Engineers Still Ponder Salvage of Costa Concordia

Engineers working on the massive salvage project of the Costa Concordia, said Saturday that the wreck was now stable, NBC News reported. They are planning to roll it over in September, but the question everyone is asking is whether it’s possible to do this without the gigantic, 1,000-foot hull breaking apart. No one is certain, but engineers say they are confident and that they "believe in this project." The crews will have one chance only to get this right. Once the ship starts rolling upright, it cannot be stopped -- even if things start breaking down. Currently the wreck, which rests at a 65-degree angle, is not moving, despite the fact that very little of it is actually touching the rock below. It's balancing on two peaks, and is tethered to the shore to keep it from sliding off the underwater cliff. Sunday marks the first anniversary of the Costa Concordia’s crash off the Tuscan island of Giglio, which killed thirty-two passengers and crewmembers. Since the disaster, there has been a crackdown on the informal practice of sail-bys – when a ship passes close to shore to salute people on land – and other significant safety and crisis management improvements aimed at unifying standards, and increased personal responsibility, experts say.

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