From BBC

Costa Concordia: Stricken ship set upright in Italy

Engineers in Italy have succeeded in setting the cruise ship Costa Concordia upright, 20 months after it ran aground off the island of Giglio.

They said that the unprecedented salvage effort “reached degree zero [vertical], which was our target”.

In the operation that took all of Monday and most of the night, they used cables and metal water tanks to roll the ship onto a platform.

The Costa Concordia capsized in January 2012, killing 32 people.

The bodies of two of the victims of the disaster, by the island of Giglio, have never been found. There are hopes that they may be located during the operation.

Months of work lie ahead, assessing and repairing damage to the ship, before it can be towed away to be destroyed – probably next spring.
‘Perfect’

The ship was declared completely upright shortly after 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT) on Tuesday.

Franco Gabrielli, the head of Italy’s Civil Protection Authority, said the vessel was now sitting on a platform built on the sea bed.

“A perfect operation, I must say,” said Franco Porcellacchia, leader of the technical team for Costa Cruise, the owner of the ship.

He added that no environmental spill had been detected so far – one of the main aims given the pristine waters of the marine sanctuary in which it capsized.

“I think the whole team is proud of what they achieved because a lot of people didn’t think it could be done,” said salvage master Nick Sloane.

When the vessel was finally righted in the early hours of Tuesday morning, there was a giant cheer from people gathered at Giglio harbour, says the BBC’s Matthew Price, and rescue workers have been out celebrating with coffees.

As daylight broke, the now-upright, brown hulk of the ship was visible – its starboard side muddy and crushed from 20 months spent submerged.

Booms and nets were put in place before the operation started – to combat any pollution threat in what is a marine national park.

The 114,000-gross tonnage ship was on Monday raised from rocks on which it had been lying and roll up onto her keel.

More than 50 enormous chains and winches were used to break the ship away from the reef – the process known as parbuckling.

Metal water tanks – caissons – were attached to the exposed side of the ship and filled with water to help right the vessel.

During the marathon operation, the ship could be seen slowly emerging from the water.

The engineers had originally planned to complete the operation by Monday evening, but it had to be delayed by three hours because of a storm.

The procedure was carried out very slowly to prevent further damage to the hull, which spent months partially submerged in 15m (50ft) of water and fully exposed to the elements.

Officials now plan to fully inspect the vessel and begin to prepare the next stage – the effort to repair and refloat it and eventually tow it away to be destroyed.

“It’s not over yet,” said salvage master Mr Sloane.

Engineers have never tried to lift such a huge ship – over 951 feet long (290m) – before.

Huge cost

Five people have been convicted of manslaughter over the disaster. The captain, Francesco Schettino, is currently on trial accused of manslaughter and abandoning ship.

Giglio mayor Sergio Ortelli earlier said that the removal of the Costa Concordia would bring an end to “a huge problem that we have in our port and that we want to solve as soon as we can”.

“Islanders can’t wait to see the back of it,” he said.

The small island’s economy depends hugely on tourism and the presence of the wreck has discouraged visitors.

The salvage project has so far cost more than 600m euros ($800m; £500m) and is expected to cost much more before the operation is complete.

For more on this story go to:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-2412148

 

Navy Yard: Aaron Alexis ‘treated for mental health’

The man who killed 12 people at a Washington DC Navy installation had received treatment for mental health issues, US media report.

Former US Navy reservist Aaron Alexis, 34, was treated for paranoia, hearing voices and sleeplessness, the Associated Press reported.

A military contractor, he had a valid pass for the secure site at the Washington Navy Yard, authorities said.

Alexis was shot and killed by police during the attack.

On Tuesday, the US capital remained in a state of shock and mourning.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel laid a wreath at US Navy Memorial Plaza in honour of the Navy Yard victims.

A Washington Nationals baseball game originally scheduled for Monday night was rescheduled to Tuesday afternoon – the stadium is just blocks from the Navy Yard.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus has ordered a physical security review of all Navy and Marine Corps installations, a Navy official told the BBC.

A senior Democrat in the US House of Representatives said he expected the incident would reignite the nation’s long-standing gun control debate.

“I’m sure that it will renew the discussions about access to weapons that can be used to kill a lot of people quickly,” said Steny Hoyer.

At the White House, where flags are flying at half mast as a mark of respect for the victims, press secretary Jay Carney said President Barack Obama would continue to push for tighter gun control laws in the wake of Monday’s shooting.

Legally purchased shotgun

he shooting began about 8:20 local time (12:20 GMT) on Monday, when a gunman apparently shot his way into the heavily guarded Building 197, headquarters for Naval Sea Systems Command, which builds and maintains ships and submarines for the Navy.

Witnesses said the gunman sprayed bullets in a hallway and fired from a balcony down on to workers in an atrium at the heavily secured installation in the US capital.

He was armed with a shotgun legally purchased in Virginia, as well as one handgun authorities say may have been obtained inside the naval installation.

Previous reports suggested Alexis had used a well-known semiautomatic rifle known as an AR-15 during the shooting. But officials told the Associated Press on Tuesday that although the weapon was found at the scene, it was neither carried nor used by the gunman.

The attack only ended when police stormed the building and shot him dead, police said.

“There is no question he would have kept shooting,” Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier told reporters on Monday.

On Tuesday, authorities said they believed Alexis had acted alone and that all victims – ranging in age from 46 to 73 – had been identified.

Searching for a motive, authorities have begun digging into Alexis’ past.
‘Chequered’ past

As an employee of an IT contractor, Alexis apparently had a card granting him access to the building – even though he had had several run-ins with the law and had been discharged from the Navy under a cloud, authorities said.

“It really is hard to believe that someone with a record as chequered as this man could conceivably get, you know, clearance to get… credentials to be able to get on the base,” Washington DC Mayor Vincent Gray told CNN.

Anthony Little says his brother-in-law Aaron Alexis had “shown no sign” that he could carry out a shooting

Alexis left the Navy as a petty officer 3rd class, after serving full-time in the naval reserve from 2007-11.

He received two routine medals for his service in the Navy: the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

Alexis separated from the Navy reserves under what is called a general discharge, a status that suggests misconduct.

He had been cited for misconduct – including insubordination, disorderly conduct and excessive absences from work – at least eight times during his Navy career, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

According to media reports, Alexis was a Buddhist convert who had had two previous gun-related brushes with the law.

In 2004 he was arrested in Seattle for shooting a construction worker’s car tyres, in what he described as an enraged “black-out”.

Alexis was questioned by Fort Worth police in 2010 after firing his gun through the floor of an upstairs apartment. He said it was an accidental discharge.

Also, in August 2008 he was arrested for disorderly conduct in the state of Georgia, according to the Smoking Gun, a website that collects police and court documents. Details on the incident were not available.

On Tuesday, Alexis’ employer, an IT contractor called The Experts, said the military should have made his record known.

“Anything that suggests criminal problems or mental health issues, that would be a flag. We would not have hired him,” Thomas Hoshko, chief executive officer of firm, told the Washington Post.

The company confirmed Alexis had worked since July at six different military installations and had only been at the Navy Yard for a few days before the shooting.

The victims

Michael Arnold, 59
Sylvia Frasier, 53
Kathleen Gaarde, 62
John Roger Johnson, 73
Frank Kohler, 50
Kenneth Proctor, 46
Vishnu Pandit, 61
Martin Bodrog, 54
Arthur Daniels, 51
Mary Francis Knight, 51
Gerald Read, 58
Richard Michael Ridgell, 52

For more on this story go to:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24129442