Is it possible to save costa concordia

He was not compelled to attend the hearing, but had said he wanted to be able to confront those building the case against him. The experts say some blame for the way the disaster unfolded must be attached to the cruise ship company's shore-based crisis management team. It should have had a better understanding of what was going on, they say, and it should have given the captain better advice. Data from the black box of the ship will be revealed during the hearing.

Any subsequent trial is not expected to held until Meanwhile, the shipwreck remains in the water off the Tuscan coast. Salvage crews are working to stabilise and refloat the hulk, which is expected to be removed by spring Then it's tow time.

With 60, tonnes of salvage gear attached to its , tonne frame, the Concordia isn't exactly a speedboat. Traveling at a maximum speed of two knots 2. It could happen as early as July 18th, but only if the weather grants the salvage team a clear five-day forecast.

It's just too risky to attempt to tow the decomposing liner through anything less than calm waters. The ship's been upright since September. What's taken so long? Weather has accounted for a number of delays. It was September more than 18 months after it sank by the time the stricken vessel was rotated upright, and the ideal time to tow it away had already passed for the year. The Mediterranean is at its most tranquil from mid-July to early August, so salvage crews spent the past 10 months making final preparations for this window of time.

Interactive: How the ship was tipped upright. What does Greenpeac e have to say about this? Greenpeace has chartered a ship to monitor the Concordia operation. The environmental group is concerned that the ship will leak a trail of toxins into the Mediterranean during its five-day voyage to Genoa, and says the fragile liner should be taken to Piombino, a much closer port that could be reached in a single day. The port at Piombino may be closer, but it would need to be dredged in order to be deep enough to take the Concordia.

The port wouldn't be ready until the end of September, and by then the weather conditions would make Mediterranean waters too choppy to navigate until this time next year. Costa Crociere, the firm that owns the Concordia, also runs a large part of Genoa's port.

The company wants to bring what's left of their former marquee ship back to their home port, rather than having to keep tabs on it from afar.

Costa also wants to recycle intact parts of the ship -- engine components, plumbing structures, anything else that's waterproof -- and use them in their other cruise liners. It will take around workers between 18 months and two and a half years.

Once the Concordia's in Genoa, crews will construct a giant tent over the ship and none of us will ever see it again. The front and the back will be dismantled first, and any possessions that passengers left behind as they fled the sinking liner will be returned to their owners. What are the chances of the ship making it to Genoa? Follow Quartz. These are some of our most ambitious editorial projects. By Annalisa Merelli Senior reporter.

Published July 21, This article is more than 2 years old. Sign me up. Update your browser for the best experience. Dishes and silverware tumbled off tables; serving carts and other furniture slid down decks.

People emerged from their staterooms wearing pajamas and life vests. That information would have been part of their muster drill, required by law to be performed within 24 hours of boarding.

But the ship was in the first hours of its cruise, so the passengers who boarded that day had no idea where to go. The crew, lacking guidance and information, told passengers to stay put.

Officers trained in the United States must take additional instruction, but virtually all cruise ships go to sea under a foreign flag and employ officers who were trained abroad.

Schettino, for all his other mistakes, seems to have done what he could to deliver his crippled ship to safety. Ship groundings are rare but not unheard of, and they are rarely fatal. Just a week before the Concordia crash another large luxury ship, the Poesia, hit a reef off Grand Bahama Island, where it languished for more than 12 hours until high tide enabled tugs to set it free.

There is anecdotal evidence—which will come to light when investigators release details from the ship's black box—that Schettino tried to stop the ship and waited for a similar tow to shore. If so, the anchor failed to catch. Without its main engines, the Concordia drifted for an hour. GPS tracking data show the ship's speed dropped to near zero. It's not possible to steer a ship with no propulsion, Bolton says. Schettino still had options, though. The maneuver probably saved lives but had unintended consequences.

On the way, the ship lurched again. The Concordia had struck shore, where it was bound to capsize. The captain gave the official order to abandon ship. By law, all 26 lifeboats have to be launched within 30 minutes of an evacuation order. But the crew's delay made an orderly escape impossible.