Parbuckling of Costa Concordia Begins

Dark Line on Costa Concordia Shows Movement  Source: Chicago Tribune
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This image extracted from a live video of Costa Concordia's Parbuckling Procedure, which began today in Giglio, shows the slow process of righting the vessel.  The actual process started around 9 AM this morning after a storm delayed the start.

Related Links:

Attempt to right Costa Concordia cruise ship begins (USA Today)
Graphic on How Costa Concordia will be Raised

The Parbuckling Project: Concordia wreck removal project informative website

The overall project is 77% completed and is being carried out by a crew of 474 workers and 28 vessels and crafts on site. For a video and additional details of the salvage operation, see Costa Concordia Salvage Begins.

Main article: Costa Concordia Listing after Deadly Accident 

Updates from Parbuckling Website:       Multimedia Content

Please Note:   During the actual operations (daytime hours local Giglio time) you may experience problems accessing the Parbuckling Project's website.  It is best to view off-hours.

16 Sep 2013  4.20 P.M. The wreck side has been successfully dislodged from the reef by applying a maximum load of 6,000 tons (in line with forecast), thanks to the force exerted by the strand jacks operating the system of winches and steel chains.  The wreck has now rotated 10 degrees and will need to rotate at least as many before it has completed the first 20 degrees with reference to the initial position which is the approximate point at which the intake valves of the 11 sponsons attached to the port side of the hull reach sea level.

In the meantime the whole parbuckling system is being monitored constantly, with continuous checks – for example – of the condition of the strand jacks and chains, etc.

7.00 P.M.:The Titan Micoperi consortium announced that strandjack operations were temporarily suspended for an hour for maintenance work. It was in fact necessary to intervene with a dedicated team to avoid slack cables from interfering with the tensioned cables. The ‘Fast Response’ team is comprised of 8 people ready to intervene for checking purposes or in the event of anomalies. As foreseen by the operating and site procedures, access onboard was via a specifically positioned ladder, and safety checks were carried out. The team who intervened are all qualified to work on the wreck, are equipped with climbing gear and protective devices as necessary. Parbuckling operations have now resumed.

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