The plan to remove the massive wreck of Costa Concordia, which lies half submerged off the Italian island of Giglio after capsizing in January, was revealed Friday in Rome. At least 30 people died after the ship ran aground.

Reuters

Click to enlarge the image.

In an unprecedented effort, American-owned Titan Salvage is working with Italian firm Micoperi, and will use pulling machines connected to a custom-built subsea platform to hoist the hull upright in one piece. The firms won the right to perform the work during a months-long bidding process.

The first step is stabilizing the ship to prevent further slippage down the sloped sea bed on which it rests. That is expected to take about a year, Costa said in a statement. This will be achieved by attaching "tieback chains" from the submerged part of the ship -- starboard side, closest to shore -- to a structure built nearby.

After Concordia is stabilized, the subsea platform will be built along the port side -- the non-submerged side -- and huge caissons, in essence steel boxes, will be welded to the exposed side of the ship. The caissons will be filled with water. "This gives the ship extra buoyancy," explained Mark Hoddinott, general manager of the International Salvage Union. "Caissons have the effect of making the ship wider, and the water will add mass, which improves the 'turning moment' to bring it upright."

Pulling machines will then be connected to the subsea platform, and two cranes fixed to the platform will pull Concordia upright -- facilitated by the water-filled caissons. The ship will still be flooded, so it won't float; instead it will rest on the platform. When the ship is upright, caissons will be welded to the starboard side of the hull. The caissons on both sides will then be de-ballasted -- after treating and purifying the water to protect the marine environment -- and filled with air.

"This strategy has been used on a smaller scale by both the US and Royal Navy," added Hoddinott. "But no one has removed a ship of this size." Concordia is 950 feet long and weighs 44,612 metric tons (or nearly 100 million pounds), according to Titan-Micoperi.

Once upright, the wreck will be towed to an Italian port and dealt with in accordance with the requirements of Italian authorities. Gianni Onorato, Costa Crociere S.p.A. president, told Cruise Critic in early May that the ship will ultimately be scrapped.

No details on the cost of the project have been officially released, but a Costa spokesman told CNN that the figure could exceed $300 million.

According to today's statement from Costa, the "one piece" approach -- rather than slicing the ship up and barging it off bit by bit -- will "minimize environmental impact, protect Giglio's economy and tourism industry, and maximize safety." After the ship is removed, the sea bottom will be cleaned and marine flora replanted.

While the project is ongoing, the operation base will be located on the mainland near Piombino, where equipment and materials will be stored. This will mitigate impact on the island's port activities and leave Giglio's hotels open for tourists during the peak summer season.

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GIGLIO, Italy -- When Father Lorenzo first saw the Costa Concordia last Friday evening, it was near Giglio's harbor.

The cruise liner looked beautiful but he remembers thinking it was far too close and didn't seem to be moving. When he looked a little later he knew there was an emergency: The bow seemed to be lifting out of the water. What followed has been an extraordinary week for this small island with a winter population of just a few hundred.

Filippo Monteforte / AFP - Getty Images

Life-vest, rope and helmets recovered from the Costa Concordia are seen during a mass celebrated on Sunday in the Isola del Giglio's church.

The Lorenzo e Mamiliano Church stands tall on a hill set back from the waterfront. Father Lorenzo believes it is symbolic that the church was the first building seen by the Costa Concordia's frightened passengers as they struggled ashore.

• SLIDESHOW: Cruise ship Costa Concordia runs aground

Soon enough a stream of survivors snaked its way to the church doors. Wet, scared and confused, most had no idea what had happened or where they were.

Through the night and into Sunday the church, school and kindergarten offered shelter. Local residents opened their homes, too. "This was the wonderful thing," says the padre.

Some needed spiritual guidance, others technological - and Father Lorenzo was able to help with both by offering prayers for survivors and his computer so they could reach friends and family on Skype.

• STORY: Rescuers flee capsized liner after it shifts

The help continues. On Thursday, two sets of parents sat on his front pew. Their son and daughter were a French couple in their mid twenties who had been enjoying their first holiday together. Away from the noise of the harbor where police, salvage teams and journalists gather, the church was one of the few private places where they could quietly reflect on the lives that have been lost here.

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Stringer/Italy / Reuters

Kevin Rebello, brother of Indian citizen Russel Rebello, who worked as a waiter on the Costa Concordia and is still missing, walks in Porto Santo Stefano, Italy on Wednesday.

GIGLIO ISLAND, Italy – Moving along the harbor wall, in the shadow of the half-submerged Costa Concordia, Kevin Rebello told me he still has hope that his brother Russel Rebello will be found safe and sound, five days after the cruise liner hit a rock and capsized off the Tuscan coast. “I am 100 percent sure,” Kevin said.

The two brothers hail from Bombay, India, but Russel was working as a waiter on the ship. He was last seen helping passengers off the crashed vessel. He had no life jacket and was working with other crew members to lower rescue boats.

It's an optimistic view of survival that is not shared by many on this island. Nobody has been pulled alive since Sunday and today is expected to bring a shift in efforts – from rescue to salvage.

Russel’s name appears on Italian authorities list of 28 passengers, including four crew members, still missing. More than 4,200 people were aboard the ship when the accident happened. So far, officials have confirmed 11 dead.

The Costa Concordia has 500,000 gallons of fuel which could take weeks to remove. But for the moment little can be done. Overnight the vessel moved slightly and divers had to be pulled off for their own safety. So far they have not been back.

On Tuesday divers blasted holes in the hull to gain access to parts of the ship that have so far remained blocked. Five bodies were removed. As Kevin is no doubt aware, they had life jackets on and it's unlikely they were crew members; they have not been identified yet.

The lack of progress in the last 24 hours is certainly not due to lack of effort. Earlier, one of the search commanders was treated after collapsing from exhaustion and in the cafeterias and make-shift rest areas the tiredness shows on the faces of the rescue workers.

So now everyone here is waiting. For the next stage in the salvage effort or the possibility of an incoming storm that could bring six-foot waves and further disrupt things. For Kevin – he is waiting for any news about his brother at all.

Slideshow: Luxury cruise ship runs aground

DigitalGlobe

The Costa Concordia ran aground Jan. 13 off the coast of Italy, resulting in the evacuation of thousands of passengers as the ship began heavily listing.

Launch slideshow

Helping him stay positive is the knowledge that his brother's last known actions were helping others. “I am very proud of him,” he said. “That's the most important thing. The crew are the real heroes.”

Related link: Concordia reportedly took ill-fated route before
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