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The mafia? Those guys are into everything.
At the same time, doubt the mafia will get their hands on the ship. This sounds like a non-story to me, and simply hype. The article is about looting the wreck, then says the wreck is protected and laws are in effect banning anyone from getting close.
They also go on to say the the company still owns the ship, and the passengers still own their belongings, sunk or not. The water also isn't that deep, and with the ship on a reef, I see it as very possible they could repair the hull and raise the ship. If nothing else, for the purpose of legitimate salvage. There wont be any 590 million dollar treasure hunts, just a slow news day.
Doesn't it seem unethical to anyone else that these people are just waiting in the wings to steal valuables from people who are still living? Shouldn't anything that is recovered be returned to their rightful owners? When treasure-hunters loot old sunken ships the companies and people are usually long gone, so it is not as big of an issue. Shame on them.
The real thieves will be the lawyers with their overinflated lawsuits
Watch out for bodies if your going to be treasure hunting.
Most of the looters I've seen on TV would have a difficult time donning a SCUBA suit swimming with Flat Screen TV-s, so there's no real worry here!
"Diamond-studded jewels"? Get me writer who knows English.
Second comment b1tches!
Second doesn't mean squat. Anything less than 1st is just losing.
Coming in 2nd makes you the 1st loser!
mommy should have gotten you up 4 minutes sooner and you would have had the #1 post. I guess she was too busy filling your superman lunch box for school!!!! better luck next time b1tch!!!!!!!!!!!
Remember as you were told, never take good jewelry on vacation. LOL
Many of the truly rich leave the real stuff in safes at home when they travel on cruises or whatever. The jewels they wear are usually cheaper replicas. Still valuable jewelry, but nowhere near as valuable as the real things.
Totally agree with R A S and U Ran---
The rich nor upscale no longer take the heavy jewels while vacationing anymore. Most are aware of theft---the copies look like the real thing.
This will not be the Treasure Hunt, like the Ship Wrecks going down in the 1500's, up to the 1900's--They were transporting Gold Coins, Bullion. Even the Titantic.
Who cares about the Furniture?; maybe the Art Work?
Mona Lisa Portrait is still at the Museum, right? Michaelangelo's art work still on the Sistine Chapel.
Leave it to the lawyers to describe the passengers wearing the crown jewels of Europe.
The point in owning it would then be what, exactly? Keeping it in a safety deposit box isn't fun or joyous. Insure it and wear it happily.
I have nice jewelry and I wear it. Often. Otherwise, why bother? Of course I'd expect the cruise line to reimburse me for my losses if it weren't appropriately insured. It's their fault the captain was incompetent. It has nothing to do with greed or being self-serving. That's how our society works.
So true – especially when traveling internationally! We took a cruse for our honeymoon and I left my engagement and wedding bands at home. I wore a $60 ring in place of my real rings. It wasn’t worth the risk of loss or theft (or getting mugged on one of the islands) to have my wedding ring with me. My wedding rings are insured, but who really wants to deal with the insurance companies if you dont have to??
I would think that the fact that this boat is grounded on italian soil (Rocks) salvage laws would fall in the grey area. Just a thought>
it's alittle different than the titanic i would think. nobody from the titanic is going to walk up to you and say, 'that's my necklace you are wearing'.
Incorrect. Those artifacts belong to the survivors, relatives and heirs.
........ this is sad...... the bodies of all the victms haven't even been recovered ? and their all excited about a treasure ?
Isnt greed a wonderfull thing? Both for people in general and especially companies! Fourteen thousand is a total disscrace!!! Even their so called CONTRACT you are Forced to sign,if U really,really want to go on that cruise,Says they can go up yo 80 thousand. That would not have been as big a disscrace as to what they did. As far as the divers go,I'm willing to bet, they catch several would be TREASURE hunters.People ARE that stupid! If they want to, experienced divers could anchor up to a mile away and dive that far. I'm sure several will be willing to do that,just so they can say they were the first.
And they will be the first to get caught.
The first looters would be the passengers/crew that grabbed at something of value left in haste, followed by search divers/security that pick up a trinket or two. Everyone is susceptible to sticky fingers at some time or other. Remember the old adage "Need and Opportunity". Some are just more hardened to the deeds and move into it as a profession, a Career, Repeat Offender. As also prev mentioned, jewels/diamonds flaunted gratuitously are in many cases, high quality CZs mounted in HGP over silver/base, or hollow Gold... if available at a reasonable price (wealthy are Not ignorant). Also prev mentioned, the shops are stocked with the real thing for sale to the travelers, duty free. A high density area of Opportunity exists there. As was prev mentioned, the Barristers in total, will stand to gain far in excess, the most from Any "Opportunity". Happy hunting, danger loving PADI's...and Lawyers.
I find it hard to believe that they're unable to secure the ship so it won't slide deeper, and pumping the fuel will reduce the weight making it more likely for movement.
They will be pumping water in to replace the fuel, in order to stabilize it.
Why can't they secure the ship to shore so it won't slide further? I would think pumping all the fuel would make it lighter and easier for movement. Just doesn't make sense that they would take a chance of it sliding into deeper waters complicating recovery and possibly causing further damage in every way!
Um, if MSN hadnt plastered the notion of treasure on the front page not many would think about it. So...yeah
Not necessarily. In the US we are geographically so far away that it wouldn’t occur too many of us. But when the disaster is localized people take the opportunity. For example when a tornado goes through, you always hear of looters swarming to that area to see what they can get.
Most of us have enough respect for others that we wouldn’t loot disaster areas, but there are some that will take advantage of any opportunity that they can.
Treasure Hunters?? Not in this case! More like Looters. Why doesn't Carnival hire divers to recovers these lost treasures on behalf of its customers?
You cannot be serious, as McEnroe would say.
They first have to get the fuel and and oil out of the ship, get that HUGE rock off the side of the hull (pictures 32 and 47), patch up the hole, and then right her. Then and only then can salvage or repair begin.
false.. i was thinking something similar to this guy.. if i wre a diver i would actually be offering a recovery service, for a fee ofcourse, to people who lost items that wanted them retrieved. see at that point its no longer looting, but recovery and i would think that after it has been deemed stable there would be no problem in recovery services being undergone for people who want thier belongings back.
insurance dude, thats what it is for, modern wealth is more plastic than people would care to admit...totally a front, if Gold is what people want they get it and lose it all the same, decadence is never prejudice to any human, no one can escape the temptations...yet nothing is free, if you can get it and systems given up on it and have their own agenda than bring in the underworld and the entrepreneurs who risk more anyway for the sake of pirate -esque adventure. Satan cleaning up the details, Jesus and His harvester will separate the wheat from the weed someday
how do the germans say they lost jewelry that was in there family for generations i thought that was lost in world war two
Quite a few people commenting here who do not know maritime law... What I see happening is Mitt Romney sending the very poor over with an oxygen tank and let them "repair the holes in their nets" by risking their lives for "treasures" off the Concordia. The punchline, of course, is that he would have the treasures siezed from the very poor and given to the very rich, for whom he has "no concern." LOL!
David in Ken; I once ate shrimp in the bathtub while texting my friend who had taco`s for dinner while walking his dog on the beach at midnight. the punchline is what the f$%k does Romney have to do with treasure hunting. LOL!!! jackass
Robbmey is somewhat of a treasure hunter/looter, in that he buys companies, sells them off in pieces, and lays off the workers. Just like automobiles, the whole is worth 5 times less than all its pieces sold seperatly. If you think numbnuts is a terrible pres, wait til Robbmey gets in!!! OOPSY!
@porschwhatever, somewhat sold me. numbnuts? AGAIN WHAT THE F*$K DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH TREASURE HUNTING!!!!!! SUPER JACKASS!!!!!!!! OOPSY!
@muddlerfly it has to do with me eating a poptart while watching tv on a friday morning drinking a screwdriver.
@indianaEngineer. Lifes good! hold the poptart i`ll take another screwdriver!!(or 10)
treasure hunters my ass. these are just plain old LOOTERS taking advantage of someone else's tragedy.
They think the security of the vessel can be done from shore they are really inept. I doubt they have divers doing swim's along the hull at night. Good divers ( with bad intentions) can plan a salvage at night with enough gear they could be in and out before the dawn each day, and do it without anyone knowing.
All they need is a ships layout and a entrance to get in, and a egress plan if a situation arises where they need to get out. If it is planed on calm days they could get away with a good load.
Nothing is secure this days and age, not with technology today, so to say they have a secure site, is wishful thinking.
The longer it sits it won't take long until someone figures that out, and finds a way in.
Well there is a, um 1 BIG problem, on the Port side aft of the ships stabilizer in a gash in the hull several deck's in and jammed in place is a boulder the size of 2 Semi trucks, and a trailer, and before they could even think of repairing the hull to float it, it would have to be removed in order to pump it and and ballast it when the salvage tugs come to right it, also before any of that could happen, they would have to remove all fuel from it, as to keep the risk of fire ,or explosion possibilities to a minimum. This is going to take planning by top salvage teams in order to get this ship worthy enough to move to a dry dock.
Look at picture 57 and you will see the Bejesus of a boulder.
Anyone who is stupid enough to bring those sorts of valuables aboard a ship deserves to loose them. Salvors: have at it!
I'm a bit puzzled why they don't weld huge eyelets fore and aft on the ship, tether it to shore. It then seems they could weld steel plates over the hole in the ship since most of it appears out of the water. Just leave the huge boulder in place and weld the plates over it. Then perhaps put some flotation bags or some other flotation device (ping pong balls perhaps) in the sunken rooms and pump them full of air displacing the water. There must be a reason this is not being done but having worked in commercial construction for 15 years, we do some pretty amazing things routinely. I'm sure I'm missing something so if you know, respond and tell me why they can't do this.
The reason you cant just weld plates to the ship has to do with the thousands of gallons of Fuel sitting in and possibly leaking around the boat.
and the potential for bodies still being aboard, I believe.
I suspect that because the ship is lying on its' starboard side is because that side has been holed and the news media can't film it and are only showing the exposed port side. it is also possible that the below deck crew abandoned the below deck aft area in a panic leaving the bulk head doors open flooding the interior and now they can't close them because structure is warpped. They would have to insert thousands of inflatable bags to displace the water. No easy task.
Did you see how crushed the starboard side is,( the one laying on the reef)? just how do you suppose you can weld anything on that? while it is laying on it's side in rough weather to boot? Do you really think trying to teather it to shore would work either? Come on, the least bit of shifting of that much weight would snap lines killing anyone working around it for sure. NOT to mention the metric tons of origional weight compiled with the now added water weight inside the craft, which is more than the origional singular weight of the craft itself. Not a likely scenerio realistically. Plus it is on the EDGE of the reef, balanced as it were on a shelf that could colapse with out notice. Not worth the trouble to try to save like you suggest. Better off pulling it off the reef to the port side of the ship into VERY deep water and try to salvage what ever is left when it hits bottom... The physics of what you suggest are in my opinion impossible...
Actually after considering all of the scenarios I believe the most likely scenario is that they don't wish to raise it because it could never be put back into service with such a deadly event occurring on a vacation ship. The ship is likely to be paid off and the cost of raising is not worth it. The Exxon Valdez is still in service today under a different name but a cruise ship is very different. Knowing that the US raised a sunken soviet sub (ended up only being part of the sub as it broke) from 3 miles deep in 1974, there is no doubt in my mind that if mankind chose to, we could do virtually whatever we set our collective minds to.
Mythbusters did after all raise a boat with 27,000 ping pong balls. You could use millions of ping pong balls to raise the boat, slap a costa concordia logo on it, and then sell the balls for $2 each. Hmmmmmm.......
I realize it was almost 3am when you wrote this, now that you're awake do you realize how silly your idea is?
Gear...the boat MythBusters raised weighed all but 3,000lbs! Repeat after me: "I will not write anything after 2:00am in the morning anymore"
Well it would have been a good slogan for the manufacturer of the balls. Something like: "We are the only ones with enough balls to pull this off!"
Wily and Ken, It was said as a joke guys, relax. I actually work at night so writing at 10 AM is when I'm at my worst.
LOL... alright, point well taken! I too am at my worst @ 2am ;-)
This is totally absurd to allow booty divers to have a free for. It's radically out of integrity. The ship should be quarantined, and the government divers should be the ones retrieving these valuable heirlooms that have emotional and ancestral content. No way should "booty divers" be allowed to do this. I suggest placing an "Alarm Net" all around the Ship. It might cost money, but it would cost lots more to lose what rightfully belongs to the passengers.
The "Alarm Net" could instantly buzz to the surveillance boats on shore and on boats, and the looters would be nabbed and arrested. This action would surely discourage any looter who even thought about going down there. Also, the ship's valuables could be recovered and sold at auctions to at least pay for some of the huge expenses that I'm sure the ship company, government, divers and technicians could share in. What happened to common sense and simple decency!?
The "ships" valuables"?
I think most the valuables belong to the passengers.
Anyone ever heard of pirates?
Yup! And your point being...?
What does a pirate drive while on shore?
A caaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
And why is the pirate on shore?
Cause he was on the Costa Conc-arrrrr-dia!
I thought the spoils always belonged to the company who has the salvage rights....this article..and Marx's imagination seems to be a little flighty.
No-one has salvage rights to the ship except the company that owns her.
Concordia? Check the meaning of that name sports fans. Wow!
I am disgusted that people are even tossing the word 'treasure' around. They just stopped looking for bodies!! I am literally sitting here thinking, WTF?
@Sandy, I agree!
Greed brings out the worst in people. But this happens even within our own families. When my grandma died my uncle and cousins were cleaning out her place before her body was even in the ground. Despicable.
Maybe they can find the captain's nuts.
lol!!
Better have good eyes, they are small.
first i think you have to assume the capt. had them in the first place