The Costa Concordia cruise liner has begun its final voyage, slowly being towed away from the tiny Italian island where it capsized, killing 32 people in 2012.
The Concordia's Italian captain is on trial for multiple manslaughter, causing the wreck on Jan. 13, 2012, and abandoning ship before all aboard were evacuated. The sole defendant in the trial in Tuscany, Francesco Schettino claimed the reef wasn't
A daring engineering operation set the Concordia upright last September in preparation for removal. The salvage master of the entire operation, Nick Sloane, told reporters he was a bit nervous just before boarding the Concordia to monitor the final
Accompanying the tugs and Concordia, moving at a speed of two knots, are several boats to help check for any possible pollution in the waters, which are home to dolphins. The cost of the entire salvage operation including the scrapping is estimated
The tugs are bringing the crippled ship on a four-day journey to Genoa, the northwestern Italian mainland port and home to the ship's owner, Costa Crociere Spa. The vessel will be reduced to scrap at the port.
Sirens on nearby boats wailed and bells on the island tolled just before two tugboats pulled the Concordia away from Giglio's port, where the luxury liner ended up on its side, after striking a reef when its captain steered too close to the island
Representative image
An Italian official has promised that a search will be conducted for the only unrecovered body of the 32 Costa Concordia shipwreck victims as soon as the wrecked cruise liner is towed away from the island where it struck a reef in 2012.
The Tuscan port of Piombino had hoped to win the contract, given the jobs that would be created. But Costa, the consortium handling the project and several ministries said Genoa's port was better suited. Premier Matteo Renzi said Monday the
The Italian government has sided with cruise ship owner Costa Crociere and selected its home base of Genoa as the port where the crippled Costa Concordia ship will be dismantled for scrap.
Shipwrecked Costa Concordia makes final voyage off isle