Their aforementioned inspections are carried out every 8 years and their purpose is to examine the state of the scour protection, which protects the piers’ foundation against scouring, due to the powerful sea currents that develop around the perimeter of the footings. The inspection was carried out with the participation of qualified scientific personnel and the use of state-of-the-art technology such as robotic vehicles (ROV) and sophisticated data collection and positioning systems (GPS).

 

It has to be underlined that the execution of the underwater survey in depths reaching 65m from the sea surface is extremely demanding due to the special conditions prevailing in the Rio-Antirrio Strait such as the turbidity of the water, strong sea currents and the frequent winds blowing in the area.

 

After 19 years since the completion of construction and 3 cycles of subsea inspections, the evaluation of the available data confirms the excellent design and construction of the project with high quality standards. And the continuation of inspections to evaluate such a critical element has been integrated into the future monitoring programme of the Concession company.