The wreck of the Costa Concordia has arrived at its
final destination and is ready for final dismantling, a job expected to take
over a year and cost EUR 100 million ($114 million).
The wreck was towed to Molo ex Superbacino where it
will be recycled by the Ship Recycling Consortium – a group formed by Saipem
(51 percent) and San Giorgio del Porto (49 percent). These two companies joined
forces in September 2012 with the aim of providing green ship dismantling
services.
Around 50,000 tons of steel and 2,000 tons of copper
are expected to be recovered from the vessel. Prior to arrival at Molo ex
Superbacino over 5,700 tons of furniture and interior equipment was removed so
the wreck could be towed over the breakwater of the Prà Voltri Port to reach
the dismantling dock.
The dismantling and recycling project is being
carried out in four separate operational phases requiring up to 250 people at a
time. Around 80 percent of the vessel is anticipated to be able to be recycled.
Phase 1
This phase started with the mooring of the ship at
the Seawall pier in the Port of Prà Voltri on July 27, 2014. After the
technical handover by Titan Micoperi – the consortium that carried out the
salvage operation on Giglio Island – the ship recycling team made its initial
preparations including:
Installation of the shipboard fire-fighting system
Completion of the lighting system
Installation of the necessary wiring and electrical
installations
Installation of elevators for transportation of
materials
Safety measures – e.g. repair of the
gunwale/bulwarks, closure of certain shafts and spaces, protective measures in
stairways, installation of gangways affording access to the ship
Installation of one crane on the lido deck (about 60
meters in height) and another one forward for lifting materials
Creation of openings required to remove materials and
load them on barges for transportation to a dedicated area of the port
Winterization of mooring arrangements (in case of
adverse weather conditions during the winter season).
Next, work began to strip and remove the furnishings
and fittings of the decks above water. The objective of this phase was to
obtain a reduced draft enabling the ship to be moved to the Molo Ex Superbacino
dock.
Phase 2
The wreck was transferred from the Seawall pier at
Prà Voltri to the Molo Ex Superbacino dock earlier this week. Now the
structures of decks 14 to 2 will be dismantled, including stripping of the
interior furnishings and fittings on the decks when they emerge as the work
progresses.
The deck structures will be removed in such a way as
not to adversely affect the stability or longitudinal strength of the hull.
Phase 3
The main aim of this phase will be the creation of
buoyant force in the ship by making several compartments watertight and
possibly installing airbags, thereby enabling the subsequent removal of the 30
sponsons currently attached to the hull.
In addition, the food storerooms and cold storage
rooms on deck 0 will be cleaned. Following this, the wreck will be towed to Dry
Dock No. 4.
Phase 4
This phase will involve the complete disassembly of
the wreck including the removal of the remaining interior fittings, clean-up of
the various areas and final demolition of all the remaining structures. This
phase will conclude with the disposal and recycling of the discarded materials.
The Largest Wreck Removal
Project
Crowley Maritime subsidiary TITAN Salvage and Italian
engineering partner Micoperi were recently honored with the International
Salvage Union (ISU) Meritorious Service Award for their role in the successful
execution the salvage of the Costa Concordia, the largest single maritime wreck
removal project ever to be undertaken.
The Costa Concordia ran aground in the waters
surrounding Giglio Island, Italy, in January 2012, and was parbuckled (rotated
upright), refloated and towed away by the TITAN/Micoperi team in September
2014. The ship salvage was the largest, most technically demanding project of
its kind in history and was carried out in full public view from the island.
The Costa Effect
The salvage was so successful that it has led to a
new mindset - called the “Costa Effect” meaning that everything is possible in
salvage operations. Titan Salvage and Micoperi have now proved this for many
people.
Titan was the only salvor to propose removing the
wreck in one piece. This would increase the cost of the project, but it was the
best way to protect the integrity of the environment.
Environmental experts from the University of Rome
were engaged in the earliest part of Titan’s bidding process. Nick Sloane was
Titan’s salvage master for the project, and through his leadership the island
of Giglio has now seen dolphin, snapper and tuna return to the wreck site.
Tourism accounts for 85 percent of Giglio’s revenue stream, and the commitment
is to return the environment to its original pristine state within five years.
A Tribute to Lives Lost
Two memorials have been erected on Giglio to
commemorate the 32 people from eight countries that lost their lives in the
accident, and the diver working on the parbuckling project who also died. One
is a plaque engraved with the names of those lost which is located on a pier
near the wreck site. The other is a statue of the Virgin Mary wearing necklaces
of rosaries left by those who mourned the loss of loved ones.
Source: maritime executive.
13 May 2015
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