Costa Concordia in Italy freed from rocks

[Surya Gayatri]

Last edited Mon Sep 16, 2013, 07:22 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: BBC

Engineering officials in Italy say they have succeeded in lifting the cruise ship Costa Concordia free of rocks, 20 months after it ran aground.

Efforts to right the ship, one of the largest and most daunting salvage operations ever undertaken, are continuing through the night.

The vessel has been detached from rocks and moved on to a platform constructed on the sea bed, officials said.

.../...

Engineers have never tried to lift such a huge ship - over 951 feet long (290m) - so close to land.



Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24104741

---

At the scene
Europe correspondent:

Essentially this is simple physics. It's a little like a challenge you might set a classroom of school children. There's a capsized ship on the rocks. You can't cut it up as you might harm the waters it is lying in. How do you raise it?

Direct webcam link:
http://www.giglionews.it/2010022440919/webcam/isola-del-giglio/webcam-giglio-porto-panoramica.html

?1379371868276

[Cooley Hurd]

1. Per the press conference, they're going to start filling the sposons...

...on the port side which will rotate the wreck upright.

[Surya Gayatri]

3. So, that's what those humongous water containers are called--sposons! Who knew?

[HooptieWagon]

10. That should be sponsons...there was an "n" omitted.

They're sort of like pontoons, attached to the ship side.

[Surya Gayatri]

11. I did NOT know that! Thanks HW! Never know when I might need that word...

[Cooley Hurd]

12. Sorry - typed that on my phone...

[HooptieWagon]

27. No need to apologize.

I just correcting for the record.
BTW, the term "parbuckling" the media has been using to describe the operation isn't exactly accurate. Parbuckling is how the righting cables are attached and operated, just one part of the operation. It is a method of cabling that rolls the object as its being lifted. Usually its on a much smaller scale...such as rolling a barrell up a steep ramp, or lifting a long horizontal object like a spar to a higher point. Pretty cool they're using it to right the ship...must be some immense cables, pulleys and winches. Wish I could see it up close, this is 4 or 5 thousand year old technology used on a giant scale.

[pinto]

2. What an enourmous operation.

Saw a mock-up slide show about the process a while back. They have to right it. Thanks for the update.

[Surya Gayatri]

4. Pleasure...don't know why I'm so fascinated by this...

maybe because I have a friend who lives just across the Tyrrhenian channel in Isola La Maddalena, Sardinia.

He said they were all shamed by the captain's ignoble behavior. Everybody in those waters makes their living from the sea and they are proud of their seafaring roots.

[pinto]

6. From the little I know, the captain seems culpable to a large extent.

It seemed a really poor set of navigation decisions. Or poor execution.

[Surya Gayatri]

8. The Italians call him a "cazzo"--he's brought shame to the whole country...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_profanity

cazzo (pl. cazzi) : literally penis, can be used as an exclamation or for emphasis; there are countless expressions using this word in a variety of contexts, as detailed in the entries below.

[HooptieWagon]

28. This is thousands of years old technology...

...used on a grand scale. It is fascinating.

[jakeXT]

5. No ping pong balls?

[Surya Gayatri]

7. "Thousand and thousands of ping-pong balls" in that case...

For this baby it would have taken billions and billions!

[gopiscrap]

9. pretty cool

[petronius]

13. That's good news; hope it continues!

[Cooley Hurd]

14. She looks to be at about 35 degrees. The weight in the sponsons is...

pulling her upright. They're been showing the live video on Reuters and the starboard side is just MANGLED!!!

On edit: Here's a screen grab. Under where I've placed the arrow is the crushed starboard side. Damn!

[Surya Gayatri]

15. Fascinating, CH! She was crushed under her own weight.

Somewhere on the BBC site, they said she was at 44-45°.

[Rhiannon12866]

16. K&R!

Thanks for posting this on this busy news day. Fascinating story!

[oldandhappy]

17. This is amazing!

I am so glad there are folk who know how to do these things. Seems an exceptionally complex scheme, but it seems to work. I am curious re the cost of doing this vs salvage in place, but someone said salvage in place was not OK?? I remember cutting the Navy shop apart in the Philippines last year. Congratulations everyone.

[tammywammy]

32. This is significantly more expensive than salvage in place.

But there was concern over more environmental damage if salvaged in place.

[shebornik]

18. I hope they cut her up for scrap

And all of the other floating hotels they've mislabeled as ships. These cruise ships are unsafe (even with a competent captain), unhealthy (for the passengers jammed into close quarters and the sea life exposed to the tons of human waste) and unnecessary (there are plenty of water slides, casinos, video games and televisions on dry land). To those few who really want to experience the beauty and awesomeness of the sea go out in a sailboat no motor no stereo no distractions. If you don't become addicted to it, then stay on land.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

19. Sure, shit on somebody's kink because it's not your kink.

The ships are quite safe when you consider passenger-miles and passenger-hours. Even though statistic are hard to come by and hard to definitively crunch, nobody should fear going on a cruise ship. They are more likely to die driving to the airport or to the seaport.

People tend to have unreal ideas about risk and their fears are generated and distorted by such posts.

There are three types of customers, as far as I can see: 1) Landlubbers looking for the floating theme park aspect. 2) Specialty cruisers like special gay cruises, educational cruises, culinary cruises, etc. 3) Older passengers who like the slow pace, the comfort, the multiple destinations, and the shore excursions with every convenience laid on.

My mother falls into the latter category. Sailing on a sailboat is not an option due to age and lack of strength and lack of agility.

[shebornik]

36. you have your opinion and I have mine,

and the age, health, and desires of your mother wont change mine. My 88 year old mother enjoyed her ride on a 26 ft sailboat and said it was more fun than the cruise ship she went on a few years ago where she and several others got sick when they had problems with the toilets. You see we can back up our opinions with our own "facts" but they're just opinions. Cruise ships work for you and your mom, good enjoy. I think they're floating cesspools.

[muriel_volestrangler]

37. Your earlier post wanted to get rid of all cruise ships, and told everyone to use sail boats

or 'stay on land'. You have radically changed your tune if you now say "Cruise ships work for you and your mom, good enjoy".

[shebornik]

40. My opinion is still the same

The first line in my reply to bernardo is, you have your opinion and I have mine. The last line,which follows the subtly sarcastic one you're quoting is, I still think they are floating cesspools. No radical change that I can see, and I'm sure bernardo still feels the same about cruise ships as he did before reading my post. I have no problem with people disagreeing with my opinions, but I do with people who read something into them that's not there.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

20. Sailing boats are much less safe and more people die on sailing boats than cruise ships. nt

[shebornik]

41. That's why I said for the few who want to experience the sea.

[backscatter712]

23. The Costa Concordia in particular is going to be sent to the breaker yards once she's refloated.

That ship's totaled - the damage is so massive there's no way to make her able to carry passengers again. Once they get her afloat, she'll be towed off to be scrapped.

[snooper2]

39. How in the hell did a cruise ship piss in your cereal?

and where did you go LOL

[shebornik]

46. Its called a porta potty LOL

[muriel_volestrangler]

21. Time lapse footage of the complete operation (about 18 hours):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24121480

And pictures:

[Surya Gayatri]

22. Great pics, Muriel V. Apparently, it was a Europe-wide effort.

Somebody mentioned that a British firm (in Fulton?) built the underwater platform to support her.

P.S. I've always admired your last name: volestrangler...bwaahaaa! Those poor defenseless creatures--heartless you are!

[muriel_volestrangler]

24. The name comes from Marty Feldman or Barry Took, via John Cleese:

Round the Horne was a BBC Radio comedy programme, transmitted in four series of weekly episodes from 1965 until 1968. The series was created by Barry Took and Marty Feldman, with others contributing to later series after Feldman returned to performing, and starred Kenneth Horne, with Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, Betty Marsden and Bill Pertwee.
...
"Fiona and Charles" was a regular in the show. Betty Marsden played Dame Celia Molestrangler, and Hugh Paddick was 'ageing juvenile' Binkie Huckaback (named after theatrical impresario Binkie Beaumont). Their characters — Fiona and Charles — were a pair of lovestruck, dated cinema idols engaging in stilted, extraordinarily polite dialogues, in scenes that were parodies of Sir Noël Coward's style, most particularly that of Dame Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard in Brief Encounter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round_the_Horne

http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Wing-commander-Muriel-Volestrangler-F-R-H-S/dp/0413567907

And don't think they're that defenseless ... http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x249029 (reply #8)

[Surya Gayatri]

25. I've seen extracts from Round the Horne, but never saw it on TV.

That was before I settled in Europe.

Who knew about those domestic terrorists of the animal world.? Insidious, I say. The voles in league with the beavers.
“They are sapping the walls from inside. And they are being assisted by water voles!”

[joshcryer]

26. Yikes, I can't imagine it ever sailing again.

Granted, that does look like the walkway that was crushed as opposed to the internals of the ship, we'll have to see if it can float again. If so I'd love to see the cost of the salvage operation / repairs vs the cost to build the thing.

[HooptieWagon]

29. They're going to scrap it.

It would cost more to repair than to build a new one. Just the salvage operation alone cost more than a new ship. They couldn't leave it or cut it up in situ because of enviromental concerns. Insurance is paying for the salvage.

[joshcryer]

31. Ahh, I wondered why they couldn't cut it up right there.

[HooptieWagon]

33. They're going to weld more sponsons on the other side.

Then pump the water out out of the sponsons to refloat the ship. It will then be towed someplace to be cut up.

[Posteritatis]

42. It's an ecologically protected area and the interior of the ship's probably quite contaminated. (nt)

[petronius]

43. An article that I read mentioned that the worry wasn't just fuel, paint, and

heavy metals, but also rotting food:

Fears that a slick of paint, residual fuel, small quantities of heavy metal and rotting food — including more than 3 tons of melon, more than 130 gallons of olive oil and 8 tons of beef — would emerge from the ship proved unfounded, officials said.

http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-italy-costa-concordia-20130917,0,937131.story

I'm not sure how long or widespread of an impact 8 tons of rotten beef would have, but I wouldn't want to see or smell it. Glad it's all worked out so far...

[Posteritatis]

44. Yeah, that'd be an issue too. A ship that size has a *lot* of provisions on board.. (nt)

[question everything]

38. Fascinating. Thanks (nt)

[cynzke]

30. Google Satilite Map It!

[Aristus]

34. I did. It was a little freaky to look at.

Glad they're getting it out of there.

[petronius]

35. Too cool - love the time lapse!

Two things I hadn't realized: now that it's rotated, it sits deeper in the water, so parts that were dry all along are now flooded. I wonder if they removed property from those above-water parts in advance, or if it was too dangerous?

Also, sounds like they won't tow it away until Spring; there's still a long way to go...

[Posteritatis]

45. Definitely too dangerous to go aboard in that condition

And the reason it's deeper in the water is because they haven't actually floated it yet; they basically rolled it downhill onto a stable platform.