000 cubic meters: the first phase, costing €87,700,000 and involving dredging of approximately 1,900,000 cubic meters, will improve navigability conditions, reducing restrictions in adverse weather and sea conditions, and create part of the sandbanks along the canal as envisaged by the Channeling project. The second phase aims to achieve the predefined navigability levels in safety, even under adverse weather and sea conditions. The award is expected in December 2023.
- Tender for the assignment of characterizations of sediments resulting from dredging. This is a services tender worth €2,837,000, aimed at identifying qualified laboratories for the examination of dredged sediments according to the New Sludge Protocol, published in 2023. This protocol requires not only chemical analyses but also specific ecotoxicological analyses. Based on these characterizations, it will be determined whether and which sediments resulting from canal maintenance can be reused within the sandbanks in the lagoon or need to be disposed of in the new contiguous and isolated site designated for deposition, or ultimately need to be removed from the lagoon and placed in a landfill. The award is expected in December 2023.
Commissioner Fulvio Lino Di Blasio clarifies, “Attention to environmental sustainability in the lagoon is central in the daily work of the structure I preside over. This is evident from the fact that we have chosen to request an environmental impact assessment for the maintenance projects of the port canals, even where not strictly necessary. We have done this because it is time to turn the page and change course, to move forward sustainably, balancing port operations with maximum possible protection of the lagoon environment. The dredging operations, in fact, will be in line with the Port Regulatory Plan or even lower by 2 meters than what is authorizable, such as for the Vittorio Emanuele III canal. Furthermore, the designers responding to the tenders are required to identify innovative maintenance techniques that minimize the environmental impacts of restoration operations and lagoon protection because this aspect will carry significant weight in the final ranking.”
Di Blasio adds, “The commissioner’s structure has allocated a total of 900 thousand euros for further scientific studies aimed at analyzing – with the involvement of specialist experts – all relevant environmental issues for the safeguarding of the Venice Lagoon. This way, all possible effects of the planned interventions will be examined and studied, with the results shared publicly. This will make it possible to provide necessary and fundamental clarifications, responding, for example, to concerns regarding presumed new hydrodynamic phenomena resulting from an increase in the depth of the access channel to the current maritime station from the current 7.5 meters to 9 meters upon completion of the intervention.”
Di Blasio concludes, “It is worth noting how the new sludge protocol categorically excludes the possibility for polluted sludge to remain in the lagoon. Therefore, if polluted sediments are identified through the characterizations, their definitive removal and subsequent disposal from the Venice Lagoon will be ensured through maintenance interventions, further contributing to sustainability. Regarding non-polluted sediments but still having characteristics that, according to the new sludge protocol, make them unsuitable for deposition in sandbanks, these sediments will be deposited in the new site which, in accordance with the protocol, guarantees permanent confinement, impermeable to water, preventing any release of pollutants into the surrounding environment.“