The 37 meter long passenger ship Harle Kurier suffered a fire in the engine room near the island of Norderney, Germany. The crew sealed the room to contain the blaze, but the fire disabled the vessel. The Harle Kurier went adrift until a lifeboat arrived on scene and took the passenger ship under tow. The vessels proceeded to Norderney where local fire brigade help extinguish the fire. No reports of injuries to the three crew on board.
On January 24, the decommissioned 220 meter long, 1465 dwt passenger ship Lyubov Orlova went adrift in the North Atlantic near Cape Race, Newfoundland. The 29 meter long tug Charlene Hunt departed from St. John’s, Canada with the Lyubov Orlova under tow. The vessels were en route to the Dominican Republic when the towline broke in bad weather. The tug’s crew attempted for several days to attach the towline, but were unable to attach a towline in the worsening weather.
Reports forecast the storm to increase with waves to reach upwards to 20 meters high. Authorities have ordered the Charlene Hunt back to port due to safety concerns for the vessel and crew. The Lyubov Orlova was last reported adrift and not a hazard to shipping as it was away from navigation routes. Several reports predict the former passenger ship will not stay afloat in the storm. The Lyubov Orlova was to be dismantled at a scrapyard in the Dominican Republic after sitting docked for two years in St. John’s.
After one year, the cruise ship Costa Concordia still remains aground off Isola del Giglio, Italy. Salvage plans to remove the wreck began in earnest in May 2012 with plans to refloat the crippled ship in early June 2013. Back in January 13, 2012, the Costa Concordia began its first leg of a cruise around the Mediterranean Sea with 4,252 people on board. The captain had deviated from the ship’s scheduled route to pass closely by Isola del Giglio. As the vessel approached near the island, it struck a reef gashing a large hole into the hull. The vessel soon lost power before it capsized onto its side. A six hour evacuation of the vessel nearly all the passengers were brought ashore, but 32 people perished as the vessel sank. Later, it was announced that the Costa Concordia was a constructive total loss. Latest reports state damages from the incident will cost over 500 million US dollars.
The plan, which will re-float the vessel’s hull, places the highest priority for ensuring the lowest possible environmental impact as well as the conservation of tourist and economic activities on the island of Giglio, with maximum safety precautions.
Environmental protection will be the top priority throughout operations of this mammoth recovery. The plan also includes measures to safeguard the economic and tourist activities on the island of Giglio. Staff will work to remove asbestos. The work is not expected to have any significant effects on the summer tourist season. To further reduce any impact on the activities of the Marina del Giglio, the base for the salvage operations will be off the island, near Piombino, where equipment and materials will be collected for the work.
There are four stages of operation in the salvage plan, as follows:
Once floating, the wreck will be towed to an Italian port. Once the removal is complete, the salvage team will clean the waters and the restore the marine flora.
The plan was evaluated from a technical standpoint by a committee, composed of experts representing Costa Cruises, Carnival Corporation & plc, London Offshore Consultants and Standard P & I Club, in collaboration with RINA and Fincantieri, in accordance with the requirements and recommendations set by the Italian authorities. The plan was evaluated to ensure that it would meet the main requirements: removal of the entire wreck with maximum safety precautions and as little impact to the environment, tourism and economy of Giglio.
