Concordia News: Please Post Here

[Uniall]

I'm really amazing myself, I've found another nugget for today:

 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CEIQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticle-2108790%2FCosta-Concordia-Captain-Francesco-Schettino-crashed-ANOTHER-cruise-ship.html&ei=AMM1U7flG-WD2gXvx4HoBA&usg=AFQjCNHJWXJrMA7aDPYnNUqU5nIw_OCzwQ&bvm=bv.63808443,d.b2I

 

This alleges that Schettino's hair was tested, positive, for cocaine. And that when Captain of the Atlantica, and caused damage to an Aida ship in Germany. This is the Daily Mail, so all the UK members here can jump in with how reliable this is, just wanted to post another tidbit for discussion.

 

The nose knows.............:rolleyes:

[sidari]

Cheng ... The DM is not that reliable, the case you mention i read about prior to the Concordia accident elsewhere. I recall the ship was either going too fast into or out of a port which made the Aida ship move at some point.

 

You know better than me but would there not be a pilot onboard at that point ? ie entering and leaving a port.

[SomeBeach]

I'm really amazing myself, I've found another nugget for today:

 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CEIQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticle-2108790%2FCosta-Concordia-Captain-Francesco-Schettino-crashed-ANOTHER-cruise-ship.html&ei=AMM1U7flG-WD2gXvx4HoBA&usg=AFQjCNHJWXJrMA7aDPYnNUqU5nIw_OCzwQ&bvm=bv.63808443,d.b2I

 

This alleges that Schettino's hair was tested, positive, for cocaine. And that when Captain of the Atlantica, and caused damage to an Aida ship in Germany. This is the Daily Mail, so all the UK members here can jump in with how reliable this is, just wanted to post another tidbit for discussion.

 

Big discussion about the cocaine when that came out, which was not long after the crash. As it was trace amounts there was nothing there to add on to the charges. I didn't look back at your link but I remember hearing all kinds of strange reasons that trace amount could be found, other than him being a user.

 

Yep, speeding in port was another blunder.

 

As to Costa hiring or contracting for his services (no jokes Uni) makes Costa much more libel than they have been proven to be, IMO. I still throw the crash on Schettino's shoulders because he ultimately made the decision that set things in motion.

[chengkp75]

Cheng ... The DM is not that reliable, the case you mention i read about prior to the Concordia accident elsewhere. I recall the ship was either going too fast into or out of a port which made the Aida ship move at some point.

 

You know better than me but would there not be a pilot onboard at that point ? ie entering and leaving a port.

 

That all depends on the country and local regulations. I don't know the rules for Germany, but in the US, depending on the port, the Captain can obtain pilotage for a port, and then dispense with taking a pilot, and the cost involved. The NCL Captains in Hawaii have pilotage for all ports, so we never took a pilot. Some US ports have federal pilots, some have state pilots, and some even have both, so it gets a little complex over here, as most things tend to.

 

However, the role of pilot is as an advisor to the Captain on local conditions. The Captain never relinquishes his ultimate authority, and can disregard the pilot if he so sees fit. However, should something go wrong after the Captain disregards a pilots recommendations, there a normally serious questions asked as to why he disregarded the local knowledge of the pilot.

 

There are only two instances where the Captain relinquishes command of his ship: The Panama Canal, and crossing the sill into a drydock.

[sidari]

Cheng ... Thanks for that, i knew about the Panama canal but not drydock.

[Tonka's Skipper]

That all depends on the country and local regulations. I don't know the rules for Germany, but in the US, depending on the port, the Captain can obtain pilotage for a port, and then dispense with taking a pilot, and the cost involved. The NCL Captains in Hawaii have pilotage for all ports, so we never took a pilot. Some US ports have federal pilots, some have state pilots, and some even have both, so it gets a little complex over here, as most things tend to.

 

However, the role of pilot is as an advisor to the Captain on local conditions. The Captain never relinquishes his ultimate authority, and can disregard the pilot if he so sees fit. However, should something go wrong after the Captain disregards a pilots recommendations, there a normally serious questions asked as to why he disregarded the local knowledge of the pilot.

 

There are only two instances where the Captain relinquishes command of his ship: The Panama Canal, and crossing the sill into a drydock.

 

Hi Chief,

 

I can add one more, though the canals/Locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

 

AKK

[lightman1984]

Weekly update: http://www.giglionews.it/wp-content/uploads/rel_sett_osservatorio300314.pdf

 

2 photos included - strand jacks with swivel links (I believe to chains passed under the ship), and extensions & SJs on top of the sponsons.

 

mentions in this week's schedule that they will begin disconnecting the chains from the holdback towers.

[qtlikeme]

Thanks qtlikeme that is very interesting.

May I ask you if you have received any of your possessions that were in your cabin. I understood that the Italian authorities were making that a priority after the parbuckle.

Hope you are well and recovering from your ordeal.

Best Wishes

Clive

 

Hi Clive,

No, we have not received any of our possessions from our cabin and I really do not expect that we will! Our cabin is currently underwater as we were on deck 6. We were only ever promised the contents of the safe which unfortunately we had not had time to make use of! We are well, thank you for asking! We have mostly been able to put the ordeal behind us but are keenly interested in reading the news and information shared on here and otherwise on the internet pertaining to the Concordia.

Thanks to all the contributors to this site!

Laurie

[SomeBeach]

Insurance payouts to Carnival Corp.

 

http://www.reactionsnet.com/Article/3324291/Carnival-handed-another-269m-for-Concordia.html#.UzuX3JXn_VI

[SomeBeach]

This is an interesting article about a UK company that claims to be one of the frontrunners, along with an Italian company, to take Concordia. The question still remains, what port in Italy can handle the job?

 

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/business/business-news/costa-concordia-teesside-could-miss-6878878

 

qt, sorry your stateroom is in the wet part. Am glad to read that you are doing your best to put this whole thing behind you. It does seem like your return to Giglio helped a lot.

[SomeBeach]

Caisson being prepared to be loaded onto a barge for Giglio. Expected date of arrival, April 20th.

 

http://www.giglionews.it/2014/04/02/imbarcato-il-primo-cassone-sulla-chiatta/

[lightman1984]

The process of positioning the sponsons on Concordia has me wondering if we will see another heavy lift vessel at Giglio or if the crane fixed aboard Concordia will be able to handle the lifting. Guess we'll see soon.

[chengkp75]

The process of positioning the sponsons on Concordia has me wondering if we will see another heavy lift vessel at Giglio or if the crane fixed aboard Concordia will be able to handle the lifting. Guess we'll see soon.

 

I don't think the tower crane on the ship is rated more than 10-15 tons, and I thought the caissons were in the 40+ ton range (too lazy today to look), plus the fact that these caissons have all the extra guide tubes and cables and sheaves. Due to the possibly restricted water depth on the starboard side of the wreck (again, too lazy to look for a chart), the heavy lift ships may not be able to get in place, so they may need to do coordinated lifts using several cranes. This, however, is rather dangerous, as failure of any one crane could cause overload of the remainder, with really bad results.

 

Though putting these caissons on a barge rather than the heavy lift ship itself for transport is interesting. Did they do this for any of the port side caissons?

[Ken711]

Translated article on the disposal port:

 

Although there is still little clarity on the timing of removal , there are many Italian ports who compete for the disposal of the Costa Concordia . Yesterday we record the positions taken by the presidents of the regions of Lazio and Tuscany and the Secretary of the Environment on . Silva Veil.

removal concord island lily giglionewsLe Zingaretti President's words - "We are in the field, with a proposal of Civitavecchia very competitive. I spoke with the president of the Tuscany Rossi 's willingness to find all the forms of collaboration, because in Tuscany or Lazio is a solution within the standards and European directives that require disposal in the nearest harbor . Anything else would be incomprehensible and probably against the European directives . " He said the President of the Lazio Region Zingaretti , on the sidelines of an initiative at the FS station of Civitavecchia.

" Lazio and Tuscany are combined and available so that this affair will end in the best way - he added - with minimal cost and maximum efficiency . Together we will work for even the government to clarify . There is no conflict between us, but we want to cooperate to the best solution, more logical and more competitive for Italy and especially the quieter the environmental point of view . To travel the wreck for the Mediterranean would be a huge risk . We will feel in the coming hours with Rossi to evaluate what to do . " The project Civitavecchia - Piombino " is already in the field - again emphasized Zingaretti - in our case it always has been . You have to assess feasibility. We have never tried anything, but if it comes to Piombino and Civitavecchia it comes to business decisions , it would be another thing if it becomes severe . Together, we can work together to create clarity. Renewal of this appeal to the collaboration with Rossi so that together they make a proposal to the Italian Costa Cruises - he concluded - that the government takes into account Renzi hope . "

Rossi : no war in Genoa - " I do not no war , I, with respect to the disposal of this ship to other ports , I just say : be careful , to bring it to Genoa it takes five days, and any citizen can understand that transporting five days that ship in the Mediterranean from the environmental point of view is not the best . " He said Enrico Rossi , the president of the Tuscany region , the hypothesis about the disposal of the wreck of the Costa Concordia at the port of Genoa. Rossi spoke on the sidelines of a meeting of the Regional Council of Tuscany .

Velo : worried by the way - " I do not understand why do not select the nearest port ." Thus, the undersecretary for the environment Silvia Veil on removing and disposing of the Costa Concordia , " worried by the way " that the wreck of the ship must take to reach the port of destination. "I want to repeat once again - writes on Facebook Undersecretary - in this affair the protection and preservation of the Lily and the Tyrrhenian Sea should be the first priority before any other interest in the field." Second Veil "on the issue of the disposal of the wreck of the Concordia is talking about anything but the real priority : protecting the environment. The question we should ask is: what is the safest haven in which to bring the protection of our sea ? " . Now , he says, "to be undersecretary for the environment , I can not express my concerns about the debate that is triggering these days ." " Until now, the operations were handled in an excellent manner - concludes Velo - but efforts to rigalleggiamento and the displacement of the Concordia bother me even for a short commute let alone for a long journey in which they should be guaranteed , moreover, optimal weather conditions for several days . "

[luisrp]

I don't think the tower crane on the ship is rated more than 10-15 tons, and I thought the caissons were in the 40+ ton range (too lazy today to look), plus the fact that these caissons have all the extra guide tubes and cables and sheaves. Due to the possibly restricted water depth on the starboard side of the wreck (again, too lazy to look for a chart), the heavy lift ships may not be able to get in place, so they may need to do coordinated lifts using several cranes. This, however, is rather dangerous, as failure of any one crane could cause overload of the remainder, with really bad results.

 

Though putting these caissons on a barge rather than the heavy lift ship itself for transport is interesting. Did they do this for any of the port side caissons?

 

 

The port side caissons were transported inside the cargo holds of the heavy lift ships. Some were sent by barge.

 

It is not that complex to install the starboard side caissons with limited depth if they do the same they did for the blister tanks. They could use a heavy lift ship such as Lone or Micoperi 30 to lift the caisson just enough for the barge to sail away then sink the caisson enough so that it can float upright and then use tugs to get it into position. Then the onboard tower crane can take over for the final positioning.

[chengkp75]

The port side caissons were transported inside the cargo holds of the heavy lift ships. Some were sent by barge.

 

It is not that complex to install the starboard side caissons with limited depth if they do the same they did for the blister tanks. They could use a heavy lift ship such as Lone or Micoperi 30 to lift the caisson just enough for the barge to sail away then sink the caisson enough so that it can float upright and then use tugs to get it into position. Then the onboard tower crane can take over for the final positioning.

 

I was out at work during the blister tank installation, so I won't dispute that. However, the tower type crane is not designed for a lot of side loading like moving a heavy object alongside a ship. They are designed more for straight up and down loads. Plus, once you partially sink the caisson, you add that much more weight to it, and I don't think that crane could handle it. Even with tugs positioning it originally, once it is ballasted down to where it will be attached, it will be underwater, so the tugs would be useless. Agreed that a couple of the cranes they have on the barges now could be used to position, but again, it requires a lot of talent between the two operators. They may be using the cables and anchor points to bring it down close to position when under water, will be interesting to see.

[MDSue]

What on earth happened to the trial?

 

Hi All, I don't post here often, but have been following from the beginning. Can someone explain what is going on with the trial of the captain. One minute he is on trial and then- nothing.

 

Is there an indefinite recess? What is the reasoning for the long break? Does anyone know when the trial might resume? Or when it might conclude?

 

Thanks- just seems like a crazy system!

 

Susan

[chengkp75]

What on earth happened to the trial?

 

Hi All, I don't post here often, but have been following from the beginning. Can someone explain what is going on with the trial of the captain. One minute he is on trial and then- nothing.

 

Is there an indefinite recess? What is the reasoning for the long break? Does anyone know when the trial might resume? Or when it might conclude?

 

Thanks- just seems like a crazy system!

 

Susan

 

Sid or Uni have been following closer, and have some better resources, but I think I heard that the Italian legal system is on holiday again. Between all the holidays and strikes by lawyers, it will most likely take another year to complete. There may be a recess while his lawyers review the "data" they gathered while onboard.

[Uniall]

What on earth happened to the trial?

 

Hi All, I don't post here often, but have been following from the beginning. Can someone explain what is going on with the trial of the captain. One minute he is on trial and then- nothing.

 

Is there an indefinite recess? What is the reasoning for the long break? Does anyone know when the trial might resume? Or when it might conclude?

 

Thanks- just seems like a crazy system!

 

Susan

 

Sid or Uni have been following closer, and have some better resources, but I think I heard that the Italian legal system is on holiday again. Between all the holidays and strikes by lawyers, it will most likely take another year to complete. There may be a recess while his lawyers review the "data" they gathered while onboard.

 

Sue

 

As usual, Cheng is on target. The Italian legal system is very slow, even aside from all the vacations, holidays, and strikes. Italy uses the French Codal system where the judiciary plays a double role of trier of fact and investigation , as well. As the case moves forward, the court, based upon evidence it receives, can orderfurther investigation into areas not previously looked at by the prosecutors. So, the investigation continues on a dual track during the course of the trial.

 

John

[luisrp]

The caisson would be neutrally bouyant since it will be floating. The tower crane would only be used to keep it in place while being attached to the ship since there is not much of a weight to support. The side loads would be taken care of by the tugs. May be I am wrong but I think this is a plausible scenario. The floating caisson weights next to nothing, however the tower crane in no way can even try to lift it out of the water - it is then that the weight of the caisson and the water inside come into play.

Edited April 5, 2014 by luisrp

[chengkp75]

The caisson would be neutrally bouyant since it will be floating. The tower crane would only be used to keep it in place while being attached to the ship since there is not much of a weight to support. The side loads would be taken care of by the tugs. May be I am wrong but I think this is a plausible scenario. The floating caisson weights next to nothing, however the tower crane in no way can even try to lift it out of the water - it is then that the weight of the caisson and the water inside come into play.

 

I think your scenario falls down in that the caisson needs to be completely submerged (as the port side caissons are now) to be attached. Agreed that the caisson, while floating, would be easy to maneuver, but once sunk, you have the weight of the caisson and all the water to move into position for link pins and welding.

[MDSue]

Thanks- John and Cheng:)

[chengkp75]

I think your scenario falls down in that the caisson needs to be completely submerged (as the port side caissons are now) to be attached. Agreed that the caisson, while floating, would be easy to maneuver, but once sunk, you have the weight of the caisson and all the water to move into position for link pins and welding.

 

Thinking about it, the caisson could be neutrally buoyant and still completely submerged, it all depends on the weight to volume ratio.

[clive and anne]

I notice that M30 and its minder Snipe are loitering in the Adriatic near San Marino. I wonder if its on standby to help with the Caissons.

[SomeBeach]

Trial will resume April 14th or there about. They are not using a regular court room because they have none that can handle all the people. I know mention was made that for about a month the building has a standing ressie for some other event. Not sure if that's the reason for the delay this time but it might be.