The "Costa Effect"

It’s called the “Costa Effect” – everything is possible in salvage operations. The success of the Costa Concordia wreck-removal by Titan Salvage has now proved this for many people, most particularly for politicians terrified of having to face the consequences of an environmental disaster.

Titan was the only salvor to propose removing the wreck in one piece. Everyone knew it would increase the cost of the project, but they also recognized it was the best way to protect the integrity of the environment. 

Environmental experts from the University of Rome were engaged in the earliest part of Titan’s bidding process. Nick Sloane was Titan’s salvage master for the project, and through his leadership the island of Giglio has seen dolphin, snapper and tuna already returning to the wreck site. Sea grass meadows that had been damaged by the wreck and the shade it cast will soon be replanted. Giant mussel beds that were damaged will soon be restored, stocked with animals specifically farmed for the purpose. 

Tourism accounts for 85 percent of Giglio’s revenue stream, and the commitment is to return the environment to its original pristine state within five years. Titan made good on its promise to minimize the risk of pollution from the wreck and to protect and restore the environment as part of the process of removing it.

“The Next Level”

“The focus on the environment went to the next level, beyond what I have ever experienced before anywhere in the world,” says Sloane. “The environmental team sat right in among our operational team, and we worked together really well. It was almost like being able to do our own personal environmental impact assessments. Before anybody else got to know about our plans, we’d already mitigated the environmental consequences.”

Water quality parameters such as turbidity and noise were measured on a daily basis, and when the granite seabed had to be drilled the drill cuttings were taken to the surface and disposed of as waste. “There were two schools of thought on this because, obviously, the granite we were drilling was the same as that which weathers to form the local beach sand. But the environmental take on that was that the raw cuttings have a higher density than the natural sand so it would displace it and change the local ecosystems,” Sloane explains.

For him, the measures taken to protect the environment can now be applied to other pristine environments around the world. “The type of environmental management we achieved can definitely add value. And if you know what can be done to not impede the salvage operation but rather run parallel to it, then it makes it a lot easier. Rather than saying ‘This is ridiculous. We can’t afford to waste time on it,’ we learned that it actually doesn’t take that much more time. It’s just a matter of putting the resources into it.”

Time is a critical factor in salvage operations. Delays can mean a spring tide is missed or bad weather can blow up, and the integrity of a wreck doesn’t get better over time. Salvors should be one of the first people contacted when an incident occurs, says Jim Elliott, Vice President at T&T Salvage. It’s an issue the U.S. has taken very seriously with strict time requirements now set for salvage operations. Within an hour a remote assessment has to be made if an incident occurs within 50 miles from shore. Within 12 miles, salvors must be on-site in six hours.

Elliott’s company was called on for the Houston Ship Channel case where a vessel collided with an oil tank barge earlier this year. “We saved the majority of the cargo from spilling,” he says, and the barge was refloated and in a safe location within 24 hours. Once hydrocarbons enter the water the overall effectiveness of on-water oil recovery technology such as skimmers is only about 10-25 percent. “I can safely say, as a former Coast Guard officer,” Elliott adds, “that the regulations the U.S. has introduced have definitely improved the salvage capability in the country.”

Saving the Galapagos

Salvor performance has been put to the test around the world. Mammoet Salvage and its partner, CPT Remolcadores of Chile, responded to a state of emergency issued by the government of Ecuador this year when the cargo ship Galapaface 1, loaded with 19,000 gallons of fuel, petroleum products, chemicals, and tons of various other cargo, ran aground in the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Galapagos Islands.

The grounding occurred in the same harbor that scientist Charles Darwin visited in 1835. The diverse and unique wildlife there led to his theory of natural selection and the publishing of the book Origin of Species. In 2001, a grounded ship in the same harbor caused a great deal of damage to marine life, especially the marine iguana population.

Due to the remote location and the need for expediency, the salvage crew faced many challenges. The plan approved by the authorities was simple: Strip the ship of all pollutants (oil, paints, fuel), cargo (barrels of oil, acid-based batteries and tons of cement), floatable materials (plastics, furnishings, crew items, mattresses) and refloat the ship. 

A permit was issued to tow the ship out into the open ocean and scuttle it in 2,500 meters of water. This was the preferred solution as the authorities deemed towing the damaged freighter to the coast too great a risk to the environment. Due to the very volatile weather conditions in the area, the probability of the vessel capsizing or sinking in an uncontrolled manner was considered too high.

While the plan was simple, the execution was challenging. Salvage divers were faced with the arduous task of removing the pollutants and cargo manually. Naval architects designed two flotation tanks to make the ship buoyant. Holes in the hull were welded closed by the divers. The tanks were filled with water, sunk alongside, and attached to the ship’s hull. Water was then pumped out of the tanks and holds of the ship to refloat it.

After two months of working day and night nonstop, the Galapaface 1 was refloated. It was then escorted by the Ecuadorian Coast Guard and Navy and towed to its final resting place. The operation was completed without incidents or accidents and without any damage to the environment.

Successes and Failures

Weather conditions were a key challenge to environmental safety when Tsavliris Salvage was involved in the refloating of the craned bulk carrier Golden Sky a few years back. The vessel had grounded on glacial boulders off Ventspils, Latvia in hurricane-force winds. The prospect of pollution in a sensitive area was very real. Temperatures reached below -30o Celsius, disabling salvage equipment and making working conditions nothing short of horrendous. Many viewed the operation as an impossible task, but fortunately the vessel was refloated after the successful removal of all fuels and lubricants.

Yet sometimes things don’t work out so well. Tsavliris was also involved in the grounding of the Aframax tanker Tasman Spirit in the approach channel to the port of Karachi, Pakistan. Despite having recovered approximately 36,500 tons of crude oil (roughly half the total amount aboard) and using its best efforts, the vessel’s hull split in two, resulting in serious pollution. Salvage vessels and equipment were detained and personnel, including the salvage master, were held under house arrest by the Pakistani government for nine months as a result. The case demonstrates the power and expectations of flag states. 

Simon Beechinor, Managing Director at marine consultancy TMC Offshore, cites the Rena wreck-removal project offshore New Zealand as an example of how local politics can add to costs. He compares Rena to Bareli, another container ship of similar size which ran aground off the coast of China and split in two. The intense political, media and cultural focus on Rena resulted in a high-level response by authorities that added around $30 million to the cost of the project. The recovery of polyethylene beads alone from the Bay of Plenty is an ongoing project costing around $10 million. Another $300 million could be added to the Rena bill if a full wreck-removal, rather than just removal of parts in shallow water, is required.

Environmental Overkill?

For some, the environmental requirements set for salvors have gone too far. Everyone is wondering why costs for wreck-removal and salvage keep on rising, says Captain Dennis Brand, Managing Partner of Brand Marine Consultants. “Fifteen years ago there was a ship on a beach and your main goal was getting the ship off the beach,” he says. “Now, the first thing they ask you to do is remove all hydrocarbons.”

In two recent projects Brand has been involved in, the salvors have been forced to remove everything from the ship, including the hydraulic oil from deck winches and cranes. “It’s all about protecting the environment, but I think it is going way over the top. People are getting more and more scared for no good reason. The hydrocarbon removal is far more risky most of the time than leaving it where it is.”

The demands are unpredictable, irrational and politically driven, he says. “It’s a crazy business.”