The operations of withdrawal of money of the fuel from the property left at death one of Costa Concordia have come to an end



The operations of withdrawal of money of the fuel from the property left at death one of Costa Concordia have come to an end and the extraction of the fuel from the 17 tanks of the cruise ship will be completed within tomorrow evening. They have announced today in the course of a press conference Costa Crociere, the Municipality of Isola del Giglio and the structure of the delegated commissioner for the emergency for the shipwreck of the ship.

The operations, carried out from the Black technicians of/Smit Salvage charged by Costa Crociere were begun to the hours 17 12th February and are continued in every day next in which the conditions weather-navy they have allowed it. For these operations it is used the technology "hot tap", that it has previewed the perforation of sheets of the tanks and the application of valves and flange in order to capture the fuel and at the same time to introduce water in substitution of the fuel, in order to maintain the stability of the ship. Physiological fuel minors remain only residual, than it will not be possible to aspire from the walls of the tanks; draft - it is explained - of so minimal amounts not to represent an important risk for the atmosphere.

Finished with success "defueling", and waiting for the definition of the plan of removal of the hull, the said operations will leave so of "caretaking". These operations have the objective to maintain to a garrison of environmental protection with adapted means, men and resources, and to proceed to the cleansing of the backdrop from materials and objects exited from the ship. "Caretaking" it will be always executed by the Black technicians of/Smit Salvage on assignment of Costa Crociere, and will last in all about 1-2 months.

Costa Crociere has announced that altogether own investment in the operations of "defueling" piles to varied million euro, with the objective primary to remove the fuel from the ship more fastly possible and guaranteeing the safeguard of the marine atmosphere. Relatively to the removal of the hull - it has confirmed the company - the technical appraisals of the six plans reached within the expiration are on on 3 March and a short is being defined list of projects from which the better plan will come chosen, that half will be returned public to beginning/April. All the introduced projects, of elevated qualitative standard - it has emphasized Costa Crociere - share the maximum attention in guaranteeing the minor possible environmental impact, the safeguard of the tourist and economic activities of Isola del Giglio, and maximum safety of the participations and, date the complexity and the exceptionality of the operation, the projects preview a variable duration precautionary estimated in 10-12 months.

"After the tragic incident of Costa Concordia - the general manager of Costa Crociere has remembered, Gianni Onorato - quickly we have activated ourselves in order to guarantee the minor possible environmental impact and the safeguard of the economic and tourist activities of Isola del Giglio, working in maximum collaboration and respect with the structure of the delegated commissioner and with the Municipality of Isola del Giglio. We have charged for defueling the best society of the field, that it has completed with success the operations, avoiding what it was introduced as a potential ecological disaster. We are many satisfying of this result, but we will continue to work with the same engagement also for the next participations, will until not be completed all the necessary operations. The seriousness and preparation of our company - it has continued Honored - are demonstrated also by the professionality with which we lead projects as these I hold to Us to restate that the incident of Costa Concordia has been the anomalous, most serious and unrepeatable fact, and wants to express all our mourning to the relatives of the victims and our vicinity to all the people who have suffered because of this incident".

"We have observed and monitored in this phase - the mayor of Isola del Giglio has declared, Sergio Ortelli - the total engagement put in field from all the involved subjects in order to avoid also the minimal environmental impact on the island and our optimism today is rewarded. The sharing of the job method, as well as the team of the choices has allowed to arrive to a great result for the future of the island of the Lily that does not forget the tragedy that it has hit it and that has hit the families of dispersed victims and to which goes our thought continuously. A result until now of efficiency and effectiveness that, joined to the confirmed crystalline sea daily from the analyses of Arpat and Ispra, makes us to look to the future with greater serenity. A confidence that we lay by also in I continue of the operations that are anticipated of greater complexity, but that we are sure they will have to be managed with the same team spirit because they can lead to the same positive results that all we wish. My thanks goes to the population of the Lily that, in a so complex phase, is demonstrating great sense of responsibility".