The Sinking of the Concordia

No doubt posted before : http://www.webcams.travel/webcam/1298809230-Weather-Isola-del-Giglio-Panoramica-Porto-Giglio-Porto

Parbuckling.

Not a word I use every day, but this web site is the official recovery site for the job.

http://www.theparbucklingproject.com/?lang=uk

Probably the best thing that has happened to that Island ever. Think of all the work, labour and money spent there, let alone a compensation payout and visitors coming to see the wreck.

You read it here first!

Divers to dump 17500 tons cement bags on the sea bed

Teams were working late into the night this week in a hotel on Giglio to coordinate the arrival of 66 divers who are tasked with putting 17,500 tons of cement bags in a 50-metre gap between the “Costa Concordia” and the seabed. The fear is that the midship section may give way, breaking the ship in half, a risk greatly increased should there be bad weather over the coming winter. The more support the hull has the better it may survive the winter. The project, which Carnival says will cost at least 400 million euros is running several months late due to technical issues. The seabed is granite rock, the worst kind to be drilling in, especially at the 35 to 40 degree angles that Titan is drilling. The drill head also slips on the rock. The team finally managed to get the first hole drilled this week. Life in the marine park is being monitored by Giandomenico Ardizzone, professor in environmental biology at Rome’s Sapienza University, whose 15-man team have been painstakingly saving rare giant mussels from under the wreck. He also has watchers go out in a boat twice a day to see whether there are any whales or dolphins near the Concordia: If there were, the drilling would stop because it could damage their hearing even over a long distance. To limit the intense vibrations and din when the wreck is righted, the professor is drawing up plans for a bubble wall created by pressurised air bubbles released from a pipe on the seabed to form a buffer curtain. Report with photos: www.france24.com/…

You have got to blame whovere put the rock in the water.

Probably Continental.

Has the Captain actually been charged/prosecuted or the equivalent in Italian law, or have I missed it…?

‘Thirty-thousand tonnes of grout / construction of a sub-sea platform / cranes installed on the sub-sea platform’; that sounds an awfully complicated way of going about things to me!

I wonder how badly the hull is damaged by the contact with the sea-floor? Fortunately the hole that sank the ship is mainly above sea-level at certain tides (only with a big rock in it); with that hole patched I wonder if the Costa Concordia could be re-floated with pumps alone?

More details of the method of recovery.

Dalby Offshore Ltd. pointed out to join salvage operation.

Dalby Offshore Limited from Beverly will be part of the team tasked with salvaging the “Costa Concordia” after securing the biggest contracts in its history. The company has been awarded a multi-million contract. Specialist teams from Dalby Offshore are already involved in the project, and over the next few weeks the company will have numerous marine assets on site. By early November up to 80 people will be working on the operation. The key focus for the company will be the “ASV Pioneer” – a large accommodation barge that is being operated and managed by Dalby on behalf of Aberdeen-based Ferguson Modular. The vessel will have an onboard grout-manufacturing plant and will produce and carry 30,000 tonnes of grout. This will be placed under the “Costa Concordia” to stabilise it, and Dalby will work with UK-based partners Found Ocean Ltd to stabilise the hull and prepare the seabed for lifting the entire ship upright. The first phase of the operation will include the construction of a sub-sea platform followed by welding caissons to the exposed side of the ship, which will be filled with water. After this, two cranes will be installed on the sub-sea platform to pull the vessel upright. The caissons will then be emptied, creating 60,000 tonnes of buoyancy and enabling the vessel to be towed off. Over the past year, the company has invested £10 million in five new high-specification crew transfer vessels, annd one of these will soon head to Italy to help carry workers from the Island of Gigolo to the mainland.

Just been watching this on The BBC

Sounds potentially precarious! 😉

Rock is being removed

Workers have begun removing the massive rock lodged in the starboard side of the “Costa Concordia”. The rock which had opened a gash in the hull had remained stuck inside as the ship veered and eventually keeled over near of Giglio. Local officials said earlier that the rock could be turned into a monument. The gash has to be widened, and the rock will now be split into three. Authorities on the island were also preparing to mark the six-month anniversary of the tragedy today with a special mass with relatives of the victims in the church where many of the survivors were housed that night. Elio Vincenzi, the widower of one of the victims, will dive into the sea on July 13 and leave a commemorative plaque at a depth of 25 metres at the exact spot where the giant ship first hit an offshore reef.

Removal of wreck has started

On June 18 the dismantling of the “Costa Concordia“ started. First the mast was cut off and removed by the crane barge, which will be followed by the funnel with the large Costa-C and the slippery slope of the outdoor swimming pool. About 100 workers were on scene. Meanwhile Francesco Schettino, the captain of the cruise ship, remained under house arrest in Italy. The prosecution accused him of multiple manslaughter, and leaving the sinking ship during the evacuation.

The plan sounds simple but…….and look at the cost! Phew.

[I][/ISalvage plan published
On May 18, 2012, the salvage plan for the “Costa Concordia” was published by Costa Crociere and the Italian-American consortium Titan-Micoperi. After stabilization of the ship an underwater platform is to be built. Then two cranes are mounted. Moreover caissons will be attached to the side of the vessel which are filled with water. The ship will then be brought into an upright position. Then the caissons are gradually emptied and filled with air. Once the ship is afloat again, tugs will pull it away. The cleaning of the seabed and the renewal of the marine flora are integrated into the plan. The work should start in a few days and is expected to last twelve months. About 100 people will be involved in the salvage. The costs are estimated to be about 236 million Euros.

the biggest problem may be that it may well come back to lloyds !!

Human error implies an aw **** moment. This seems to have been the result of a calculated movement that was doomed to failure.

Now, we cannot seriously criticize the Captain for not following the standard course. Except for a very few bodies of water, the standard courses are suggestions, not mandatory. I know the English Channel and the Great Lakes courses for the St. Claire and St. Marys Rivers are mandatory. We can criticize him for attempting to pass through an area known to be full of rocks and shoals.

I believe Carnival Corp has enough resources to survive. Micky Arison owns over 2/3 of his companies stock. Carnival owns Costa. Micky is worth around 87 billion dollars.

Smit Rotterdam, one of the salvage companies is estimating the cost of salvage at $100 million. Titan, the other salvor, is estimating costs of salvage and returning the ship to service at $150 million. The human toll, is probably going to cost Carnival about $80 million. (Ship is registered in Panama; try suing an Italian corporation owned by an American corporation which is owned by an Israeli holding company in Panama.)

Whilst I know nothing about the legalities in Italy, I would say that if they,(The Cruise Company) keep quiet and let the Captain take all the blame, they will get off scott free.
If however they admit liability, (Doubtful) then it will cost them Millions in passenger claims, salvage recovery etc,No, my guess is that they have hung him out to dry.and take all the blame.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

it would seem to be regular events for this company ( read comments of crew ) whilst it may be true or may not be true about the captain , one has to wonder how much is cost cutting management powered by greed over safety

who knows he may have been out of his depth because the company did not want to pay the going rate for the correct qualifications

it seems all too regular what with the previous concordia accident and this ship also to be merely one captain it would seem to be from higher up also

for me the company has been all too quiet for my liking

as the saying goes , while they’re picking on him they’re leaving me alone !!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tan5VCkpK80&feature=related

Aircraft hit “cumulus granitus”

He he, reminded me of this:

“Giglio granitus?” 😀

Aircraft hit “cumulus granitus”

Ships hit “……….. granitus”

Can anybody fill in the missing word ?

Great analysis there, presumably a Canadian newspaper.