SUSTAINABILITY REPORT Results for 2015 and outlook for the future

In 2015 the work to clean up the seabed

following the removal of the wreck of

the Concordia, which commenced in

November 2014 under the direction of the

Micoperi Consortium

and the supervision

of the

Environmental Observatory

, was

in full swing. The first phase, completed

in February 2015, consisted of removal

of mussel shells deposited on the sea

bed (an area of approximately 4000 m

)

by means of a non-invasive underwater

suction system. This was followed by

removal of debris from the wreck, which

was scattered over an area extending

about 90,000m

. This was done manually

by scuba divers working up to a depth

of around 50 meters, and also using

two types of grab buckets, one specially

designed and built for safe removal of

this material. Also during the reporting

period the subsea structures (platforms

and anchor blocks) were dismantled and

removed, as were the grout bags put in

place to build the false seabed on which

the wreck came to rest after parbuckling,

with the recovery of 25,263 metric tons

of mortar. In the course of this operation

some bags broke and their contents were

scattered on the seabed; this debris will be

collected at the same time as removal of

the sediment deposited during the salvage

operation, involving an area of about

34,000 m

and subject to approval of the

associatedprocedure.TheObservatoryhas

confirmed that environment restoration

operations are proceeding according

to schedule and so as to minimize any

inconvenience to the island’s inhabitants;

in particular, special attention is being

paid to keeping noise levels down at the

worksite and to guaranteeing the quality

of the water, thanks to the substantial use

of turbidity curtains. This has resulted in

ARPAT

(Tuscan Regional Environmental

Protection Agency) certifying that the

water transparency here is as good as the

best that can be found anywhere in the

sea of Tuscany.

Giglio Island: site remediation

and environment restoration

PHASE

Disposal of the diferent types of grout bags put in place

to build the false sea bed on which the wreck came to rest

after parbuckling, with removal by means of various lifting

methods and techniques designed to move the bags intact. This

entailed designing and building a special grab bucket for safe removal.

PHASE

Removal of the debris using

various methods according to

the depth, type and volume

of the material concerned.

PHASE

Removal and disposal of mussel

shells deposited on the sea bed (an

area of approximately 4000 m

)

and released by the pontoons used in the

salvageoperation. Removalwas performed

by means of a non-invasive underwater

suction system, thereby ensuring that the

mussels were collected from the sea bed

and transferred to the surface.

PHASE

Cutting and removal of the 11 anchor blocks used as part of the

retaining system. Oceanomare Delphis, together with the Centro

Interuniversitario di Biologia Marina ed Ecologia Applicata (CIBM)

and the Università La Sapienza di Roma, carried out marine mammal

monitoring to ensure that any whales and other species present in and

around the area of operations were protected. These bodies had the right

to order the temporary suspension of work in the event of detection of

marine mammals within a radius of 1000 m of the site.

PHASE

Cutting into pieces and

removal of the 6 subsea

platforms used during

parbuckling and to provide a stable

base for the upright vessel. Removal

of grout bags and materials for

additional stability of the hull

(fastened usingWater Glass) from the

surface of the 3 main platforms.

PHASE

Removal and disposal of the

sediment deposited on the

sea bed during the salvage

operation; different state-of-the-art

techniques used depending on the

depth of the sediment.