Costa Concordia To Be Towed From Giglio In Final Step Of Salvage Operation

The rusted remains of the Costa Concordia are almost ready to be towed from its watery resting place of two-and-a-half years

The doomed liner is now in an upright position, having been refloated using air tanks and series of hydraulic jacks, cables and compartments known as “sponsons”

 Above picture shows the Costa Concordia cruise ship after being refloated using air tanks attached to its sides on July 21, 2014 at the Giglio Island

The ship will be towed on Tuesday by a convoy of 14 vessels, led by the tug boat Blizzard, to a port in Genoa, where it will be broken up for scrap

The salvage of the vessel is believed to be the biggest in maritime history

The Concordia is set to sail 25km (15 miles) from Corsica and close to the islands of Elba and Capri before its expected arrival in Genoa late on Saturday July 26,2014

The Costa Concordia's owners, Costa Crociere, estimate the operation to remove the wreck from the reef and tow it for scrapping will cost 1.5bn euros (£1.2bn; $2bn) in total


Note
 32 people died when the ocean liner slammed into rocks off the coast of Giglio, Italy, in January 2012. Two bodies – a passenger and a crew member – have never been recovered.