Italy: Carnival Pcl Hires SMIT Salvage to Remove Fuel from Costa Concordia

SMIT Salvage, a unit of Dutch maritime services firm Royal Boskalis Westminster NV has been hired by Carnival Plc to remove the 2,400 tons of fuel from the Costa Concordia.

Over the weekend, a full bathometry survey was initiated. The outcome of the survey will provide further insight into seabed below the ship and the rock formations against which the ship is resting.

Following further discussions over the weekend with the Italian authorities, SMIT has been requested to take a number of additional precautions. These precautions must be in place before SMIT may proceed with the removal of oil from the ship:

– the planned single oil containment boom around the ship must be a double boom. In the event of an oil spill emerging from the ship, a containment boom is a temporary floating barrier used to contain the spill. Booms are commonly used to reduce the possibility of polluting shorelines and to help make oil recovery easier. Booms help to concentrate oil in thicker surface layers so that skimmers, vacuums, or other collection methods can be used more effectively. The additional oil booms have been mobilised and upon arrival will need to be positioned and fixed down.

– to position an emergency response oil removal vessel on site. For this purpose, SMIT has mobilized an oil tanker with emergency response equipment including sweeping arms, booms and a skimmer. This vessel arrived today.

Based on the current insights, it is understood that the Italian marine authorities will permit oil removal activities to commence once these precautionary measures have been put in place.

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World Maritime News Staff, January 23, 2012; Image: Boskalis