The largest ever rescue operation to salvage a vessel of any kind will commence on the 16th of September, barring rough seas. Its scope is unprecendented and belies the ingenuity of both the Italian engineers and that of the collaborating foreign corps.
But will it be successful? Some still doubt that the enourmous carcass of the Costa Concordia can be risen from its place. And more importantly, that it can be done safely for both men and nature.
The Costia Concordia came to rest on one of Italy's most famous and fragile ecosystems. That ships like the Costa would even be permitted to sail through the narrow strait, is even more daft.
But sail they did, with all the known consequences. And the ship must be removed, at almost all costs.
One of the fears engineers still harbor is whether the mammoth steel hull of the ship can be hoisted without breaking apart.
As its 'captain', Francesco Schettino, lies in prison in Naples awaiting the final sentence on his dastardly deeds, including the abandonment of both his ship and its passengers, the ultimate cowardice of the ship-captain, the task of bringing closure to this sad episode is on the shoulders of Italy's best engineers.
The cost of the endeavor is staggering: the estimates of the righting and towing and scrapping is set to outrun the cost of building the ship itself, which ran close to 600 million dollars.
The episode that is the floundering of the Costa Concordia cost much more than money. 32 people died at Schettino's frivolous and uncaring hand. What also perished with the Concordia is Italy's famous ship building and navigational expertise, which has been stellar for centuries.
Some have blamed the Cruise companies for the disaster. Poor training, bravado, lack of serious coordination and planning and so forth. But in the end, Captain Coward as many call him, was chiefly responsible for the disaster, since he chose to go to a route that was strictly forbidden to ships of that size in the Giglio straits.
A plan like the one engineered to lift the Concordia has never been attempted, and is the most complex ever attempted. A ten story 'twin' will be harnessed to the ship to provide bouyancy, then move it safely away from the site. The process itself is very slow, almost 10 hours, in which the air filled container that will attempt to lift the vessel will slowly be filled and then towed.
The forces that will be brought to bear on the crippled Concordia are formidable. That is the greatest risk factor in the whole operation. The force could split the ship in two, or three. No one knows the condition of the starboard side, and it is too dangerous for divers to go and check it. if that side is heavily damaged or oxidized by the salt water, it could easily crumble.
Furthermore, the hull is full of water, nor can the water be removed, making the ship much heavier and less buoyant than it originally was.
The Italian engineers have not left that to chance. They have factored in the damage, and actually made it a worse scenario salvage.
The plan and engineering calculations of the plan have been peer reviewed by some of the best minds in the business, and accepted.
The plan however, must go on. If the winter sets in, the Costa Concordia might slip further from the island's stony ledge, to where the water become suddenly much, much deeper. From that watery tomb, it will be impossible to raise her again.
When the plan's principal operator is asked about what plan B is, in case this plan fails, the operator hesitates, then says that "no, no, she....will survive."
Source : Spiegel/ 9.13.13
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