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Concordia wreck removal now estimated by summer’s end

Concordia wreck removal now estimated by summer’s end
Officials overseeing the removal of Costa Concordia from its precarious perch off Giglio are now estimating the wreck will be gone by the end of summer 2013 while cautioning local residents it would be ‘misleading and unrealistic to fix a precise date for the conclusion of work.’

This week, in their latest briefing to the community, representatives of the Titan-Micoperi consortium said it is reasonable to expect possible work suspensions due to bad weather and sea conditions or other unforeseeable situations.

The community has called for documentation justifying the revised schedule within the first 10 days of January.

Early on it was hoped the wreck could be refloated by January, but in August that timeline was set back to March or April, and estimates have continued to stretch further out due to the dynamic and unprecedented nature of this complex project.

Costa Crociere and the consortium were also asked to focus further attention on prevention measures and emergency plans, particularly in relation to environmental issues, to ensure a fast and effective response in the event of emergency conditions.

Meanwhile, the iconic yellow funnel is being removed to facilitate the completion of the inland holdback system that will help stabilize the vessel when it’s uprighted. The removal of the funnel’s internal structures was completed on Sunday.