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Costa Concordia: slow work to raise ship continues as island looks to future Costa Concordia: slow work to raise ship continues as island looks to future
(about 5 hours later)
All along the street, past the shops selling children's fishing nets and the boats bobbing on the water, the seafront of Giglio Porto was an eclectic whirl of locals and logisticians; police and press officers; engineers and emergency workers; doctors, divers and dogs. All along the street, past the shops selling children's fishing nets and the boats bobbing on the water, the seafront of Giglio Porto was a eclectic whirl of locals and logisticians; police and press officers; engineers and emergency workers; doctors, divers and dogs.
Though their roles were very different, their reasons for being there were all the same. Before them, just metres from the shore, the discoloured, water-marked hull of a once-grand cruise ship was inching, hour by hour, degree by degree, out of the depths in which it had lain for 20 long months. Though their roles were very different, however, their reasons for being there were all the same. Before them, just metres from the shore, the discoloured, water-marked hull of a once-grand cruise ship was inching, hour by hour, degree by degree, out of the depths in which it had been buried for 20 long months.
For many, it could not come soon enough. The small Tuscan island is desperate to move on from the memory of that night in January last year, when 32 people died several hundred metres from the shore. The youngest victim was a five-year-old girl. For many, it could not come soon enough. The small Tuscan island is desperate to move on from the memory of that night in January last year, when 32 people died just several hundred metres from the shore. The youngest victim was a five-year-old girl.
"Certainly, this is an important day," said Biagio Mortola, a retired local who was watching the events unfold with his two golden retrievers. "The community wants to be lifted of this weight.""Certainly, this is an important day," said Biagio Mortola, a retired local who was watching the events unfold with his two golden retrievers. "The community wants to be lifted of this weight."
After months of preparation, 15,000 individual dives, the use of over 30,000 tons of steel, 22 vessels and eight barges, the day had finally come to parbuckle the Costa Concordia. The focal point of a more than €600m operation to tow the cruise ship from the rocks on to which it crashed, the ambitious plan was unprecedented, not only because of the size of the 300m-long vessel but because of its position on a steep underwater slope. After months of preparation, 15,000 individual dives, the use of over 30,000 tons of steel, 22 vessels and eight barges, the day had finally come to parbuckle the Costa Concordia. The focal point of a more than €600m operation to tow the cruise ship from the rocks onto which it crashed, the ambitious plan was unprecedented not only because of the size of the 300m-long vessel but because of its position on a steep underwater slope.
Although Franco Gabrielli, the head of the Italian civil protection agency, had declared the day before that he was 100% sure of the operation's success, no one knew quite what was going to happen. And, at dusk yesterday, as the light faded and the project was still very much ongoing, the Concordia was keeping everyone guessing. Although Franco Gabrielli, the head of the Italian civil protection agency, had declared the day before he was "100%" sure of the operation's success, no one knew quite what was going to happen.
At a 7pm briefing – 10 hours after the parbuckling had begun – Franco Porcellacchia, a representative for owners Costa Crociere, said the ship had rotated by 13 degrees – far short of a necessary 65 degrees. The work looked set to drag on late into the night. Sergio Girotto, project manager for Italian partner Micoperi, said the timeframe was unpredictable but the ship would be fully vertical by Tuesday this morning. In a statement, the engineers said that hydraulic jack operations had had to be suspended for an hour "to avoid slack cables interfering with the tensioned cables". At dusk on Monday, as the light faded, the Concordia was keeping everyone guessing. But at a midnight briefing a visibly more relaxed Gabrielli confirmed that they had entered the final phase of the parbuckling and would expect to bring the ship fully vertical within three or four hours.
There was still no sign of the bodies of the two people – Russel Rebello, an Indian crew member, and Maria Grazia Trecarichi, an Italian woman celebrating her 50th birthday with a cruise – who are still missing, presumed dead, after the disaster. Franco Porcellacchia, representative of owners Costa Crociere, said the wreck had been rotated by about 25 degrees and would enter the stage of "rotation by ballasting". This was "an important milestone", he said, as from now on the parbuckling would continue helped by the entrance of sea water into the sponsons which would help push the ship downward and onto to the underwater platforms. In the final stage, gravity was expected to take over .
But, as the public saw the practical results of what had previously sounded an almost outlandishly difficult and delicate task, most in the port were not concerned by the slow progress, confident that, eventually, the 114,000-ton ship would be pulled upright again. There was still no sign of the bodies of the two people – Russel Rebello, an Indian crew member, and Maria Grazia Trecarichi, an Italian woman- who are still missing, presumed dead.
"These are the guys that make the impossible possible," said Virginia Veldkamp, from New Jersey, whose boyfriend was involved in the parbuckling. "These guys are like the rock-stars of salvage diving." But, as the public saw the practical results of what had previously sounded an almost outlandishly difficult and delicate task, most in the port were not concerned by the slow progress, confident that, eventually, the plan would end well, and that the ship would finally be pulled upright again.
The day had not started well, with a delay of three hours following a fierce overnight storm that prevented the proper positioning of the control room – the hub from which the entire operation was directed, led by senior salvage master Nick Sloane. It was exactly this kind of weather that had convinced the 52-year-old South African it was essential to carry out the parbuckling this week ahead of a worsening of Giglio's unpredictable weather. It was not thought that the wreck would be able to withstand the buffets of another winter balanced precariously on its side, with more than 60% of its hull underwater. "These are the guys that make the impossible possible," said Virginia Veldkamp, from New Jersey, whose boyfriend was involved in the parbuckling. "These guys are like the rock-stars of salvage diving." The day had not started well, with a delay of three hours after a fierce overnight storm that prevented the proper positioning of the control room – the hub from which the entire operation was directed, led by senior salvage master Nick Sloane.
For several anxious hours after the green-light was given at 9am, the operation gave no reason to cheer. Despite increasing forces being exerted on the ship by a complex system of cables, chains and hydraulic jacks, the starboard side showed no sign of wanting to move from the reef on to which it had moulded itself. Then, said project manager Sergio Girotto, when the force reached 6,000 tons, the much-anticipated "distacco", or detachment, took place. The most challenging part of the plan had been accomplished. It was exactly this kind of weather that had convinced the 52-year-old South African it was essential to carry out the parbuckling this week ahead of a worsening of Giglio's unpredictable weather. It was not thought that the wreck would be able to withstand the buffets of another winter balanced precariously on its side, with more than 60% of its hull underwater.
"Large deformations" had been observed on the starboard side, Girotto said, but for the moment, the parbuckling was proceeding according to predictions. Waters were clear and there was no sign of "significant or visible spills" of polluting liquids, said Gabrielli. And if the locals had to see it lying there for another season, they would not be pleased. The wreck has changed the nature of the island completely, turning it from a cheerful seaside destination to a place synonymous with tragedy and so-called "disaster tourism". "I came to see the dawn," said Antonella Billocci, the owner of a beach club as she looked out at the wreck as the sun rose, "and I hope that this will be a new day for the island as well."
As they watched the operation unfold from the harbour wall, an array of locals, curious and nervous in equal measure, met to swap memories of the Concordia and express the hope that after today it would be one step closer to being taken on its way – crucially, for the richly diverse waters of these parts, in one piece. If the locals had to see it lying there for another season, they would not be pleased. The wreck has changed the nature of the island completely, turning it from a cheerful seaside destination to a place synonymous with tragedy and so-called "disaster tourism". "I came to see the dawn," said Antonella Billocci, the owner of a beach club as she looked out at the wreck as the sun rose, "and I hope that this will be a new day for the island as well." For several anxious hours after the green light was given at 9am, the operation gave no reason to cheer. Then, said project manager Sergio Girotto of Italian partner Micoperi, when the force reach 6,000 tons, the much-anticipated "distacco", or detachment, took place.
"We're all hoping they pull it off. Because if they don't we're ruined. We're just hoping," said Luca, who did not give his surname. He was standing with Giancarlo Fanni, who had taken part in the rescue of 13 January 2012 and remembered people dying before him despite all efforts to revive them. He also remembered the sight of a an elderly American woman disembarking defiantly from the wreck, a handbag one one hand and her shoes in the other. The most challenging part of the plan had been accomplished. "Large deformations" had been observed on the starboard side, said Girotto, but for the moment, the parbuckling was succeeding. Waters were clear and there was no sign of "significant or visible spills" of polluting liquids, said Gabrielli.
Luca, too, has a memory. In the chaotic aftermath of the disaster he met a woman called Eleonora, who is now his partner and the mother of his child. "Because of the Concordia he was born. Something good came out of the tragedy," he said, his hands on a pushchair carrying his baby boy. "He's Francesco," he said, adding, perhaps unnecessarily: "Absolutely not after Francesco Schettino [the Concordia's captain]. After the Pope. That's better." As they watched the operation unfold from the harbour wall, an array of locals, curious and nervous in equal measure, met to swap memories of the Concordia.
"We're all hoping they pull it off. Because if they don't we're ruined. We're just hoping," said Luca, who did not give his surname. He was standing with Giancarlo Fanni, who had taken part in the rescue of 13 January, 2012.
Luca, too, had a memory. It was in the aftermath of the disaster that he met a woman called Eleonora, who is now his partner and the mother of his child. "Because of the Concordia he was born. Something good came out of the tragedy," he said, carrying a baby boy. "He's Francesco," he said. "After the Pope."
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