Will they excavate the wreck of the Costa Concordia?

The BBC reports that the next stage of work will begin on the wreck of the Costa Concordia next month. This time it is no longer a question of searching for victims and securing the site of the catastrophe, but of raising the vessel and delivering it to port.

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The contract for this task was awarded to the American company Tita Salvage and the Italian Microperi, which specialises in underwater ship repair. According to the plan, the Costa Concordia will be lifted using airbags and towed to port.

A disaster on a giant cruise ship killed 32 people out of 4 200 passengers on board. We would like to remind you that the whole event took place at night, as a result of running into rocks. The low number of victims was due in part to the excellent attitude of local residents, who reacted very quickly and launched a rescue operation.

The entire planned operation to raise the wreck, including all preparations, is expected to take a year, but the project is still awaiting approval from the Italian authorities. The Costa Concordia lies on its side, half hidden underwater near the island’s main port.

The wreck site is to be thoroughly cleaned of debris and all possible measures are to be taken to revitalise the local flora and fauna. Meanwhile, work to pump out the fuel left on the Concordia, was already completed last month, dismissing the spectre of contamination of local waters.

In connection with the disaster, the Italian authorities are investigating nine people, including the notorious Captain Francesco Schettino, who is under house arrest on suspicion of murder. Schettino denies, however, that he is to blame for the disaster.

Source: bbc.co.uk
Photo: EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection/flickr