Costa Concordia the Final Journey

Costa Concordia
Giglio to Genoa

Approvals have been given for the salvage team, directed by Titan Micoperi, to commence one of the final stages in the salvage of the Costa Concordia.


Refloating To Begin

Refloating stages

The refloating operation will be divided into 4 separate stages. The refloat will be complete when the greatest possible amount of water has been pumped out of the sponsons and the ship is virtually parallel to sea level.

• Stage 1: Partial refloating and eastward movement of the wreck 
• Stage 2: Attachment and tensioning of the chains and cables and final positioning ofthe starboard sponsons
• Stage 3: Actual refloating - At this stage the actual refloating will commence
• Stage 4: Final maneuvers and departure of the ship from the island

Salvage experts will conduct the refloating operations from the Remote Operations Center (ROC) located on the Concordia. The monitoring systems will be handling the ballast in the sponsons and guaranteeing vessel stability, trim and the even distribution of the forces acting on the hull.

UPDATE:  22 JULY 2014 Today, Costa Concordia departs from Giglio on its final voyage. A convoy of several tugs and support vessels has begun the slow journey from Giglio to the final port call for Costa Concordia in Genoa, Italy  where it will be dismantled and sold for scrap. We have followed this story since that fateful Friday the 13th in 2012.  This final journey, will take about 4 days as the convoy proceeds at about 2 knots, roughly the speed of walking.   Here are some images and stories which we have found on the web.   Most interesting may be how Giglio gets back to "normal" whatever that means.   It was a small town that was not very well known until it became center stage with a global audience watching.    CNN:  How do islanders feel about the Costa Concordia departing? The answer may surprise you: http://cnn.it/1A4XoTq  Costa Concordia Begins Its Final Voyage http://on.wsj.com/1nV1nrO  via @WSJphotos  In Focus: Final Voyage of the Costa Concordia - 30 photos of the 30-month salvage operation - http://goo.gl/cYFUyi  pic.twitter.com/rPuE5DTKtT gCaptain.com: Track Costa Concordia Live – AIS MAP http://goo.gl/fb/z68mz4   15 Spectacular Photos of the Refloated Costa #Concordia… And she's off! http://gcaptain.com/15-spectacular-photos-of-the-refloated-costa-concordia/ … pic.twitter.com/J4ze421wpo

  


This video shows the refloating phases of Costa Concordia salvage operations (limited hours of operation)


Once it is afloat, the wreck will be ready for transportation to its final destination, namely the
Port of Genoa Voltri.  Two possible courses have been selected with the actual course determined by conditions at the time of towing commencement.  The course pictured above, courtesy of Titan Micoperi, would cover 208 nautical miles.  The second course would be slightly shorter.

Costa Concordia Live Web Cam Links: 
 http://costaconcordiawebcams.com/

The Parbuckling Project: Concordia wreck removal project informative website Main article: Costa Concordia Listing after Deadly Accident  Re-floating Concordia    Courtesy: Parbuckling Project UPDATE 03 July 2014: Costa Crociere: installation of all sponsons completed, ten days to possible refloating Genoa, Italy has been selected to receive the vessel for salvage “Following installation of the last sponson, we can start the countdown to refloating and final departure of the wreck from Giglio Island,” said Costa Crociere CEO Michael Thamm. “Now all our energies are focused on the successful conclusion of this unprecedented engineering challenge to respect a precise commitment: remove the Concordia wreck as soon as possible, in compliance with the highest environmental and safety standards.” Watch footage from Italian police divers in the sunken ship just before it is scheduled to be towed:  Inside Costa Concordia Now & Before

Inside Costa Concordia Now & Before

Italian Police Divers

The wreck of the luxury cruise ship 

Costa Concordia  Credit: Italian Carabinieri

Explore Sunken
Costa Concordia

In this silent video, Courtesy of the Italian Carabinieri (police), we get a glimpse of the inside of the sunken Costa Concordia which has been lying off the coast of Giglio, Italy since early January 2012.   The ship is scheduled to be towed to Genoa later this month for dismantling and recycling.

Police divers explored the wreck of the £500 million luxury liner and filmed evidence of debris and dilapidation from the ship's two-and-a-half-years spent under water.  Some of the furnishings appear to be well-preserved as if frozen in time.   After watching this video, also watch the second video captured just moments before the fateful incident.

Main article: Costa Concordia Listing after Deadly Accident
See also:       Costa Concordia Salvage Begins


Italian Police Divers - this video has no sound


Watch: Footage from inside the ship moments before it sank:

Costa Concorida Vertical

Concordia Upright Courtesy Parbuckling Project

19 Hour Project Completed

“The parbuckling operation has been successfully completed,” the Parbuckling Project’s official website said in an understated announcement at about 4 a.m. local time. “The wreck is now upright and resting safely on the specially built artificial sea bed, at a depth of approximately 30 meters.”

Shortly after 4 AM local time in Giglio, Italy,  there were shouts and claps for joy followed by the sound of a horn piercing the night's silence as the Costa Concordia reached full vertical.   Thanks to the marvels of modern technology, the ship was raised to this position and we were able to watch live on the internet.

There was joy amongst the workers of course, but there is also sorrow knowing that lives were lost on this very spot.  In fact, there are still 2 missing bodies that were never accounted for.   Prior to the parbuckling, there were hopes that those bodies would be found.  So far that has not been the case.

The entire parbuckling operation took 19 hours, longer than expected due to weather delays and stoppages dues to technical difficulties.   The final phase went quickly as gravity provided assistance.

COVERAGE FROM AROUND THE NET:

In this article, Yahoo has a collection of images that are emerging as daylight falls upon the now vertical Costa Concordia.   There are some amazing images, just as there were immediately following the tragedy 20 months ago.

They've Turned Over The Costa Concordia And The Pictures Are Nuts

In this BBC article, there is a time-lapse video of the parbuckling.  There are also several pictures from the morning after.   The night image didn't show the extent of the damage to the side of the vessel but that is made clear in daylight.  There is also graphics showing how the process was completed.

Costa Concordia: Stricken ship set upright in Italy (BBC)

Our article from yesterday has links to the official Parbuckling Project site and other useful information.

Parbuckling of Costa Concordia Begins

Parbuckling of Costa Concordia Begins

Dark Line on Costa Concordia Shows Movement  Source: Chicago Tribune
Watch Live

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.

  Follow us on Facebook for Updates to this ongoing story.  We'll post links to images, videos, and news stories from various sources.

Parbuckling of Costa Concordia Approved

The Parbuckling Project: Concordia wreck removal project informative website

UPDATE 16 Sep 2013:

Parbuckling of Costa Concordia Begins 

Press release by Italian Civil Protection

According to the press release (6 Sep 2013), "The operation to right the ship Costa Concordia (known as “parbuckling”) has been given the go-ahead for this month: this was the outcome of a meeting convened in Rome today at the headquarters of the Civil Protection Department, by the Emergency Commissioner Franco Gabrielli, and attended by representatives from the Advisory Committee, the Observatory, the Micoperi-Titan Consortium and the cruise line Costa Crociere."   

Full Text of Press Release

Before the actual work takes place, authorities will need to review test certificates, inspect the structures, and complete preliminary activities.  No date for the actual parbuckling was given in the press release.

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

Costa Fined - No Criminal Charges in Italy for Concordia

Costa Cruises has made a €1 million ($1.3M) plea bargain settlement with an Italian court to limit its criminal liability for the capsizing of the Costa Concordia last January with the loss of 32 lives.  This move means that Costa Cruises will not face any more criminal charges and will now aim to participate in the forthcoming trial as an injured party opening the door for the company to seek damages for the loss of the ship.

A judge in Tuscany accepted the plea agreement for Costa Crociere, a division of Carnival Corporation in connection with the shipwreck off the island of Giglio in January 2012. 

Legal proceedings will continue Monday with a hearing to determine whether six of the line’s employees including Concordia captain, Francesco Schettino, and Mr Ferrarini, the company's crisis management chief.  Captain Schettino is expected to be indicted for multiple charges including manslaughter and abandoning ship before his passengers.

Although Costa Cruises has paid only €1 million in order to limit its criminal liability, the civil costs will be very much higher.  Costa still faces civil lawsuits by the relatives of passengers who drowned while trying to flee the ship, as well as by survivors who have turned down the firm’s starting offer of about €11,000 per person in compensation. Italian consumer group Codacons had advised passengers to reject the offer and instead called for a €125,000 minimum for each passenger.There has been at least one seven figure settlement already to the youngest victim of the shipwreck, a 5 year old boy.

Meanwhile, salvage operations continue off the cost of Giglio.   By late summer it is hoped that the ship will be floated off the rocks.

For Complete Coverage of this tragedy see the following blog post:

Costa Concordia Listing after Deadly Accident

Prosecutors Request Indictments

Seeking 

Manslaughter Indictment

Italian prosecutors involved in the Costa Concordia shipwreck case have made a formal request for a manslaughter indictment against Captain Francesco Schettino.

Prosecutors also requested the indictment of five others including the two deck officers, the helmsman, and Costa Crociere cruise line Marine Operations Director Roberto Ferrarini.

Schettino, dubbed 'captain coward' in the press, has already been found guilty in the public's eyes. He faces possible charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship. He does acknowledge he was distracted and claims that he wasn't in command of the vessel at the time of the incident.

Schettino has consistently denied all charges of wrongdoing. He further says that the actions he took on that fateful night in January, 2012, actually saved lives as he steered the ship closer to shore. He has his own lawsuit pending against Costa Crociere for alleged unfair dismissal and is writing a book about explaining how an even bigger disaster was averted.

Costa Crociere, the Italian subsidiary of Carnival Corporation and owner of Concordia, has asked for a plea bargain agreement in the case. If accepted, the plea bargain could see Costa pay a 1 million euro ($1.35 million) fine, according to the AP.