PHOTO: The Costa Concordia as it was prepared for its tow to a port in Genoa, italy, where it will be dismantled. (Courtesy of The Parbuckling Project)
Two and a half years after it sank, the rusting wreck of the Costa Concordia finally began its slow departure from the Italian island of Giglio on July 23.
The massive "parbuckling" operation and refloating of the 114,000-ton hull, estimated to be a $2 billion operation when complete, has entered its final stages as the vessel was towed away from Giglio on its way to Genoa. Traveling at a speed of about two knots, the ship is expected to arrive at Genoa Voltri Port on July 26 or 27. It will be dismantled and recycled.
Early July 23, the wreck was disconnected from the towers that steadied it and connected to two tug boats at the bow. The entire operation is believed to be the biggest maritime salvage operation in history.
Costa and the team overseeing the salvage - the Titan Micoperi partnership - have communicated the status of the project every step of the way on a website called The Parbuckling Project and on Twitter. Even now, the site has a live map showing the exact location of the Costa Concordia under tow as well as photos from nine webcams.
As the hull was moved from Giglio Island, environmental monitoring continued to determine if the water or eco-system was polluted. "In the meantime, the results of the analysis performed on the sea waters confirm their quality," according to an update on the parbuckling website. "After Concordia departure, environmental monitoring will continue in the upcoming days. The activities for the environmental remediation will be started immediately, with the sea bed assessment, the removal of the towers, and the first tests on the removal of the grout bags used to create the false sea bed on which the wreck laid before the refloating."
The Costa Concordia capsized Jan. 13, 2012, after striking a rock as it sailed near Giglio. Thirty-two people were killed. The ship's master, Capt. Francesco Schettino, is still facing multiple charges in connection with the tragedy, including causing the shipwreck, manslaughter and abandoning ship.
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