Costa Concordia Lifted By Salvage Crews

Costa Concordia Lifted By Salvage Crews

The ruined Costa Concordia cruise ship was lifted by salvage crews, who accomplished among the most expensive and difficult maritime salvage operation in the world. The cruise ship was lifted by over 25 degrees from where it laid half-submerged off Giglio, an island in Italy.

Work was delayed by three hours due to a storm. Although the work was slow, engineers indicated that their expectations were met. Technical team head Franco Porcellacchia said that work was smooth and the last phase is expected to proceed safely.

The ship was taken entirely off the rock shelf and lifted far enough to show the water mark on its white hull. Over 4,000 people were on board the Costa Concordia when it sank on January 13, 2012. Two bodies remain unaccounted for after the accident that saw 32 people losing their lives.

The cost was estimated to reach around $795 million, which will make it the most expensive recovery in history. The cost comprises over half of the overall insurance loss of over $1.1 billion.

A series of cables and jacks were used to rotate the 114,500-ton vessel before it will be towed away and dismantled for scrap. The team of 500 engineers stayed in the site for a good part of the past year working to stabilize the Costa Concordia. The lifting operation was the first time it was attempted for a vessel of this size in these conditions.

Engineer Nick Sloane said that they were able to perform parbuckling in the past, but it was on a different location. He added that the vessel was balanced between two reefs. It was also on the side of a mountain along the seabed.

The vessel was rotated using cables controlled by hydraulic mechanisms on eleven towers. Oil booms were used to catch oil and waste water from the ship. The vessel will be stabilized before it is re-floated and towed away for scrap.

The recovery operation of the Costa Concordia was monitored by marine insurers since it will affect future insurance contracts on cruise ships and large cargo vessels.

Posted by James Fried on Tuesday September 17 2013, 6:45 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0