Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For

[MuffyBee]

http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2012/05/seabourn-cruise-ship-safety-drill-/694399/1
Elderly cruiser kicked off Seabourn ship for skipping drill
By Gene Sloan, USA TODAY
May 16, 2012

[MuffyBee]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-italy-shipbre84f0wu-20120516,0,2516868.story
Italy court rules Concordia captain unfit for command
May 16, 2012

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's top appeals court ruled on Wednesday that Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia, was unfit to command the cruise liner which ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio in January, causing at least 30 deaths.

In a written explanation of its decision to maintain a house arrest order against Schettino, the Court of Cassation said he had shown "little resilience in performing command functions or in handling responsibility for the safety of persons under his care."
 ::snipping2::
Investigators also accuse Schettino of delaying evacuation and losing control of the operation, during which he abandoned ship before all 4,200 passengers and crew had been taken off the vessel.

He has been charged with multiple manslaughter, causing the accident and abandoning ship prematurely. A pre-trial hearing was held in Grosseto, near Florence, in March.

The Court of Cassation said Schettino had shown himself unable to manage a crisis and to ensure the safety of his passengers and crew and said there would be a risk of a repeat of the disaster if he were given a command again.

That part of the ruling justified the decision to keep Schettino under house arrest at his home in Meta di Sorrento, near Naples in southern Italy, as a concrete danger of a recurrence must be shown for the arrest order to be upheld.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/18/world/europe/italy-cruise-ship/index.html
Wrecked Costa Concordia to be raised from Italian sea bed
May 18, 2012

Rome (CNN) -- Salvage experts outlined their plan Friday to raise the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise liner from the sea floor off Italy in one piece and tow it from the disaster site.

The complicated operation is expected to start in the next few days and take up to a year, the ship's owner, Costa Cruises, said in Rome.

It will be a joint effort by Titan Salvage, an American-owned specialist marine salvage and wreck removal company, and Italian marine contractor Micoperi.
 ::snipping2::
The search for two people who remain missing will continue alongside the removal operation, said Franco Gabrielli, head of the Italian Civil Protection agency. The 30 bodies recovered have all been identified.

The ship cannot stay in its current position, as it represents a danger for the environment, he added.

"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," Costa Cruises said in a statement.

"Once removal is complete, the sea bottom will be cleaned and marine flora replanted."

The operation will be divided into four basic stages, Costa said in its statement.

First, once the ship has been stabilized, an underwater platform will be built and watertight boxes, or caissons, fixed to the side of the ship that is above water.

Two cranes fixed to the platform will pull the ship upright, helped by the weight of the caissons, which will be filled with water.

When the ship is upright, caissons will be fixed to the other side of the hull to stabilize it.

Finally, the caissons on both sides will be emptied, after the water inside has been purified to protect the marine environment, and filled with air, Costa said.

Once the giant ship has been refloated, it will be towed to an Italian port, probably in Tuscany, to be dismantled and disposed of according to local regulations.

No exact cost was given by the officials who presented details of the recovery operation.

But a Costa Cruises representative said that the figure would probably be about $300 million.
 ::snipping2::

[sharon]

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/south-florida-travel/2012/05/18/costa-cruises-to-reveal-concordia-salvage-plans-friday/

Costa Cruises: Salvage work on Concordia to begin within days
by: Arlene Satchell May 18th, 2012 | 9:09 AM

Updated: 10:42 a.m.

Pompano Beach-based Titan Salvage in partnership with its Italian partner Micoperi outlined plans for the salvage and removal of the capsized Costa Concordia ship at a press conference in Italy Friday.

The Costa Cruises cruise ship capsized off the coast of Italy near the Tuscan island of Giglio in January killing 32. 

The salvage work is expected to begin in a few days and should last about a year, company officials said.

Titan and Micoperi won the bid to upright and refloat the Concordia based on plans their plans to remove the vessel in one piece to minimize environmental impact and protect Giglio’s economy and tourism industry.

 ::snipping2::

Here are some key details from Friday’s press conference:


Operations will be divided into four basic stages:

After stabilizing the ship, a 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 Italian authorities.

 ::snipping2::

 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/the-navigator-cruise-safetys-improvements--or-lack-thereof/2012/05/23/gJQAAaiHnU_story.html
The Navigator: Cruise safety’s improvements — or lack thereof
By Christopher Elliott,
May 24, 2012

As Carnival Corp. announced plans to salvage the Costa Concordia last week, the world’s attention focused again on cruise safety — or rather, lack of it.

The Concordia struck a reef off the coast of Italy in January and partially sank, claiming the lives of 32 passengers. Carnival will refloat the hull in a $300 million salvage operation said to be the largest in history.
Coincidentally, it’s been almost two years since the passage of the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, a law that promised to make cruising safer by requiring cruise lines to install peepholes in cabin doors, improve the handling of crime evidence and report crimes to the Coast Guard and the FBI.

Given that travelers are thinking about security on cruise ships and that the summer vacation season is just around the corner, there’s no better time to ask whether the rules are working as intended. But that’s a hard question to answer.

The law couldn’t have prevented the sinking of the Concordia, for example. That was reportedly caused when its captain, Francesco Schettino, foolishly steered his vessel away from its programmed route to do a maneuver known as a sail-by salute. And common sense can’t be legislated, as they say.

But what about some of the other provisions? David Peikin, a spokesman for the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), a trade group that represents the major cruise lines, wouldn’t comment on whether the law is working but insisted that cruising is safe and that passenger safety remains the industry’s “number one” priority.

Peikin pointed to several independent studies that showed even before the law went into effect that the cruise experience was exceedingly safe and said that cruise lines are reporting crimes to the government as required.

I wondered what others thought, so I revisited some of my sources from a 2010 column on the act. Interestingly, that story also featured a quote from a CLIA spokesman about safety being a No. 1 priority.

Kendall Carver, chairman of the International Cruise Victims Association, a passenger advocacy group, doesn’t think that the law has helped passengers. “It’s a travesty,” he said.

In just the past month, several stories have raised serious concerns about cruise ship safety.
More...
(2 pg article.)
87 comments at time of this posting
Link to slideshow:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/cruise-ship-costa-concordia--runs-aground-off-italy/2012/01/14/gIQA6PEYyP_gallery.html

[MuffyBee]

http://hamptonroads.com.nyud.net/2012/05/exhibit-features-va-beach-survivors-sinking
Exhibit features Va. Beach survivors of sinking
May 25, 2012

A Virginia Beach couple who were rescued after the sinking of a luxury cruise ship off the Italian coast are featured in a Mariners' Museum exhibit about survivors of marine catastrophes.

Mariners' Museum officials say Costa Concordia survivors Karen Kennedy and Rick Langlands have a part in a new exhibit, Abandon Ship: Stories of Survival. The life vest Kennedy wore during her escape as well as photographs taken by the couple are part of the exhibition, which opens Saturday.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.handyshippingguide.com/shipping-news/salvage-team-for-costa-concordia-appointed_3696
Salvage Team for Costa Concordia Appointed 
Familiar Names Collaborate to Recover Stricken Vessels Hull
May 25, 2012

ITALY – US – The tragedy of the sunken cruise liner Costa Concordia off the coast of the Isle of Giglio is beyond our normal coverage involving as it does that carriage of passengers, not freight. The recovery of the stricken vessel is however within our brief and this week the contract to salvage the wreck, a sensitive environmental matter, was awarded to a coalition from two countries.
More...

[MuffyBee]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/survival/stories/what-went-wrong-on-the-costa-concordia-9119062?click=pm_news
What Went Wrong on the Costa Concordia
The sight of behemoth pleasure vessel Costa Concordia sideways in the sea became an indelible image around the world. Here's the full story of how this entirely avoidable vacation-turned-nightmare unfolded.
By Barbara S. Peterson
May 25, 2012

[MuffyBee]

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120528/world/But-you-guessed-he-is-not-the-right-man-for-the-job-.421641
But (you guessed) he is not the right man for the job!
May 28, 2012

Welcome Aboard was shot on the Costa Atlantica, which was captained by Francesco Schettino (bottom) at the time.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.ksby.com/news/massive-undertaking-is-underway-to-salvage-the-capsized-costa-concordia/
Massive undertaking is underway to salvage the capsized Costa Concordia
June 1, 2012

Salvage operations for that capsized Italian cruise ship began today and are expected to take a year.
 ::snipping2::
Salvage operators plan to re-float and remove the ship from the rocks on the coast.

It is believed to be the most ambitious effort of its kind and is expected to cost $300 million.

The operation is a joint effort between U.S. and Italian companies.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/costa-concordia-sun-sea-sand-and-shipwreck-7811689.html
Costa Concordia: Sun, sea, sand... and shipwreck
The plan to remove the Costa Concordia is finally taking shape. But there's an unexpected snag: some of the locals have fallen for the new attraction
June 2, 2012

[MuffyBee]

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/326231
Dutch film company making time-lapse movie of Costa Concordia
June 8, 2012

A Dutch movie company has begun filming the events taking place at the site of the sunken Italian liner, the Costa Concordia. The goal is to produce a time-lapse movie of the refloating and towing-away of the ill-fated cruise ship.
Bo de Visser of Prorama Films, has told Digital Journal in an email interview that he has twice gone to the ship, which went down off the shore of the island of Giglio on Jan. 13. The time-lapse filmmaker said the "main challenge lies within being able to contact the right people in Italy" while 1600km (1100 miles) away in the Netherlands. His first visit was to get permits and take care of electricity needs and other technical requirements, his second saw him begin the filming.
More...

[MuffyBee]

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-giglio-20120610,0,5945112.story
Life returning to normal on Giglio Island after Costa Concordia
Giglio, a tiny vacation island off the Tuscany coast, is dotted with charming villages, clean beaches, quiet accommodations and waterside trattorias.
June 10, 2012

[MuffyBee]

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/south-florida-travel/2012/06/11/report-environmental-training-connected-to-concordia-wreck-starts/
Report: Environmental training connected to Concordia wreck starts
June 11, 2012

Environmental emergency training connected to the Costa Concordia wreck is underway on the Tuscan island of Giglio, according to a recent tweet from @SjaakSeen.

According to @SjaackSeen’s  Twitter profile, he’s a United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) member and chief safety and operations fire department, safety region in the Rotterdam area of The Netherlands.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9329217/Costa-Concordia-rock-which-ripped-hole-in-liner-to-be-memorial.html
Costa Concordia rock which ripped hole in liner to be memorial
A massive chunk of rock which ripped a hole in the side of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, causing it to capsize six months ago, is to be removed and made into a permanent memorial to the victims of the disaster.
By Nick Squires, Rome
June 13, 2012


Sergio Ortelli, the mayor, said the plan had been agreed with Costa Cruises, the Genoa-based company that owns the Concordia Photo: AP
The 80-ton rock was wrenched off a reef when the luxury cruise liner veered too close to the island of Giglio, off the Tuscan coast, on the night of Jan 13.

The mayor of the island announced on Wednesday that it will be prized out of the Concordia's hull as part of the ongoing operation to recover the wreck.

It will then be installed as a monument to the 32 people of a dozen nationalities who died in the tragedy
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/south-florida-travel/2012/06/15/work-on-costa-concordia-salvage-gets-underway/
Work on Costa Concordia salvage gets underway
June 15, 2012

 ::snipping2::
In an email Thursday Costa’s Head of Corporate Communications Cristiano De Musso provided this timeline of the project:

Now through July 31: On-going site inspections of the ship and its position

Aug.1-31:  Securing of the Costa Concordia wreck to ensure on-going safety and stability

Sept. 1-Nov. 15: Installation of caissons on left side of vessel and construction of submarine platforms

Dec. 1: Sensitive stage of salvage begins with rotation of wreck with the installation of boxes on its right side

Jan. 15:  Ship to be up-righted above waterline

Jan. 31: Ship delivered to an Italian port for processing according to regulations.

April 30:  Cleaning and replanting of marine flora expected to be completed
 ::snipping2::

Photo gallery:  Salvage Plans
Costa Concordia salvage titan pictures (26 images)
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-costa-concordia-salvage-titan-pictures-20120518,0,3836741.photogallery
( Titan-Micoperi, courtesy / May 18, 2012 )
Costa Concordia salvage

[MuffyBee]

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/326737
Costa Concordia salvage team brings in Microperi 61 platform
June 15,2012

A platform, the Microperi 61, has arrived on scene at the island of Giglio to help refloat the stricken Costa Concordia. The platform has arms to work undersea and set up scaffolding to build a foundation to keep the ship stable.
The platform is a rectangle and 40.5 meters by 28.65 meters. It has 4 'legs', each 47 meters by 1.8 meters in diameter, which can be extended down into the sea to a depth' of 32 meters. The goal is to block the ship from sliding downward and then attach a massive balloon to the side still above water, and pull it upright. They must also repair breaks in the hull that occurred when the Costa Concordia hit the rocks.
More...

[MuffyBee]

http://maritimematters.com/2012/06/capturing-costa-concordia-by-mike-tattoli/
Capturing COSTA CONCORDIA by Mike Tattoli

Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 by Peter Knego
Globe-trotting ship enthusiast Mike Tattoli was in Italy this past week and took a side trip to Isola del Giglio where the wreck of COSTA CONCORDIA still lies, awaiting salvage.  Mike was kind enough to share his photos and and a brief recap with MaritimeMatters.
(Photos at Link)

Comments:
3 Responses to Capturing COSTA CONCORDIA by Mike Tattoli   

    Glenn L.

    June 18, 2012 at 4:03 am

    Thanks for sharing, great photos. It will really be something to see her refloated after being partially submerged after all this time. I’ve read that the rock was estimated to weigh 80 tons! I believe that the stabilizers were deployed after the strike as the volume of water rushing in made the ship unstable. The port anchor was also released when she came to rest.

    Bob Graham

    June 18, 2012 at 4:59 am

    Might the stabilizer have deployed automatically following the impact in response to the increasing list?

    I had expected to see salvage activity around the vessel.

    Altogether, a very depressing sight. The testimonial phase of the wreck investigation should make for a real media circus.

    Kenneth Eden

    June 18, 2012 at 5:05 am

    How utterly sad to see this magnificent ship wasting away and looking sadder with each passing hour.

    Mike has presented the best pictures of the ship to date, up close and personal, and superbly done, the best that I have seen.

    Nothing – not even these great photos – can truly convey the sadness that will live on forever, the losss of those passengers, whose lives were lost in such a short passage of time.

    Thanks Mike for sharing.

 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.marinelink.com/news/concordia-salvage-costa345590.aspx
Costa Concordia Salvage to Take a Year
June 19, 2012

[MuffyBee]

http://www.ecology.com/2012/06/19/costa-concordia-salvage-operation-begins/
Salvage of the Capsized Costa Concordia Gets Underway off Italy’s Tuscan Coast
By Bob Petz, June 19, 2012