The repairs consist of welding steel to the side of the ship – a procedure called a soft patch – to make sure the vessel can withstand operation in the open sea.
The patch, industry sources said, is 230 feet long by about 14 feet wide and will use 100,000 pounds of steel. While authorities had previously reported that the gash was 100 to 160 feet long, maritime executives overseeing the repair say it is actually 200 feet.