June 2012
INTERNATIONAL SALVAGE UNION
Titan awarded Costa Concordia wreck contract TITAN Salvage, in partnership with the Italian firm MICOPERI, has been awarded the job to remove the COSTA CONCORDIA from Giglio Island. The work is now underway and is expected to take about 12 months. Throughout the operation, environmental protection will have top priority. When the main work is complete, the sea bottom will be cleaned and marine flora replanted. The plan also includes measures to safeguard the island of Giglio’s tourism and wider economy. Salvage workers’ presence will not have any significant impact on the availability of hotel accommodation on the island during the summer season. The main operating base will be located on the mainland at nearby Civitavecchia, where equipment and materials will be stored, thereby avoiding any impact on Giglio’s port activities. The plan was evaluated from a technical standpoint by a committee composed of experts representing Costa Cruises, Carnival Corporation & plc, London Offshore Consultants and Standard P & I Club, in collaboration with RINA and Fincantieri, in accordance with the requirements and recommendations set by the Italian authorities. The plan was evaluated to ensure that it would meet the main requirements: removal of the entire wreck with maximum safety
precautions and as little impact as possible to the environment, tourism and economy of Giglio. Once floated, the wreck will be towed to an Italian port and dealt with in accordance with the requirements of the Italian authorities. Gianni Onorato, Costa Crociere S.p.A. President said: “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,” said Richard Habib, Vice President of Titan Salvage. “Our quality engineering and the experience we have gained in this area allowed us to present a project that met expectations. From now on we will work with the aim of preserving the environment and the natural habitat.” Silvio Bartolotti, General Manager of Micoperi said: “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. Being chosen is also a powerful demonstration of the quality and capabilities of Italian companies to manage such delicate and unprecedented projects.”
The four stage Titan plan: • Once the ship has been stabilised, an underwater platform will be built and watertight boxes, or caissons, fixed to the side of the ship that is above water. [See 1 and 2 below] • Two cranes fixed to the platform will pull the ship upright, helped by the weight of the caissons, which will be filled with water. [2 and 3 below] • When the ship is upright, caissons will be fixed to the other side of the hull to stabilize it. [4 and 5 below] • Finally, the caissons on both sides will be emptied, after the water inside has been purified to protect the marine environment, and the ship will be re-floated. [6 below]
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