This is an update regarding the involvementwork of SMIT Salvage, a subsidiary of Boskalis, on the stranded cruise vessel Costa Concordia at the island of Giglio, Italy. For any general information, we would like to refer you to Costa Cruises, .
Upon becoming aware of the evacuation of the vessel, SMIT
approached the ownersunderwriters of the Costa Concordia.
SMIT has an extensive track record relating to marine
emergency response, refloating stranded vesselswreck
removals. In the days following the accident, a contract
was awarded by the Owners to SMITlocal partners Tito Neri
for the removal of the bunker oilpollution
control.
The estimated amount of bunkers in the vessel is 2200 MT of
IFO (intermediate fuel oil), 185 MT of MGO (marine gas
oil/diesel)lubricants, distributed over 17 tanks.
as new developments occur regarding the
operation.
Contact
Alternately you may contact:
Martijn Schuttevaer, spokesman for BoskalisSMIT
T +31 78 69 69 822
M +31 62 00 10 232
Following extensive preparations over the last week by SMIT
Salvage together with our partner Fratelli Neri, we expect
to be ready to start pumping tomorrow, Saturday 28 January.
We would therefore like to invite you to attend a technical
press briefing on the island of Giglio where we will
provide details on the pumping process. During this session
we will also provide an animationunderwater video footage
of the drilling processpipeline installation. This
printvideo material will be provided on a USB stick for all
interested partiesmay be used freely. Following the
technical briefing, there will be the opportunity for 1:1
interviews in English, ItalianDutch.
The press briefing will take place at 13.00 hrs CET on
Giglio Island, at Hotel Bahamas (; tel +390564 809254, Via
Cardinale Oreglia nr 22, Giglio Island).
SMIT Salvage together with its partner Fratelli Neri have
made good progress in the further preparations for the oil
removal from the Costa Concordia. Our divers have inspected
the forward section of the submerged underwater part
of the shiphave marked the drilling locations of the heavy
fuel oil tanks.
This morning, the inflating of the oil barrier boom was
initiatedin the course of this afternoon, the first booms
were being installed. These oil booms will serve as a
second inner protection barrier around the ship. An outer
booma boom along the shoreline were previously already
installed.
Before the pumping of oil can commence, SMIT Salvage divers
will need to place hot tap valves on the outer hull of the
vesseldrill holes through the hull into the oil tanks. As
soon as pumping commences, we will provide details on this
website accompanied with an animation of the hot tap
process.
Following a press conference held by the authorities yesterday on the island of Giglio, which was also attended by representatives of Costa CruisesSMIT Salvage, it was stated that SMIT Salvage would be allowed to commence with the preparations for the oil removal today. SMIT Salvage will first place its work/crane barge Meloria alongside the Costa Concordia. Divers from SMIT Salvage will then inspect parts of the underwater shipmake the necessary preparations to remove the fuel from the ship. Next stage will be the drilling of holes in the fuel tanksthe installation of valves by means of a hot tap.
Over the weekend, a full bathymetry survey was initiated.
The outcome of the survey will provide further insight into
seabed below the shipthe rock formations against which the
ship is resting.
Following further discussions over the weekend with the
Italian authorities, SMIT has been requested to take a
number of additional precautions. These precautions must be
in place before SMIT may proceed with the removal of oil
from the ship:
- the planned single oil containment boom around the ship must be a double boom. In the event of an oil spill emerging from the ship, a containment boom is a temporary floating barrier used to contain the spill. Booms are commonly used to reduce the possibility of polluting shorelinesto help make oil recovery easier. Booms help to concentrate oil in thicker surface layers so that skimmers, vacuums, or other collection methods can be used more effectively. The additional oil booms have been mobilisedupon arrival will need to be positionedfixed down.
-
to position an emergency response oil removal vessel on
site. For this purpose, SMIT has mobilized an oil tanker
with emergency response equipment including sweeping
arms, boomsa skimmer. This vessel arrived today.
Based on the current insights, it is understood that the Italian marine authorities will permit oil removal activities to commence once these precautionary measures have been put in place.
There are currently no significant new developments
regarding the removal of the oil from the ship. The Italian
marine authorities have yet to grant SMIT a
go-ahead for the fuel removal.
Currently there is a team of approximately 35 employees of SMITNeri on the Island of Giglio, preparing to remove the oils. Equipment to remove the fuel include a crane-/work barge with pumps, hoses, air diving equipmentsteam/heating plant onboard have been mobilised to the islandare ready to start the work.
The team is on standby to start with the vessel survey, ahead of the removal of fuel. Due to the potential instability of the vessel, our operations have not commenced yet. We are awaiting the go-ahead from the Italian marine authorities, to start the preparatory works for pumping out the fuel. We expect this to start once the vessels has been declared stable by the authorities.
distribué par | Ce noodl a été diffusé par Royal Boskalis Westminster NV et initialement mise en ligne sur le site http://www.boskalis.com. La version originale est disponible ici. Ce noodl a été distribué par noodls dans son format d'origine et sans modification sur 2012-01-27 14:51:48 PM et restera accessible depuis ce lien permanent. Cette annonce est protégée par les règles du droit d'auteur et toute autre loi applicable, et son propriétaire est seul responsable de sa véracité et de son originalité. |