Removal Plan for Concordia Wreck

With the Costa Concordia Emergency Commissioner Franco Gabrielli in attendance, Costa Crociere and Italo-American consortium Titan-Micoperi, the winner of the tender tasked with performing the work, today presented their plan to remove the wreck of the Costa Concordia.

The work, following the decisional Services Conference convened by the Commissioner on May 15th during which the authorities have provided the necessary permits, will begin in a few days’ time and last about 12 months.

Titan Salvage is an American-owned specialist marine salvage and wreck removal company, part of the Crowley Group, and is a world leader in its field. Micoperi is a well-known Italian marine contractor with a long history as a specialist in underwater construction and engineering.

The plan to re-float the hull in one piece gives top priority to minimising environmental impact, to protecting Giglio’s economy and tourism industry, and to maximum safety of the work.

Environmental protection will have top priority throughout this monumental salvage operation, the likes of which have never been attempted before anywhere in the world. Once removal is complete, the sea bottom will be cleaned and marine flora replanted.

The plan also includes measures to safeguard Isola del Giglio’s tourism industry and wider economy. Salvage workers’ presence will not have any significant impact on the availability of hotel accommodation for the summer season. The operating base will be located away from the island, on the mainland near Piombino, where equipment and materials will be stored, thereby avoiding any impact on the island’s port activities.

Operations will be divided into four basic stages:

●     after stabilising the ship, an subsea platform will be built and caissons that can be filled with water will be fixed to the side of the ship that is out of the water;

●     two cranes fixed to the platform will pull the ship upright, helped by the caissons which will be filled with water;

●     when the ship is upright, caissons will also be fixed to the other side of the hull;

●     the caissons on both sides will then be emptied, after treating and purifying the water to protect the marine environment, and filled with air.

Once floated, the wreck will be towed to an Italian port and dealt with in accordance with the requirements of the Italian Authorities.

The plan was selected by an evaluation team with specialist representatives from Costa Crociere, Carnival Corporation & plc, London Offshore Consultants and Standard P&I Club, with the collaboration of RINA and Fincantieri, because it best fulfills the main objectives of the operation: removal of the wreck in one piece, minimal risk, minimal environmental impact, protection of Giglio’s economy and tourism industry, and maximum safety of the work.

“Right from the early stages of the accident, Costa Crociere has been fully committed in terms of its resources, professional expertise and organisation to minimising the impact of the shipwreck on the environment and on Isola del Giglio in particular," said Gianni Onorato, Costa Crociere S.p.A. president.

“As was the case for the fuel removal operation, we have always worked to find the best possible and safest solution to protect the island, its marine environment and its tourism industry. We are now launching a salvage operation with characteristics and technical complexities that have never been faced before. There will inevitably be some unknowns in a project of this scope, but we are sure we have made the right decision and will continue to work to our best ability and on schedule”.

“We are very pleased to have been chosen to perform this incredible operation to remove the wreck of Costa Concordia. Our quality engineering and the experience we have gained in this area allowed us to present a project that met expectations," said Richard Habib, president of Titan Salvage. "From now on we will work with the aim of preserving the environment and the natural habitat”.

“We were confident from the outset that the professionalism of our company and our proven experience in underwater rescue and recovery operations could be of service to this salvage operation," said Silvio Bartolotti, general manager of Micoperi. "Being chosen is also powerful demonstration of the quality and capabilities of Italian companies to manage such delicate and unprecedented projects”.

Costa Cruises announces new safety procedures

Costa Cruises has introduced a number of new safety measures in the wake of the Concordia disaster.

At the launch of its newest vessel, the $510-million Costa Fascinosa, the company said it is implementing seven new procedures to ensure “the highest safety standard before departure and during the cruise”.
They include emergency training for all guests before the ship leaves port, and the introduction of a real-time route monitoring system.

Changes have also been made to encourage greater shared responsibility, with more crew members allowed to issue orders. The ship’s navigational plan will also be shared with staff during a pre-departure briefing.

They follow new regulations announced last month by the European Cruise Council and the US-based Cruise Lines International Association, restricting visits to the bridge and requiring ships to carry more lifejackets.

Costa Cruises faced criticism following the Concordia disaster on January 13, which resulted in the deaths of at least 32 passengers. The ship ran aground after sailing too close to the island of Giglio, off the coast of Tuscany. Francesco Schettino, the captain, deviated from the ship’s approved route to “salute” the residents on the island.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, it also emerged that safety drills had not taken place prior to the ship’s departure from Civitavecchia.

Meanwhile, the chief executive of Costa, Pier Luigi Foschi, has said that the company is prospering, despite the disaster. He said this weekend's launch of Costa Fascinosa was "an important stepping stone on our company’s road to recovery". He added that booking volumes were at the same level as last year.

Fascinosa will spend the summer sailing from Venice and Bari to Greece and Croatia, before heading to South America in the winter.

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Cruise Ship Holidays and Costa Concordia

Why choose a cruise holiday?

Following the Costa Concordia disaster, new safety procedures have been introduced to cruise ships. But what does this mean for the cruise industry?

On the 13th January the Italian cruise ship, Costa Concordia, partially sank after hitting a reef off the Tuscan coast. More than 4,200 people had to be evacuated and since then, the ship has lain submerged as experts attempt to remove the 500,000 gallons of fuel on board.

The sunken vessel can only begin to be removed when all the fuel has been taken off, but this could take up to a month.

The ship will then be removed either by floating it in one piece or cutting it up and towing it away as a wreck - an operation that could take up to ten months.

So, in the wake of this disaster, how has the cruise industry reacted?

Following a review of safety procedures the Cruise Lines International Association, European Cruise Council and Passenger Shipping Association announced that cruise holidaymakers will now need to take part in pre-departure safety drills.

This should help ensure that all passengers know what to do and where to go in the event of an incident while on board.

So as peak booking time approaches and in light of these new safety regulations, why choose a cruise holiday?

Value for money: You pay one price and your accommodation, food, drink and entertainment is all included.

Variety: With hundreds of ships and thousands of ports to choose from, there's a cruise to suit everyone.

Destinations: If you've only got limited time for a holiday, a cruise is the best way to see several destinations in one go.

Great for families: Many cruise ships are geared up for families with kid's clubs and activities to keep your little ones entertained.

Activities: These days cruise ships have every activity you can think of and more - from sports, lectures and dancing to music, gaming and of course, sunbathing.

Protecting your holiday:

If you do decide to embark on a cruise holiday, it's important to make sure you have the right travel insurance in place to protect you.

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Last-minute deals and incentives on offer

Cruise lines are offering last-minute deals and incentives to jump-start business as they cope with a string of bad news. After the Caribbean, Europe and Alaska are the most popular destinations.

Cruise lines are using two-for-one deals, onboard ship credits, discounted airfares, "free" gratuities, even chocolate-dipped strawberries to jump-start business as they cope with a tsunami of bad news this year.

First came safety fears raised by the January shipwreck of the Costa Concordia in Italy, then a fire aboard a sister ship, the Costa Allegra, in the Indian Ocean in late February.

An outbreak of the norovirus forced a Princess Cruises ship to return to port. A group of cruise-ship passengers were robbed while on a nature hike near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Meanwhile, summer airfares to Europe are soaring and riots in Greece are giving travelers the jitters — cutting into European cruise sales.

After the Caribbean, Europe and Alaska are this year's most popular destinations, according to Cruise Holiday's 2012 Cruise Trends survey. Prices on Alaskan cruises are higher than they were last year, but travel agents say that could change in the coming months.

Looking for the latest FABCruise offers on a wide range of cruise holidays let FABTHINGS2do help you.