Here's
The Ingenious $400 Million Plan
To Deal
With The Wrecked Costa Concordia
In
the Mediterranean .
30
people on board the largest passenger wreck of all time lost their lives;
Two are
still missing.
Nearly
a year later, the wreck is still sitting off the Italian coast, mostly
submerged.
Because
the Costa Concordia is in a nationally protected marine park and coral reef,
It must
be removed from the area before it can be dismantled, posing countless
difficulties.
And
recounted the remarkable salvage operation, which has a $400 million price
tag.
Not
only is it the riskiest, most complicated, and most expensive salvage plan
Ever
undertaken, but no one is sure if it will work.
The
ship weighs 60,000 tons and is filled with seawater.
It is
sitting on two underwater mountain peaks.
65
percent of it is below the surface.
The
wreck is an official crime scene.
The
operation, which will cost about $400 million,
Is
being paid for by insurance companies.
The
plan is to rotate the ship upright, and onto an underwater platform.
Then it
will float up, leaving more of its structure above the surface.
And it
can be towed away.
Before
getting on the inclined ship,
Workers
must take a 4-day mountain climbing course.
The
underwater platform is being built in northern Italy .
The
steel must be transported through the Adriatic Sea ,
Around
the boot of Italy , and up to the wreck.
The
steel that makes it up weighs three times as much as the Eiffel
Tower .
It will
be embedded in the seafloor.
The
drill bit will be enclosed in a large tube,
To keep
debris from contaminating the protected area.
For
now, the ship is held in place by
steel cables,
But
strong storms could dislodge it.
Then it would
sink to the seafloor,
Making
the salvage operation near impossible.
111
salvage divers are currently working on the salvage operation
Around
the clock, in 45-minute shifts.
They
attached the cables holding the ship where it is.
They
all live in floating barracks, next to the wreck site.
How
exactly will workers rotate Costa Concordia onto the platform?
The
plan essentially involves "weld[ing] a new ship onto the
shipwreck,"
Stahl
reports.
That
new "ship" will consist of huge, hollow steel boxes.
Called
sponsons, the biggest are 11 stories tall.
9 will
be welded onto the exposed side of the ship,
With
just 2 inches between them.
Then
steel cables will connect the sponsons to the steel platform.
Hydraulic
pulleys will pull the 'Costa Concordia' upright.
More
sponsons will be welded onto the other side of the ship.
Once
the ship is upright, the extra buoyancy should make it float.
The
ship will be floated next summer.
Once
the process begins, there is no way to stop it,
even if
something goes wrong.
The backup
plan is to break it up where it lies,
at a
huge cost to the local environment.
If all
goes well, the 'Costa Concordia' will be cut up for scrap, far from Giglio.
It is
so large, the process will take 2 years.
 |
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Raising the Concordia
I was sent a very interesting email from one of my clients the other day about the plans to raise the Stricken Costa Concordia, so I thought I would share it with you all....It is quite long, but mainly pictures so bare with it as it is an interesting read!
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
Mother and Godmother all in a year!
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge will not only be a new mum this year but she is also set to be a Godmother too!
It has been announced today by Princess Cruises that the Duchess is set to be the Godmother for the new Royal Princess which is launching in June this year. The Grand Ceremony is set to take place on the 13th June in Southampton and is sure to be a Royal Affair.
The Duchess will be joining the likes of Margaret Thatcher, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren and more approriately her late and beloved Mother in Law Diana the Princess of Wales. I'm sure she will be extremely honoured to follow in Diana's footsteps in becoming a Godmother to this amazing looking ship.
Royal Princess will arrive at Ocean Terminal in Southampton on Friday 7th June for a week of festivities before the official inauguration. 2 short cruises will follow this and then she will emabark on a maiden voyage followed by Grand Med cruises through the summer and then the Eastern Caribbean starting in the Autumn.
It has been announced today by Princess Cruises that the Duchess is set to be the Godmother for the new Royal Princess which is launching in June this year. The Grand Ceremony is set to take place on the 13th June in Southampton and is sure to be a Royal Affair.
The Duchess will be joining the likes of Margaret Thatcher, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren and more approriately her late and beloved Mother in Law Diana the Princess of Wales. I'm sure she will be extremely honoured to follow in Diana's footsteps in becoming a Godmother to this amazing looking ship.
Royal Princess will arrive at Ocean Terminal in Southampton on Friday 7th June for a week of festivities before the official inauguration. 2 short cruises will follow this and then she will emabark on a maiden voyage followed by Grand Med cruises through the summer and then the Eastern Caribbean starting in the Autumn.
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
Cruise the Mississippi in 2015!
Being a huge fan of River cruising, having done one myself, this really caught my eye as a piece of interesting news. Especially for all my fellow River Cruisers out there...
It is thought that Viking River cruises let slip last week they are planning on adding a North American sailing on the infamous Mississippi River to their itineraries!
They are going to use a modified Viking Long ship design, which will be similar to the European ships but different in dimensions and passenger capacity.
Currently there are 2 River Boats that sail the Mississippi - the American Queen and Queen of the Mississippi - which has the classic paddle wheel that you see in the movies. The Viking Long Boat will not feature this.
At present we are not 100% sure who the cruises will be marketed to, whether they will only sell them to the US market or if they will open it up to the European market, but watch this space!
Is the Mississippi something you would like to try? It would be a great way of tagging a River Cruise with a Deep South stay and tour to extend your holiday. Personally I love the idea, it would really give something different to the River Cruise Market.
It is thought that Viking River cruises let slip last week they are planning on adding a North American sailing on the infamous Mississippi River to their itineraries!
They are going to use a modified Viking Long ship design, which will be similar to the European ships but different in dimensions and passenger capacity.
Currently there are 2 River Boats that sail the Mississippi - the American Queen and Queen of the Mississippi - which has the classic paddle wheel that you see in the movies. The Viking Long Boat will not feature this.
At present we are not 100% sure who the cruises will be marketed to, whether they will only sell them to the US market or if they will open it up to the European market, but watch this space!
Is the Mississippi something you would like to try? It would be a great way of tagging a River Cruise with a Deep South stay and tour to extend your holiday. Personally I love the idea, it would really give something different to the River Cruise Market.
Thursday, 21 March 2013
2014 is just around the corner!
Yes you heard me right, 2014 is fast upon us! Granted we are only just in March
of 2013 but in the world of cruising early booking is the way to go usually. People
start to think of their cruise holidays well in advance especially if it is a
very popular itinerary or you are a family that needs a 3/4 berth cabin, you
have to get in there first!
So, the reason for my blog is to say that we have started receive information from the cruise lines regarding the launch dates for the new brochures and sailings for 2014/2015 and I wanted to keep you posted.
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity
P&O
Brand New for 2014
7 and 14nt fly cruises from Venice and Savona on the Ventura!
Unique Discovery cruises on the Adonia
17 new destinations! Never seen before on P&O
2 new single balcony cabins and 4 new single inside cabins on the Arcadia - you will need to pre register to get these secured!
5% early booking saving
Additional 5% past passenger saving
PLUS another 5% if you book a Penninsular cruise!
Cunard
Brand New for 2014
Queen Elizabeth fly cruises from Venice, Rome and Athens
10th Anniversary of the QM2 - 2 special Birthday sailings - all 3 ships to meet in Southampton on the 9th May to Celebrate.
5% Early booking saving
Plus 5% past passenger discount
Click here for Cunard Prices & itineraries for 2014
On sale from 9th April 8am for World Club members then general sale from 1pm same day.
So, the reason for my blog is to say that we have started receive information from the cruise lines regarding the launch dates for the new brochures and sailings for 2014/2015 and I wanted to keep you posted.
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity
Celebrity - Ex UK - Captain Club Loyalty window -
Thursday 14th March
Celebrity – EX UK – General Market – 21st March
Royal - Ex UK - Crown and Anchor Loyalty window - Monday 18th March
Royal - Ex UK - Crown and Anchor Loyalty window - Monday 18th March
Royal – EX UK – General Market – 20th March
P&O
Brand New for 2014
7 and 14nt fly cruises from Venice and Savona on the Ventura!
Unique Discovery cruises on the Adonia
17 new destinations! Never seen before on P&O
2 new single balcony cabins and 4 new single inside cabins on the Arcadia - you will need to pre register to get these secured!
5% early booking saving
Additional 5% past passenger saving
PLUS another 5% if you book a Penninsular cruise!
Click
here for P&O Prices & itineraries for 2014
On sale from the 5th April for the Baltic/Ligurian/Caribbean level
General sale from 8th April onwards depending on departure month.
Cunard
Brand New for 2014
Queen Elizabeth fly cruises from Venice, Rome and Athens
10th Anniversary of the QM2 - 2 special Birthday sailings - all 3 ships to meet in Southampton on the 9th May to Celebrate.
5% Early booking saving
Plus 5% past passenger discount
Click here for Cunard Prices & itineraries for 2014
On sale from 9th April 8am for World Club members then general sale from 1pm same day.
If you want any pricing on these then call me for your discounted rates - remember you only get these when you book early so get your names down now on our pre registration and we can book you up the day they go on sale! Miss it miss out!!!
Here's to a great 2014 :)
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
A Gift from Regent
Regent Seven Seas cruises has announced today that they are offering a new promotion on 8 of its eligible Europe 2013 cruises.
'A Gift from Regent' will see you receiving two exclusive benefits of Free Unlimited Internet and $300 per suite of ship board credit.
It's all Included with Regent so they are extremely good value for money, especially as a 6* cruise line!
'A Gift from Regent' will see you receiving two exclusive benefits of Free Unlimited Internet and $300 per suite of ship board credit.
The ‘Gift
from Regent’ promotion is available from now until 31 May 2013 and is valid
on the following 2013 sailings:
Seven
Seas Mariner
8 September:
Adriatic Escape, Venice to Monte Carlo,
10 Nights
17 October:
Italian Interlude, Rome to Monte Carlo,
7 Nights
24 October:
Princes & Patricians, Monte Carlo
to Venice, 7 Nights
10
November: Passage to Iberia, Rome to Barcelona,
10 Nights
20
November: South Atlantic Sojourn, Barcelona to
Rio de Janeiro, 18 Nights
Seven
Seas Voyager
26
September: Classical Visions, Barcelona to Rome,
10 Nights
23 October:
Lands of Myths, Seas of Fables, Rome to
Venice, 10 Nights
12
November: Red Sea Odyssey, Istanbul to Dubai, 21
Nights
It's all Included with Regent so they are extremely good value for money, especially as a 6* cruise line!
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
We need your vote! Please :)
You will probably remember last October when myself and lots of my colleagues here at Cruise.co.uk took part on the Birmingham Half Marathon in honour of our dear friend and colleague Drew, who we sadly lost to Cancer. Drew set up his own charity ULegend in support of Sarcoma UK. Sarcoma was the rare cancer that he was diagnosed with and so he wanted to make a difference and help the charity in as many ways as he could and he certainly did.
Drews Just Giving Page has so far raised a staggering and incredible £18,813.36 so far - amazing! This has been from a mixture of fund raising events by Cruise.co.uk and Drews amazing friends and family alike. We also did a big cake bake sale here at the cruise.co.uk office where the bakers of the office made some wonderful tasty baked treats for people to purchase. We had people dropping in from all over the town and just under £400 was raised!
Anyway, for all of our efforts Cruise.co.uk has been nominated for the Company of the Year Award 2013 and we are now open to the public vote!!
The 3 companies with the most votes will make the shortlist for the Just Giving Awards 2013 and then the company that gets the highest number of votes will then be announced the Company of the Year at the awards ceremony - so we REALLY need your vote people!
Votes can be placed here www.justgivingawards.com/vote_now.htm until the 15th March.
Send it to all your family and friends and get them to vote too!
If you want to visit Drews Just Giving page and make a donation follow this link:
http://www.justgiving.com/ULEGEND
It will mean the World to us if we win this as we feel it is something tremendous in Honour of Drew who is very dearly missed in our office.
Drews Just Giving Page has so far raised a staggering and incredible £18,813.36 so far - amazing! This has been from a mixture of fund raising events by Cruise.co.uk and Drews amazing friends and family alike. We also did a big cake bake sale here at the cruise.co.uk office where the bakers of the office made some wonderful tasty baked treats for people to purchase. We had people dropping in from all over the town and just under £400 was raised!
Anyway, for all of our efforts Cruise.co.uk has been nominated for the Company of the Year Award 2013 and we are now open to the public vote!!
The 3 companies with the most votes will make the shortlist for the Just Giving Awards 2013 and then the company that gets the highest number of votes will then be announced the Company of the Year at the awards ceremony - so we REALLY need your vote people!
Votes can be placed here www.justgivingawards.com/vote_now.htm until the 15th March.
Send it to all your family and friends and get them to vote too!
If you want to visit Drews Just Giving page and make a donation follow this link:
http://www.justgiving.com/ULEGEND
It will mean the World to us if we win this as we feel it is something tremendous in Honour of Drew who is very dearly missed in our office.
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
As we all know too well, the 21st Century is the era of Technology where we are required to fill everything on online usually.
Gone are the days now of booking your cruise/flights/holiday and having the excitement of receiving your tickets through the post with all of your holiday details.
Most cruise lines operate an E-ticket process (Electronic Tickets) where all you get is a peice of paper to print off.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises are one of the only cruise lines that still offer a lovely wallet for your Cruise Documentation. Infact, not only do they offer the wallet but they have just announced that they have upgraded it to a keepsake tablet case!
The new holder, which is soft, brown faux leather, snaps with a magnetic closure and features the Regent Seven Seas Cruises logo embossed on the front cover.
The keepsake holder includes a personalized Final Cruise Summary tailored specifically to the guest’s experience containing all reservation information for their cruise such as shore excursions, flight details, pre- and post-cruise hotel stays and land programmes and any other supplemental items booked. It also contains special Regent Seven Seas Cruises luggage tags and the new ‘Welcome Aboard’ pamphlet detailing onboard activities specific to the ship on which the guest is sailing. The new documentation package can then be used to hold a tablet such as an iPad, Kindle or Nook.
I think this is a lovely touch from Regent and just highlights their 6* Luxury standard that you can expect to get from them.
Gone are the days now of booking your cruise/flights/holiday and having the excitement of receiving your tickets through the post with all of your holiday details.
Most cruise lines operate an E-ticket process (Electronic Tickets) where all you get is a peice of paper to print off.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises are one of the only cruise lines that still offer a lovely wallet for your Cruise Documentation. Infact, not only do they offer the wallet but they have just announced that they have upgraded it to a keepsake tablet case!
The new holder, which is soft, brown faux leather, snaps with a magnetic closure and features the Regent Seven Seas Cruises logo embossed on the front cover.
The keepsake holder includes a personalized Final Cruise Summary tailored specifically to the guest’s experience containing all reservation information for their cruise such as shore excursions, flight details, pre- and post-cruise hotel stays and land programmes and any other supplemental items booked. It also contains special Regent Seven Seas Cruises luggage tags and the new ‘Welcome Aboard’ pamphlet detailing onboard activities specific to the ship on which the guest is sailing. The new documentation package can then be used to hold a tablet such as an iPad, Kindle or Nook.
I think this is a lovely touch from Regent and just highlights their 6* Luxury standard that you can expect to get from them.
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