A treasure for the taking

February 8, 2012

The search for passengers lost in the wreck of the Costa Concordia in the Mediterranean Sea has been called off, putting the 850-foot ocean liner in a state of limbo; many are watching and waiting for scavengers to begin pillaging it for spoils like artwork that adorned the walls, for passengers' jewels left behind in the rush to lifeboats, for the smallest trinket like dinner plates that can be sold for ghoulish souvenirs.

While the cruise line has opened bidding on salvage rights to the vessel, the wreck has many eyes on it. There are many similar wrecks that have been stripped of any valuables and left in place. Think of the nearby Andrea Doria, another liner than collided with the Stockholm off Nantucket in the 1950s, which is now a favorite scuba diving destination.

Not so public are the wrecks of millions of other boats worldwide, some visible, some unknown.

The port of Alang in the Indian state of Gujarat will see 400 aged and wrecked vessels this year. Their job is to break the massive boats apart for the steel, which is estimated at 180 million gross tons.

The steel salvage process in Alang.

Some ships went down in unknown areas, while others were considered not recoverable. One company, Odyssey Marine, has methodically searched for the most valuable of them, developing cutting-edge marine technology ... read full article Published on February 8th, 2012 by Allison O'Leary Murray