Representatives of Titan-Micoperi presented their plans to raise the Costa Concordia from where she sank after running aground off the island of Gilgio last January.  Titan-Micoperi is the consortium of Titan Salvage, the Crowley-owned specialist marine salvage company, and Italian marine contractor Micoperi, which was selected to salvage the cruise ship. 

Wrecked Costa Concordia to be raised from Italian sea bed

The operation will be divided into four basic stages, Costa said in its statement.

• First, once the ship has been stabilized, an underwater platform will be built and watertight boxes, or caissons, fixed to the side of the ship that is above water.
• Two cranes fixed to the platform will pull the ship upright, helped by the weight of the caissons, which will be filled with water.
• When the ship is upright, caissons will be fixed to the other side of the hull to stabilize it.
• Finally, the caissons on both sides will be emptied, after the water inside has been purified to protect the marine environment, and filled with air, Costa said.

Once the giant ship has been refloated, it will be towed to an Italian port, probably in Tuscany, to be dismantled and disposed of according to local regulations.  No exact cost was given by the officials who presented details of the recovery operation, but a Costa Cruises representative said that the figure would probably be about $300 million.