Rome, 6 September 2024 – With reference to certain interpretations in the media regarding new discoveries made by the Italian National Research Council in the Strait’s seabed, Stretto di Messina would like to make the following points.

Identification of the cited geological formations is not relevant for the feasibility of the Strait of Messina Bridge. It is well known that the Sicilian and Calabrian coasts are very gradually moving apart, which was fully taken into account in the final design of 2011 and in the update of 2024.

Studies carried out by the Department of Earth Sciences at Rome’s La Sapienza University and the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), using data from the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) produced by the RING-INGV network (Integrated National GPS Network, which continuously monitors ground deformations), have confirmed the projections included in the final design for the bridge, showing that the differential movement between the two sites chosen for the pillars (Calabria-Sicily) is less than 1 millimetre per year.