Update: Slowly but Surely Concordia Convoy Pushes Ahead

After approximately 30 hours of navigation, the Concordia has travelled for 63 nautical miles at an average speed of 2 knots. At the moment, the convoy is located between Isola d’Elba and Corsica, the salvage team informed last night.

 
The sea was said to be calm, accompanied by a North/North East wind with a speed of approximately 13 knots.

“The assessments performed on sponsons and their connections – cables, chains and strand-jacks – have given positive results. The climate on board is calm and the navigation proceeds without problems,” the salvage officials informed.

Accordingly, inspections showed that there are no signs of environmental pollution.

The salvage team said that environmental monitoring by public institutions were in progress, as well as samplings carried out by the marine biologists of University La Sapienza that have been appointed by Costa Crociere and the Titan Micoperi consortium.

For today favorable marine conditions are forecasted, with light winds coming from the south. With these conditions, the arrival of the Concordia in Genoa Prà-Voltri port is expected for Sunday July 27th at 3 in the morning.

The long-awaited departure of Costa Concordia for scrapping in Genoa began at around 11 a.m. Wednesday morning.

The wreck is being towed by two tugs, under the escort of over a dozen other vessels, including two auxiliary tugs positioned aft, a pontoon with a 200-tonne crane, carrying personnel and equipment along with teams of environmental biologists.

The sailing route will take the vessels south between the island of Giglio and Giannutri before heading west-southwest to a point south of the island of Montecristo.

The convoy will then head west-northwest to a position south of the island called Scoglio d’Africa before crossing the Ligurian Sea to the Port of Genoa Voltri, as explained by the salvage team officials.

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World Maritime News Staff, July 25, 2014