Messages

1

Shipping News and information / Re: Costa Concordia to be scrapped at Grenaa ?

« on: December 02, 2013, 11:48:33 PM »

............Thing is no one is going to accurately predict her weight as even with the pontoons there will still be quite a bit of water inside her plus all the silt that would have washed into while she was on her side

Sorry Glenn, stability calculations today are very accurate indeed. Back in the mid 1980's I had programmed my HP Calculator to do trim calculations for the 4 Coastal tankers I was 'mate' on converting the documentation supplied aboard by the shipbuilders. 2 ships were the same and the other 2 quite different but the trim results were spot on and I am no computer programmer by any stretch of the imagination. Now, with todays Computers it is no trouble to do the most complicated problems with extreme accuracy ... just think of the calculations involved in the salvage of Costa Concordia to date ... amazing and very, very clever.

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Shipping News and information / Re: Costa Concordia to be scrapped at Grenaa ?

« on: December 02, 2013, 11:38:16 PM »

Getting her on the beach of Alang or Gadani would be a difficult job, getting her off the Dockwise Vanguard for one. Too far away from the beach and would remain submerged again. Anywhere where there is a dock facility would be ideal, not many choices.

Interesting thread this one ... you are quite correct GwilJ. The 'normal' method of ship breaking where the ship is 'run up'the beach and subsequently dragged up as the vessel is demolished will not apply to Costa Concordia due to her physical state, the buoyancy tanks etc. She will be pretty fragile from the looks of her but most obviously the draft will be pretty huge. Therefore, no doubt several scenarios will be looked at. I would envisage she will at least be be made watertight once lifted by Dockwise Vanguard then taken by her to a suitable facility.

There is no reason at all why she should not be taken to Denmark or anywhere else where the facility can handle her. That is the beauty of the Flo Flo vessels, fast safe delivery anywhere in the world. Its a nonsense to speculate that the weather will have any undue influence, these ships transport the most awkward loads imaginable over huge distances with few if any problems.

One thing is certain it would be foolish of anyone to rubbish any reasonable idea as has already been proven by the salvage success so far. The magnificent feat of building a platform and parbuckling her upright was 'pooh poohed' by many people .... but it has been done. Who would have thought such a ship as Dockwise Vanguard would be built and operate successfully twenty years ago?

As a very young Cadet aboard my pre-sea training ship way back in 1955 I asked an officer "Do you think they will ever build 100,000 ton ships sir?". He replied in the negative yet ...5 years later I stood on the deck of "Universe Daphne" in Mina ... she was 108,000 dwt.

David Barnes
Westport
New Zealand

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Shipping News and information / Re: The skipper stays at home (dokumentary)

« on: February 05, 2012, 01:43:17 AM »

Hello Fred from Westport New Zealand ....

Thanks very much indeed for a wonderfull video ....I have always wanted to do some trips on the barges ....stayed in Dordrecht for two weeks and enviously watched the barges being manouvered in and out opposite our hotel ..Hotel Dordrecht.

This video was absolutely spot on ... great filming, lovely families, terrific commentary...fascinating

Problem is .... are there anymore please??

David