CAPT. NICK SLOANE IN CHARGE OF CONCORDIA SALVAGE

South African Captain Nicholas (Nick) Sloane is in charge of the Costa Concordia wreck salvage near Giglio Porto. It is one of the biggest salvage operations. The luxury liner capsized on Giglio Island in January. The 4200 passengers and crew had to scramble for safety in the darkness. Thirty-two people lost their lives. Nick is the senior salvage master for US company Titan, which won a joint bid for the project with Italian offshore rig company Micoperi. The plan is to float the ship, without it slipping when righted and plunging into the depths. Twenty-six 26 pillars are being driven into the seabed to support underwater platforms for the ship to rest on. Large metal tanks, filled with water, will then be welded onto the sides of the ship to balance it while it is dragged into an upright position using two cranes and cables. The largest of the tanks are as high as an 11-storey building and weigh 500-plus tons. Sixty-six divers are tasked with putting 17 500 tons of cement bags in a 50m gap between the ship and the seabed. The project will cost at least €400m.