SMIT Salvage to Remove Fuel from Concordia

SMIT Salvage, a unit of Dutch maritime services firm Royal Boskalis Westminster NV has been hired by Carnival Plc to remove the 2,400 tons of fuel from the Costa Concordia.

Carnival Plc hopes to avoid an environmental disaster on top of the human disaster that has already taken place. SMIT will perforate the fuel tanks and allow sea water to push the fuel up and out of the tanks. A hose attached to a nearby barge will collect the oil. Total oil removal is expected to take 2-4 weeks.

SMIT is expected to begin inspecting the ship on Tuesday – however priority is being given to the ongoing search and rescue operations. An estimated 20-23 people are still missing.

Italian officials have already told Costa Cruise Lines and parent company Carnival Plc that the ship must be removed. Whether it’s removed in one piece or several is up to the vessel owner.

Vibrations have caused the ship to shift along the rocks, but officials believe the vessel won’t sink much further. The worst threat to the environment is rough seas that could break up the ship and cause a leak. Weather reports show a front headed in the ships direction.

Experts say that efforts to refloat the ship would be made by expelling the water with compressed air or pumps or by the use of hard setting foam. If the ship is unable to right itself, winches will be used to surface the hull for repair.