The operation to salvage the cruise ship Costa Concordia will take a year to complete
Work has
begun on the massive operation to salvage the capsized cruise ship Costa
Concordia which sank off the island of Giglio in January this year.
A work
platform has been erected alongside the wreck, and workmen, who have already
removed the liner’s radar, expect to remove its massive yellow funnel in the
next few weeks.
Large tanks
will later be welded to the upturned side of the vessel and their weight, when
filled with water, will assist two huge cranes to pull the ship upright. Once
temporary patches have been put in place over the gash in the hull, further
tanks will be welded to the other side of Costa Concordia, and high pressure
air will be used to raise the vessel from the seabed.
The whole
operation will take around a year to complete and will cost more than £300
million to complete. The rock which sank the ship will also be raised and taken
ashore to become a permanent memorial to the 32 people who lost their lives in
the accident.
