BBC News, 10
October 2013
 |
| A computer graphic showing how the salvage operation would look. |
The wreck
of the Costa Concordia cruise ship could be loaded aboard a colossal salvage
vessel after a deal was struck with a Dutch company.
The
Dockwise Vanguard, capable of picking up oil rigs, has been recruited as an
option to move the ship.
The vessel
can sink under the Concordia then rise up to lift it clear of the water before
sailing it to be scrapped.
Some 32
people died after the Concordia ran aground with more than 4,000 passengers and
crew in January 2012.
Salvage
teams moved the ship to an upright position last month, enabling divers to find
the remains of one of two people who were still unaccounted for.
'Safe and
swift'
Costa
Crociere, Concordia's owner, said the Vanguard had been retained as one
possible option for removing the wreck from its current location off Giglio
island in 2014.
It said the
$30m (£19m) contract to use the salvage vessel would offer a "safe and
swift" method to transport the cruise ship to its as yet undetermined
final destination.
The company
said the operation is the biggest salvage ever attempted on a ship of the
Concordia's size.
 |
| Some 32 people died after the Concordia ran aground in January 2012 |
The
275m-long (902ft) Vanguard has no bow and a flat stern, allowing it contain the
longer cruise ship.
The
Vanguard, described by its Dutch owner Royal Boskalis as the world's largest
semi-submersible ship, uses vast ballast tanks to lower and raise itself around
its cargo.
The company
said modifications would need to be made before it is capable of carrying
Concordia.
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