Protecting our oceans and keeping them trash free is sometimes easier said than done. Take for instance the story of the Costa Concordia, a cruise liner that crashed into the Italian Giglio Harbor in 2012. It sat for 20 months in the harbor, molding to the rocky perch beneath, before salvage experts were able to right the partially submerged ship.
According to ABC news, "the most spectacular salvage operation in shipping history " has been completed as the 114,500-ton Costa Concordia was pulled upright. While the catastrophic wreck happened in January 2012, the ship was not righted until September 17th, 2013. The salvage crew was able to accomplish this feat by building a platform under the waves and moving the ship from a position that kept it in danger of slipping down the sloping seabed.
Captain Richard Habib, director of Titan Salvage, led the $800 million project over the course of 18 months. For the salvage workers, the operation was risky and complicated, but for the residents of the Italian harbor, the operation was a life-saver. Removing the massive ship from the harbor was long overdue and many residents and salvage workers alike popped champagne bottles in celebration as the 19 hour operation to roll the ship vertical came to a close at 4am.
After the successful righting of the ship, it will stay in the harbor as further inspections are made. On October 10, Dockwise Vanguard, a semi-submersible heavy lift ship able to carry up to 110,000 tons, was awarded the removal of Costa Concordia. After the ship is re-floated, it will be towed to an Italian port to be scrapped.
Dolphin Blue is happy to learn that crews were able to avoid a catastrophic event by removing the ship's oil and fuel supply before it leaked into the harbor waters. Taking responsible steps to ensure the safety of the animals that call Giglio Harbor home is one more piece of this story that give it a happy ending.