The most expensive salvage operations in maritime history were also the most complex undertakings in the industry, which required advanced engineering, specialised equipment and planning to the last detail.
For the past several decades, many shipwrecks have led to salvage operations that made headlines not only because of the challenges the cases presented but also due to the whopping costs of the endeavours. This article examines the most expensive salvage efforts, delving into the intricacies of these events, their environmental considerations, and financial implications.
1. The Costa Concordia Parbuckling Operation
Luxury Cruise Ship Costa Concordia ran aground off Giglio Island on January 13, 2012, leading to the most expensive salvage operation ever.
It also led to 32 deaths, including 27 passengers and 5 crew members. A member of the salvage team also died during the rescue operation.
The vessel salvage included the use of 48 main cables, 22 hydraulic pumps and dozens of divers, making it a feat of marine engineering.
For two years, an underwater platform was drilled into the seabed, involving the drilling of 17 massive holes, welding 30 buoyant steel sponsons to both sides of the ship and deployment of strong hydraulic strand jacks over 19 hours to upright the 114,500 tonne cruise ship in September 2013. After being refloated, it was towed to Genoa in 2014 for dismantling.
The project cost touched approximately US$1.2 to 2 billion, covering vessel salvage and environmental cleanup, including the removal of fuel to protect marine life.
2. MV Golden Ray Wreck Removal
The MV Golden Ray was a 200 m long roll-on/roll-off car carrier that capsized in St. Simons Sound, Georgia, on September 8, 2019. It was loaded with around 4200 vehicles and had 3000 gallons of fuel, which posed significant environmental risks.
This led to a swift response, and due to the presence of soft silt, it was almost impossible to refloat the vessel. The salvage team, led by T&T Salvage, used the heavy-lift catamaran VB-10,000.
The team cut the wreck into 8 sections using a heavy-duty anchor chain, a task which took weeks due to several difficulties like chain breakages, thick steel at places like the engine room, hurricanes, extreme tides, etc. Eventually, the ship was declared a total loss and removed as scrap.
Some sources stated that the costs of the operation reached US$850 to 1 billion, making it the second most expensive salvage operation.
The fuel, which had been mixed with water, was removed from the ship, and a floating barrier was installed to prevent hydrocarbons or debris from spreading.
However, by 2022, contamination became a concern, and several fishing communities filed lawsuits claiming that oil, debris and car parts continued to pollute the seabed and the waters.
This wreck removal operation is the largest of its type as it took more than 3 million man-hours for cutting, lifting and transporting the wreckage.
3. Project Azorian
This was a secret operation to recover the sunken Soviet submarine K-129 from the floor of the Pacific Ocean in 1974.
It aimed to use the salvaged submarine to gather intelligence on soviet submarine technologies, especially their nuclear missiles and other equipment. This operation, conducted under the guise of an undersea mining operation, used a purpose-built vessel Hugher Glomar Explorer.
Several technological advancements were made, including developing a capture system for lifting the submarine from the ocean floor.
This was one of the most expensive salvage operations during the Cold War, costing around 800 million dollars, which is over 3.9 billion dollars today.
The Soviets were aware of what the U.S was doing, and while the project was successful in recovering the submarine, it failed in terms of intelligence gathering as the Soviets had already lost the nuclear missile.
4. MV Rena Wreck
On October 5, 2011, Liberian-flagged container ship MV Rena hit the Astrolabe Reef close to Tauranga on New Zealand’s North Island.
The vessel had 1700 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, 200 tonnes of marine diesel and 1368 containers onboard, of which 8 had hazardous materials. This incident led to the worst environmental disaster in the history of New Zealand.
In the following weeks, 350 tonnes of oil spilt into the sea, coating beaches and killing thousands of birds and other marine life.
Due to bad weather, the ship broke in half in 2012, and more pollutants, containers and debris spread into the marine environment.
Clean up involved hundreds of volunteers, government agencies and wildlife experts who saved penguins, treated seabirds and other marine life.
Volunteers also removed 1000 tonnes of sand to extract oil and cleaned container debris from the coastline, along with plastic packets, timber and hazardous materials from fragile ecosystems.
By 2016, under government oversight but paid by owners, the top sections of the ship, mostly accommodation blocks and containers, were salvaged, but it was decided to abandon the stern to preserve the ecology of the reef, which was monitored.
The salvage operation was costly, around US$500 million.
5. HNoMS Helge Ingstad Salvage
This Norwegian frigate collided with an oil tanker on November 8, 2018, running aground, listing heavily, and partially sinking in the subsequent days.
The salvage operation, undertaken from February 27 to March 3, 2019, involved heavy-lift crane barges Rambiz and Gulliver. They lifted the 5500-tonne hull off the seafloor and temporarily repaired and refloated it, and then placed it on a semi-submersible barge for transport to the Haakonsvern naval base.
Per sources, the salvage cost was around NOK 726 million (US$85 million). After this, evaluations revealed that repairs would be economically unviable as they would cost about 1.2 to 1.4 billion U.S dollars, and so the Norwegian government decided to demolish the ship.
The dismantling was done by 2022, and the metal was sold for scrap along with other parts, which were salvaged.
To Conclude
The above-mentioned cases were some of the most prominent ones when the most expensive salvage operations are considered.
Salvage costs are usually high for larger vessels that need more resources, manpower and specialised equipment.
Operations close to sensitive ecosystems demand extensive safeguards and cleanup efforts, which cost a lot of money, along with using different techniques like cutting vessels into sections, securing permits, adhering to salvage laws and coordinating with multiple agencies and stakeholders.
Most expensive salvage operations highlight the importance of being prepared, constant innovation and environmental considerations. Incidents like the Costa Concordia or Golden Ray tested not just the limits of marine engineering but also led to breakthroughs in salvage technology and logistics. As shipping grows, the industry must be vigilant in preventing and responding to maritime disasters.
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