With the demolition of the Ponte Morandi, the competition activity of a team of raiders, demolition experts, of the 9 "Col Moschin" parachute assault regiment of the Army was successfully concluded.
The Raiders were requested by the extraordinary commissioner for the Genoa emergency to guarantee the cutting of the strings binding the Ponte Morandi to the structure of the A7 Highway, not affected by the demolition, with a peculiar procedure that, in achieving the cutting effects, has collateral damage minimized.
The Army Special Forces used a type of explosive specifically developed for cutting iron artefacts, using classified military techniques.
Preparatory work began in February with the first meetings at the prefecture of Genoa. In order to guarantee the success of the demolition, two days of tests were carried out, with different techniques and types of explosives, at a quarry near Genoa. The intervention was particularly challenging as the stays consisted of several strands, each sheathed, and each stay covered with a thick protection. To mitigate the effects of overpressure waves and possible splinters, pockets of water have been prepared to cover the charges, while the area has been circumscribed by a "wall" consisting of sand bags four meters high.
The 9 ° parachute assault regiment "Col Moschin" is the Army Special Forces department whose operating staff is patented "Incursore" and is authorized to handle and use explosives in order to neutralize specific targets.
