A 700-metre-long steel barrier made of our sheet piles protects the site of an environmental accident involving tankers in Hustopeče nad Bečvou. It separates the most affected area so that toxic benzene cannot spread further. The sheet piles became a key protective measure at the affected site and were covered in detail by the media.

Within two weeks, 1,100 sheet piles were manufactured and delivered to the site, where they were installed in the ground by the specialist company Keller using a vibratory hammer. VÍTKOVICE STEEL dispatched a total of 14 lorries of sheet piles from the plant, with others travelling to the site from two customer warehouses.

The sheet piles used in Hustopeče are 8 metres long and 60 centimetres wide, each weighing over half a tonne. The resulting steel barrier encircled the most affected area and will protect the surrounding area from toxic substance leaks for as long as necessary. Additional sheet piles were also installed in the affected area to reinforce the existing foundations and traction line anchors.

The Ministry of the Environment has described the derailment of a train carrying tankers in Hustopeče nad Bečvou as the largest accident of its kind in the world. The chemical leak threatened the health of the population, the environment, the ecosystem and water resources. Specialised companies assisted at the site in cooperation with the Integrated Rescue System and the Czech Environmental Inspectorate. The accident site is still closed and monitored, and soil remediation is being prepared. Railway operations are expected to resume in June.

The production of sheet piles has a long tradition in Ostrava, where they have been manufactured on a heavy profile track for 100 years. The quality of this product range is renowned in many European countries and is guaranteed by a number of certificates. In Czechia, sheet piles manufactured in Vítkovice were used, for example, in the repair of Charles Bridge in Prague, in the construction of the elephant pavilion at Lešná Zoo, and are currently being used in the repair of the Baťa Canal.