The Costa Concordia wrests on it’s side on the Island of Giglio. Photo: Italy’s Department of Civil Protection
The wreck removal of the infamous Costa Concordia is going to take longer than expected, officials in Italy announced this week.
On Monday the Department of Civil Protection, which is the Italian government office overseeing the removal process, met with the salvage team who presented new detailed engineering design plans for the vessel’s removal, along with a new estimated timetable for job’s execution. The new timeframe includes estimates that the Costa Concordia will be upright and floating by the end of spring 2013, ahead of Giglio’s next tourist season but months behind the original timeframe announced when the work began.
As gCaptain reported in April, the historic contract to remove the 114,500-ton cruise ship was awarded to a consortium involving U.S.-based Titan Salvage and Italy’s Micoperi after the pair submitted a winning proposal based on a set of strict parameters and guidelines that took into account heavy environmental concerns and Giglio’s tourism-based economy. In May, the team revealed its salvage plan during a Rome press event with the estimate that the job will be fully completed within one year. Wreck removal work began in June with a timetable that included uprighting the ship and delivery to an Italian port by the end of January 2013.
READ: Costa Concordia Salvage Plan Revealed [PHOTO TOUR]
This week’s decision to push back the wreck removal was made collectively between Italian authorities and Titan-Micoperi and took into account the environmental and economic impact that the work is expected to have on the island.
The Costa Concordia grounded on the Island of Giglio on January 13, killing 32 people and sparking intense debates over cruise ship safety requirements.
Well WHAT a surprise! 'Let's secure the contract THEN – should there be unforseen problems negating our given dates (again, surprise, surprise) – we can renegotiate the time schedule but NOT accept financial penalties for failure to honour the original terms'.
you weren't expecting anything else were you?
Hi John (LCOT)! Yes, sadly, I WAS. Somewhere in this world of global greed, corruption, dminishing professionalism etc etc I was hoping the maritime industry just MIGHT show how things can and should be done, as they USED to be in the 'good old days' – in other words OUR generation. Glad 'family' are enjoying their UK visit. 'Speak' again soon. GTP (PCGSFB).
The engineers should look at raising the ship by filling it with ping pong balls. Myth Busters tried raising a sunken boat this way and it worked.
I think the easiest way to re float the ship would be to fill the water filled cabins with plastic balls. That way no pollution.
or heavy cranes needed. When you displace the water with round plastic balls the ship will be lighter and probably will float on its own and then tow it away then.I feel this would be the safest way.
;ing pong balls also could be used to raise the ship yes this is a simple solution but perhaps try this method on a model in a water tank and see. perhaps mythbusters should be consulted as well.
The plan looks flawed to me… Adding more weight! the side against the land will sustain more damage with the weight… Then in order to "roll" the ship, it will need to swing on the fulcrum of the downside corner of the ship… which has additional weight to carry now(assuming it would every have been strong enough)… It would seem this fulcrum will fail and the ship won't roll. In terms of failure modes, what happens if the temporarily constructed "shelf" fails?