After a full day to set up and place the powerful crane trucks for the operations, Armofer today undertook the dismantling of the metal chimney. 

Previously, slots were made along the entire length of the chimney to accommodate the crane chains and to properly sling the ashlars to be loosened. The slinging operations were delayed due to an approaching storm. For safety reasons, operations resumed after a couple of hours under clear skies. Here is the spectacular sequence: slinging of the piece through the previously prepared slots and chains of the main 750-ton service crane; hot cutting with an oxyacetylene flame, carried out by the technicians at high altitude in the personnel basket secured to a second crane and rotated around the chimney; removal of the personnel at high altitude, who nevertheless supervise the stripping operations from the privileged observation point at altitude; stripping and transfer to the ground of the ashlar in a specially prepared dedicated area. The scoibentation and cutting operations will begin shortly. The same operation will be repeated until the entire chimney is dismantled.