Emergency in Monfalcone: the 3rd Engineer Corps neutralises 170 Ordnance

At the end of March, a large number of chemical war remnants were found along the bank of the Locovaz canal in the municipality of Monfalcone (GO). At the request of the Prefecture of Gorizia, a unit of the 3rd Army Engineer Guastatori Regiment carried out an initial recognition and cataloguing operation on 27 March: 85 grenades were counted, with no fuse and not launched, but potentially unstable due to the chemical propellant. On 1 April, a second activity by the same unit led to the discovery of a further 85 devices, totalling 170 pieces of various calibre.

Each grenade was safely stored at the site, awaiting the arrival of the Interforce NBC Logistics Technical Centre (CETLI) of Civitavecchia, the only national body authorised to work on materials containing chemical agents. Preliminary operations by the 3rd Engineer Guastatori Regiment - dependent on the 'Pozzuolo del Friuli' Brigade and under the control of the Northern Operations Forces Command in Padua - required the adoption of individual protection procedures and mechanical barriers to isolate the munitions and ensure environmental protection.

Synergy between CBRN bomb disposal and secure transport

On 6, 7 and 8 May, the two specialised units - Conventional Munition Disposal (CMD) of the 3rd Engineer Guastatori Regiment and the NBC unit of CETLI - worked in close synergy. Thanks to a coordinated plan, safety corridors, delimitations for the public and containment systems were put in place to prevent the dispersion of chemical agents in the event of accidental breakage of the metal shells.

CETLI NBC, heir to the Military Chemical Physical and Biological Technical Centre and the Military NBC Defence Materials Establishment (merged in 2004 at the Santa Lucia Military Complex), provided specialists, detection equipment and sealed containers for the transfer. Each grenade was loaded into anti-perforation crates and transported by military convoys to Civitavecchia, where the final neutralisation is underway according to the procedures of the 1993 Paris Convention. The operations were concluded without incident, ensuring maximum safety for the population and personnel involved.

Prevention and the strategic role of the units involved

The 3rd Engineer Guastatori Regiment, based in Udine and animated by volunteer personnel, has the daily task of reclaiming the territory of Friuli Venezia Giulia and the provinces of Treviso and Belluno from the remnants of war from the two world wars. Decorated with Silver and Bronze Medals for Military Valour and Army Valour, the Regiment stands out for its skill, audacity and spirit of sacrifice: its anniversary falls on 24 June, in memory of the Battle of the Piave (1918).

In addition to its remediation activities, CETLI NBC carries out research in the CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) sector, supports the procurement of protection and remediation materials and equipment, and conducts technical investigations on devices in use by the Defence. It is also responsible for the recovery and destruction of obsolete chemical weapons found on national territory.

Source: https://www.esercito.difesa.it/comunicazione/Pagine/Rimozione-di-170-ordigni-a-caricamento-speciale-in-provincia-di-Gorizia.aspx?utm_source=chatgpt.com