November 8, 2012

An information website was launched about the Concordia wreck removal project: www.theparbucklingproject.com

The bilingual information site (Italian/English) should become a key point of reference for the media community worldwide and for everyone interested in this monumental and unprecedented technical challenge. It also represents an effective operational tool to manage and facilitate media requests and inquiries, providing regular updates and information.

As the removal plan is an extremely dynamic and articulated operation, the website will be constantly updated and improved, reflecting the different phases in the plan and covering the future timetable and workflows.

July 3, 2012

Time 2.00 PM (CET)

Costa Concordia: Fincantieri awarded contract to build the "Caissons"
The contract provides for the construction in different Fincantieri shipyards of 30 steel watertight boxes, which will be used to right and refloat the vessel.

As part of the salvage plan to remove the wreck of the Costa Concordia, to be carried out by the Italo-American Titan-Micoperi consortium appointed by Costa Crociere, Fincantieri has been awarded a contract worth tens of millions of euros for the building of the watertight boxes, known as caissons, to be used in the operation to refloat the ship.

A total of 30 steel caissons, with combined weight of approximately 11,500 tonnes, will be built in different Fincantieri shipyards.

The Costa Concordia salvage plan entails the use of these caissons in order to right and refloat the wreck so that it can be removed in one piece.

Once the ship has been stabilized, caissons will be fixed to the upper side of the hull and gradually filled with water as part of the operation to right the ship; righting will be performed using a system of “strand jacks” – a hydraulic mechanism for pulling cables – fixed to an undersea platform. When the ship is upright, caissons full of water will also be fixed to the other side of the hull. Then the caissons on both sides will be emptied to refloat the wreck; once floated, the wreck will be towed to an Italian port.

Meanwhile, on Giglio Island preliminary work to prepare the wreck for salvage is proceeding on schedule; this includes steel structural jobs needed to cut and remove some external parts of the ship (OVI SAT antenna, forward masthead light, water slide) and facilitate the next stage of the plan. The seabed is also being inspected regularly ahead of the site clean-up operation devised to conserve the marine environment, which will be the main focus once the wreck has been removed. The preliminary stage is expected to finish by the end of July; it will be followed by the ship stabilization phase.

May 18, 2012

Costa Concordia wreck removal plan presented today in Rome

With the Costa Concordia Emergency Commissioner in attendance, Costa Crociere and Titan-Micoperi presented their plan to the international press to remove the wreck in one piece by re-floating and towing it away from the site

With the Costa Concordia Emergency Commissioner Franco Gabrielli in attendance, Costa Crociere and Italo-American consortium Titan-Micoperi, the winner of the tender tasked with performing the work, today presented their plan to remove the wreck of the Costa Concordia.

The work, following the decisional Services Conference convened by the Commissioner on May 15th during which the competent authorities have provided the necessary permits, will begin in a few days’ time and last about 12 months.

Titan Salvage is an American-owned specialist marine salvage and wreck removal company, part of the Crowley Group, and is a world leader in its field. Micoperi is a well-known Italian marine contractor with a long history as a specialist in underwater construction and engineering.

The plan to re-float the hull in one piece gives top priority to minimising environmental impact, to protecting Giglio’s economy and tourism industry, and to maximum safety of the work.

Environmental protection will have top priority throughout this monumental salvage operation, the likes of which have never been attempted before anywhere in the world. Once removal is complete, the sea bottom will be cleaned and marine flora replanted.

The plan also includes measures to safeguard Isola del Giglio’s tourism industry and wider economy. Salvage workers’ presence will not have any significant impact on the availability of hotel accommodation for the summer season. The operating base will be located away from the island, on the mainland near Piombino, where equipment and materials will be stored, thereby avoiding any impact on the island’s port activities.

Operations will be divided into four basic stages:
● after stabilising the ship, an subsea platform will be built and caissons that can be filled with water will be fixed to the side of the ship that is out of the water;
● two cranes fixed to the platform will pull the ship upright, helped by the caissons which will be filled with water;
● when the ship is upright, caissons will also be fixed to the other side of the hull;
● the caissons on both sides will then be emptied, after treating and purifying the water to protect the marine environment, and filled with air.

Once floated, the wreck will be towed to an Italian port and dealt with in accordance with the requirements of the Italian Authorities.

The plan was selected by an evaluation team with specialist representatives from Costa Crociere, Carnival Corporation & plc, London Offshore Consultants and Standard P&I Club, with the collaboration of RINA and Fincantieri, because it best fulfills the main objectives of the operation: removal of the wreck in one piece, minimal risk, minimal environmental impact, protection of Giglio’s economy and tourism industry, and maximum safety of the work.

“Right from the early stages of the accident, Costa Crociere has been fully committed in terms of its resources, professional expertise and organisation to minimising the impact of the shipwreck on the environment and on Isola del Giglio in particular” - said Gianni Onorato, Costa Crociere S.p.A. President -  “As was the case for the fuel removal operation, we have always worked to find the best possible and safest solution to protect the island, its marine environment and its tourism industry. We are now launching a salvage operation with characteristics and technical complexities that have never been faced before. There will inevitably be some unknowns in a project of this scope, but we are sure we have made the right decision and will continue to work to our best ability and on schedule”.

“We are very pleased to have been chosen to perform this incredible operation to remove the wreck of Costa Concordia. Our quality engineering and the experience we have gained in this area allowed us to present a project that met expectations - said Richard Habib, President of Titan Salvage - From now on we will work with the aim of preserving the environment and the natural habitat”.

“We were confident from the outset that the professionalism of our company and our proven experience in underwater rescue and recovery operations could be of service to this salvage operation - said Silvio Bartolotti, General Manager of Micoperi - Being chosen is also powerful demonstration of the quality and capabilities of Italian companies to manage such delicate and unprecedented projects”.

Costa Concordia - The Shipwreck Removal Project

April 21, 2012

Costa Concordia wreck removal awarded to "Titan Salvage/Micoperi".
Wreck to be removed in one piece, refloated and towed away.

Costa Crociere and the Costa Concordia Emergency Commissioner’s Office have announced that the tender for the removal of the ship from Giglio Island has been awarded to Titan Salvage in partnership with the Italian firm Micoperi. The work will begin in early May subject to final approval from the Italian authorities and is expected to take about 12 months.

Titan Salvage is an American-owned specialist marine salvage and wreck removal company, part of the Crowley Group, and is a world leader in its field. Micoperi is a well-known Italian marine contractor with a long history as a specialist in underwater construction and engineering.

Throughout the operations, environmental protection will have top priority. Once the main work is complete, the sea bottom will be cleaned and marine flora replanted.

The plan also includes measures to safeguard the island of Giglio’s tourism and wider economy. Salvage workers’ presence will not have any significant impact on the availability of hotel accommodation on the island during the summer season. The main operating base will be located on the mainland at nearby Civitavecchia, where equipment and materials will be stored, thereby avoiding any impact on Giglio’s port activities.

Once floated, the wreck will be towed to an Italian port and dealt with in accordance with the requirements of the Italian authorities.

The plan was selected by an Evaluation Team with specialist representatives from Costa Crociere, Carnival Corporation & plc, London Offshore Consultants, and the Standard P&I Club. All six tenders submitted by the March 3 deadline were of a very high standard, but the Evaluation Team decided that the Titan Salvage/Micoperi proposal best fulfilled the main objectives set out in the tender specifications: removal of the wreck in one piece; minimal risk; minimal environmental impact; protection of Giglio’s economy and tourism industry; maximum safety of the work.

"We are very pleased to announce another important step towards salvaging the wreck from Giglio Island," said Costa Crociere S.p.A. Chairman & CEO Pier Luigi Foschi. "As was the case with the removal of the fuel, we have sought to identify the best solution to safeguard the island and its marine environment and to protect its tourism. We would like also to thank Smit Salvage and Tito Neri for succeeding in defueling and caretaking operations."

The removal will be the final step of the salvage. Its fuel removal was completed successfully on 24 March. "Caretaking" operations, which include cleaning up the seabed and removing debris caused by the incident, will continue until Titan Salvage and Micoperi commence operations.