0 to bring a ship back to the surface of the water after it has sunk: --
the cost of refloating the Costa Concordia
It is incredible that the tanker was stranded for four days and unable to be refloated.
It is clearly extremely difficult to refloat a vessel of that size and weight once it has been grounded.
They face the most formidable problems in refloating it and locating it in its intended position.
Rescue and salvage operations were hampered by severe weather, but fortunately the vessel was refloated.
A week later she refloated herself under her own steam.
She was refloated within three hours, and then the salvage operation began.
In three other cases the stranding was of a serious character, but the ships were refloated.
Several attempts to refloat the vessel had to be abandoned but most of the equipment, including the engines, was salvaged.
