Costa Concordia

[DCBC]

I've been in Giglio, Italy for the past week working with a Canadian company from Waterloo, Ontario as an underwater construction consultant. 2G Robotics developed a system that provided a 3D laser scan of the hull which allowed Engineers to ascertain the stress points on the hull, so that it could be parbucked.

Titan Salvage of Sussex, UK was the principal company involved; which employed its Titan Pullers (4,000 tons each) and 50+ cables that made-up the jack stands that were necessary to roll the Concordia over. It's been an exciting process of which I've only had a very minor part. I did however have an opportunity to dive within the wreck thanks to an old dive Buddy from Titan.

This project cost $800 million dollars U.S. to complete. Absolutely amazing. No notable environmental damage is expected.

Condolences to the family of the 32 people that were lost in this incident. May they rest in-peace.

 

[Scared Silly]

Cool, I have been following some of the engr. and the parbuckling process. What were you doing on site? How was the dive? I assume at this point people are accessing the previously flooded portions of the ship.

 

[DCBC]

Cool, I have been following some of the engr. and the parbuckling process. What were you doing on site? How was the dive? I assume at this point people are accessing the previously flooded portions of the ship.

The laser scanning system identifies point clouds of data (a series of points, each with an X, Y and a Z coordinate), to define the surface of the hull that was scanned. These images were electronically converted to a 3D image thats very precise (to less than 1mm) and which were turned into engineering drawings. The system is much more accurate than sonar. An accurate measurement was necessary so that the flotation could be attached properly. I was the Dive Supervisor for this work earlier (a rather minor role).

The water within the flooded portions of the ship was clear although fraught with obstructions in places (as you might imagine). As there was a lot of debris (spoiled food, fuel, etc.) in sections of the ship, it was a concern during the parbuckling process. Great care was taken regarding the environment. As you can imagine current and weather were important factors. It was felt that it had to be done before winter, as the spring sea conditions would make it impossible to do. I was greatly impressed with the whole process.