First of the sponsons that shall be used to refloat the cruise ship wreck was put in place this week
APRIL 30, 2014 — The committee overseeing the operation to take away the wreck of the Costa Concordia from Giglio Island, Italy, immediately ordered the momentary suspension of preparatory work. The choices on how the wreck shall be transported away and the place will probably be scrapped has not been finalized and the committee, reportedly, desires additional data on what the varied choices contain.
The Ansa information company quotes a consultant of the Titan Micoperi salvage consortium as saying work will resume in “a matter of days.”
“We were asked for further information from the environmental point of view, considering the lack of documentation on one of the two options for removing the wreckage, the one about the Dutch ship [Dockwise] Vanguard,” Ansa quotes Sergio Girotto as saying. “In a few days we will present answers in order to resume work.”
Dockwise Vanguard, the world’s largest semi-submersible ship, has been optioned as a method for eradicating the wreck as a substitute for conventional towing.
Prior to immediately’s maintain, the refloating operation had been making good progress.
The first of the 19 sponsons that shall be used to refloat the Costa Concordia has now been put in. As we reported earlier, the 810-ton, 33.5 m extensive, 11.5 m excessive sponson arrived in Gigio Island, on April 26. After two and one half days of labor, the operations to put in the unit had been reported full at 1.00 pm, April 28.
The sponson, the most important of the 19 in weight and measurement, is now positioned on the starboard aspect at about 11 meters in depth from the bogus seabed on which the Concordia has been resting because the parbuckling accomplished in September.
The sponson was unloaded from the barge on which it reached Giglio Island and positioned into the water utilizing the Conquest MB1 crane barge.
The Conquest MB1 is fitted with a classy rotating/luffing crane and related automated heel/trim compensation system.
The sponson was subsequent fully stuffed with water in an effort to submerge it and permit connection, via a classy computerized system, of the chains that maintain it anchored to the wreck.
Technicians then partially emptied the sponson to make it lighter and provides it the buoyancy wanted to maintain the chains tensioned.
Before refloating, one other 14 sponsons have to be positioned on the starboard aspect and 4 on the port aspect of the Concordia. Sponsons will then be fully emptied to supply the buoyancy wanted to refloat the Concordia and put together it for its transportation.
Plans by the Titan Micoperi, made up of U.S. salvage firm Titan Salvage and Italian marine contractor Micoperi, name for removing of the ship wreck in a single piece. The plan was chosen by specialist representatives from Costa Crociere, Carnival Corporation & plc, London Offshore Consultants and Standard P&I Club, with the collaboration of RINA and Fincantieri.
