The Costa Concordia under tow off Genoa, Italy, May 11, 2015. Photo: Port of Genova
The Costa Concordia was back at sea for the final time on Monday under tow to a new dock at the Port of Genoa where the final phases of the dismantling project will take place.
The wreck was making about 1 knot under tow by the tugs Messico and Genua, headed for the Molo Ex Superbacino dock area at the Port of Genoa. The ship was being moved from its previous location at the breakwater at Prà Voltri, where it was moored since arriving in Genoa in July 2014 following the successful salvage. The new dock is located about 10 miles away from the ships previous location.
Beginning Monday afternoon, the tugs carefully maneuvered the Costa Concordia away from the breakwater and into the open, perfectly flat waters of the Ligurian Sea.
The navigation portion of the tow is expected to take about 11 hours to cover the 10-miles, and the entire transfer operation including exiting and entrance maneuvers, is expected to last about 24 hours.
The convoy is composed of the Costa Concordia, the two tugs, and at least 9 other vessels – including emergency response, skimming vessels, a crane bage, additional tugs, and Navy ships.
The wreck of the Costa Concordia is being moved as part of the on-going project to completely dismantle the ship. Phase 1 of the dismantling involved the removal of over 5,700 tons of material from the ship – such as furniture and internal structures – while moored at the Prà Voltri, until the ship reached the required draft of 15:35 meters. Phase two kicked off today with the transfer to the Superbacino dock, and will be followed by the dismantling of structures from decks 14 to 2. Finally, Phase 3 involves preparing the wreck for its transfer to dry dock, located in the same harbor as Superbacino, where the ship will eventually be fully dismantled and recycled during Phase 4. The main objective of Phase 3 will be to create buoyancy which will allow for the removal of the 30 sponsons that were installed during the salvage of the wreck and currently keeping the Costa Concordia afloat.
The dismantling project is being carried out by the Ship Recycling Consortium, made up of the Italian company Saipem (51%) and San Giorgia del Porto (49%).
AIS data from MarineTraffic.com shows the convoy of vessels outside the harbor entrance at the Port of Genoa as of 1:50 a.m. local time.
ROME (Reuters) – An Italian judge on Friday cleared three migrant sea rescue charities that had been accused of abetting irregular immigration in complicity with human traffickers, throwing out a case opened...
(Bloomberg) — The closure of one of the East Coast’s busiest ports after the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge has so far not led to broad price increases,...
(Bloomberg) — An Iranian ship that’s been linked to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea is returning home, removing a prominent asset in the area as the Islamic Republic braces...
April 18, 2024
Total Views: 1439
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.