Costa Concordia Update: Salvage Timeline Altered, Wreck Site Provides Local Tourism Boom
The refloating of the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship is expected to be delayed until the spring of 2013.
Project officials had expected to upright the semi-submerged vessel around mid-January, but now that's not likely to happen until March or April 2013.
The salvage plan has to be constantly updated as different technologies and operational solutions are tested to ensure feasibility and effectiveness. Drilling techniques have been revised based on seabed mapping to minimize environmental impact. Engineering and construction elements for the installation of underwater platforms also were updated, reports the Sun-Sentinel newspaper.
Titan Salvage, along with Italian firm Micoperi, is handling the Concordia salvage contract and is expected to refloat and remove the luxury liner in one piece to avoid environmental damage. The refloating still requires watertight chambers to be attached to the ship's side that's above water, and cranes attached to the platform will then pull the ship upright, helped by the water-filled chambers.
Once on the platform, more chambers will be attached to the other side of its hull, and then the chambers will be drained and filled with air. When upright, the Concordia will be towed to an Italian port.
More recently, tourists and onlookers can pay about US$12 and take a daytrip to view the wreck. Ferries pass within meters of the capsized ship. Ironically, the disaster that took over 30 lives has ignited a boom for Giglio’s tourism industry. Officials on the island want the wreck removed as soon as possible and prefer recognition for their landscape and environment.
Lastly, the formal investigation into the incident is ongoing. Costa Crociere, the cruise ship’s operator, and the Concordia’s captain are being probed. People want to know why the ship was sailing so close to the island at high speed, and why the evacuation was delayed for more than an hour after the crash when the vessel was already listing badly. No trial is expected before 2013.
Photo Credit: Italian Civil Protection Agency [http://www.protezionecivile.gov.it/]