Salvage Headache

The  marine salvage squads already gathered for the Italian feast are getting headaches wondering just how they might turn over the 952-foot hulk of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, on its side in shallow waters but slipping down dangerously from that rocky shore.

Globally, marine engineers speculate best ways of refloating the massive ship, the salage operations due to begin the moment the word is given. With 4,200 passengers and crew, the luckless captain ran his ship aground last Friday in 45 feet of water.

It had sailed too close to the island of Giglio, off the Tuscan coast of Tuscany, apparently hitting a reef, which tore tearing a 170ft gash in its hull,11 people now known to have died upwards of twenty more still unaccounted for.

Laid on itthe starboard side in the shallow waters just offshore, coast guard officials worry that worsening weather will push it further into deeper waters, making further rescue and indeed salvage operations more risky, especially as the possible environmental hazard of 2,000 metric tons of diesel fuel that remain in the hull and need to be pumped out.  

One marine salvage expert and naval architect, stated that the best option to roll it right side up, though huge forces would be needed to achieve that aim, though once the diesel fuel is removed, the ship will become more buoyant. The decision may then be taken to force air into the ballast tanks in order to blow out water, but only after workers had welded steel plates to the hull, to cover the gash.

With the leak plugged, airbags could be placed underneath to help stabilize the vessel, though this may not be enough, so a system known as parbuckling may be employed – using a series of chains and pulleys in a winching system with special marine chains. 90lb, 18in links are wrapped around the hull, before being pulled around a pivot point anchored to the sea bed or onshore somewhere, slowly pulling the ship back upright with a massive winch.

Five to six thousand tons of force would be required. making this the largest ever salvage operation. Considering that this gigantic ship contains four swimming pools, five restaurants, 13 bars and a casino, small wonder that salvage crews are rubbing their hands

The trend of ever-bigger cruise ships, according to some, poses danger on the high seas. the International Salvage Union feels, because the sheer volume of passengers can make evacuating them safely, especially safety far out to sea would be a logistical nightmare and a matter of considerable concern.

Even though these vessels are very safe and stable in most seas, the fact of human error and extraordinary circumstance should always be factored into the equation, the Costa Concordia a glaring, if extremely fortunate example of just how fickle fate can. It could very easily have been so much worse.