she was rotated over during the parbuckling. And with this stabilizing structure in place, 15 giant sponsons—box- like projections that increase flotation when attached to a vessel—were welded to the port side. With all of the preparations complete, and after two days of meticulous operation, the successful parbuckling of the ship was finally accomplished on September 17th (2013). Te ship was carefully pulled upright using the strandjacks, which tightened several cables attached to the tops of the sponsons—themselves gradually filled with water, which allowed for gravity to replace a good portion of the stress within the rolling process. (Te process was scrutinized every step of the way by Titan and Micoperi to insure safety and the integrity of the vessel, as well as the surrounding environment.) Once settled on the false bottom platform, additional
sponsons were mounted to the starboard side of the ship over the following months, and both sets of sponsons were
U.S.-based Titan Salvage teamed up with Micoperi, an Italian marine contractor, to handle the complete salvage of the Costa Concordia—from seafloor to port.
THE COMPLETION OF THIS SALVAGE JOB WAS THE LARGEST AND MOST EXPENSIVE (OVER $800 MILLION) IN MARITIME HISTORY.
on the project was an extremely effective match. Titan, a 34-year-old Houston (TX)-based marine salvage and wreck removal company, is a subsidiary of Crowley Maritime Corporation, and has offices around the globe. Titan also possesses the largest salvage depot in North America, as well as a state-of-the-art, twenty-four-seven emergency response center—the first of its kind in the U.S. Titan has performed over 450 salvage and wreck
removal projects since 1980—some of the most technically demanding projects ever undertaken—and their offices and equipment depots in places like Singapore, Australia, and the UK allow them to respond to emergencies around the world at a moment’s notice. Another component of Titan’s strength is their global network of expert salvage professionals. And for the Costa Concordia project, they enlisted the services of Captain Nick Sloane, of Sloane Marine Ltd., who took on the role of Senior Salvage Master for the endeavor. Lindsay Malen, Director of Business Development at
then gradually flushed of water—allowing for buoyancy that refloated the Costa Concordia so she could eventually be towed to Port of Genoa. Te Dextron® 12/Dyneema® rope remained connected to the vessel throughout the process, and stabilized her through some very challenging winter weather. Te total project took 825 days to get the vessel secured, upright, and floating, and another five days to deliver her to port once she was ready for transport. Te project involved a massive organizational effort,
orchestrated by Costa Crociere and the Costa Concordia Emergency Commissioner’s Office—who announced in 2012 that the tender for the removal of the ship had been awarded to Micoperi and Titan. Te companies got the job because they offered the greatest guarantee that they could keep the wreck in one piece—thus providing maximum consideration for the island’s economic and environmental integrity. Micoperi, an Italian marine contractor, is well known
throughout the world as a specialist in underwater construction and engineering. Teir partnership with Titan
26 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2014 WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE
Marine Response Alliance/TITAN Salvage, said that Titan felt very comfortable putting the job in Sloane’s hands. “Along with Rich Habib, salvage director, Nick Sloane was onboard the Costa to provide around-the-clock, hands-on monitoring of the vessel’s list, ballasting, and speed, among other vitals,” she explains. It should also be noted that Titan performed 35 other projects around the world, from emergency response to wreck removal to hurricane relief, while completing the two-and-a-half-year Costa Concordia project. “Titan is a top global salvage and wreck removal company—one of the few of its kind,” Malen emphasizes. “We were definitely on the short list for this job, and were proud to partner with Micoperi. Captain Habib was one of the first ones on the scene, and knew right away that this would be a major risk, and the whole world was watching.” Habib put together a team of hundreds, with Sloane at the top of the list. Sloane remembers arriving onsite and being a bit overcome by the magnitude of the wreck. “Te size of the challenge becomes increasingly clearer the closer you get to the ship,” he describes. “And then once you stand onboard the ship, when she’s still on her side, the challenge becomes enormous.” Sloane knew that putting together the right people for the duration would be perhaps the biggest challenge of all. “Fortunately, we got it right by careful evaluation of what was needed, who was needed, and in what roles the various players would take.”
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