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| Costa Concordia salvage operation gets under way in Italy | Costa Concordia salvage operation gets under way in Italy |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A salvage team are in the process of attempting to right the stricken Costa Concordia cruise ship, in a precarious, unprecedented operation that is crucial to plans to tow the wreck away in one piece. | |
| Three hours after they were due to begin, engineers – whose plans were delayed by a fierce overnight storm – began an ambitious process of "parbuckling" at 9am local time, that they hope will result in the 114,000-tonne vessel being brought to rest securely on underwater platforms. | |
| Twenty months after the cruise ship crashed into rocks off the coast of the island of Giglio, causing the deaths of 32 people, project manager Sergio Girotto said steel cables being tightened by hydraulic jacks were exerting a force of 2,000 tonnes on the Concordia's rusting hull. That would be increased by 200 tonnes and after each rise engineers would check for movement, he said. | Twenty months after the cruise ship crashed into rocks off the coast of the island of Giglio, causing the deaths of 32 people, project manager Sergio Girotto said steel cables being tightened by hydraulic jacks were exerting a force of 2,000 tonnes on the Concordia's rusting hull. That would be increased by 200 tonnes and after each rise engineers would check for movement, he said. |
| "Everything is going smoothly," added Girotto. But he cautioned: "You will have to wait some time before you can see some change with the naked eye." | "Everything is going smoothly," added Girotto. But he cautioned: "You will have to wait some time before you can see some change with the naked eye." |
| The civil protection agency gave the final go-ahead for the parbuckling on Sunday, saying wind and sea conditions had fallen "within the range of operating feasibility". Initial testing, said senior salvage master Nick Sloane, had shown that "she [the ship] is ready to move". | The civil protection agency gave the final go-ahead for the parbuckling on Sunday, saying wind and sea conditions had fallen "within the range of operating feasibility". Initial testing, said senior salvage master Nick Sloane, had shown that "she [the ship] is ready to move". |
| The project is expected to take between eight and 12 hours. Parbuckling is a common means of salvaging wrecked vessels, but it has never been used on a ship of the Concordia's size – the cruise liner is 290 metres (950ft) long – let alone one balancing precariously on two rock pinnacles on a steep slope. | The project is expected to take between eight and 12 hours. Parbuckling is a common means of salvaging wrecked vessels, but it has never been used on a ship of the Concordia's size – the cruise liner is 290 metres (950ft) long – let alone one balancing precariously on two rock pinnacles on a steep slope. |
| Speaking on Sunday to the hundreds of journalists who have descended on the small Tuscan island, the head of the civil protection agency, Franco Gabrielli, said he was "100%" sure of the operation ending in success. Last week the engineers said there was no plan B. | Speaking on Sunday to the hundreds of journalists who have descended on the small Tuscan island, the head of the civil protection agency, Franco Gabrielli, said he was "100%" sure of the operation ending in success. Last week the engineers said there was no plan B. |
| Aside from the 500-strong team responsible for the salvage mission, those who will be most fervently hoping for a positive result are the relatives of the two people on the ship on the night of 13 January 2012 whose bodies have never been found. | Aside from the 500-strong team responsible for the salvage mission, those who will be most fervently hoping for a positive result are the relatives of the two people on the ship on the night of 13 January 2012 whose bodies have never been found. |
| Elio Vincenzi, from Priolo Gargallo in Sicily, said he was desperately hoping the parbuckling would finally enable divers to locate the body of his wife, Maria Grazia Trecarichi, who had been on the cruise with her daughter, Stefania, for her 50th birthday. | Elio Vincenzi, from Priolo Gargallo in Sicily, said he was desperately hoping the parbuckling would finally enable divers to locate the body of his wife, Maria Grazia Trecarichi, who had been on the cruise with her daughter, Stefania, for her 50th birthday. |
| "Now I just hope to be able to recover my wife's body, to be able to know what happened in those final moments, to be able to caress her before burying her near to her mother, in Sicily, as she wished," Vincenzi told La Repubblica. | "Now I just hope to be able to recover my wife's body, to be able to know what happened in those final moments, to be able to caress her before burying her near to her mother, in Sicily, as she wished," Vincenzi told La Repubblica. |
| The brother of Russel Rebello, an Indian waiter who is also missing, will arrive on the island on Tuesday. On Friday, Kevin Rebello wrote on Facebook: "I would like to take my little brother home." | The brother of Russel Rebello, an Indian waiter who is also missing, will arrive on the island on Tuesday. On Friday, Kevin Rebello wrote on Facebook: "I would like to take my little brother home." |
| Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Concordia whom prosecutors accuse of losing control of the ship while performing a risky "salute" to Giglio, is standing trial for multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship. He denies the charges. Five other Costa Crociere employees have already been convicted of manslaughter. | Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Concordia whom prosecutors accuse of losing control of the ship while performing a risky "salute" to Giglio, is standing trial for multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship. He denies the charges. Five other Costa Crociere employees have already been convicted of manslaughter. |
| The parbuckling is the most important stage so far in the long and much-delayed salvage operation, the cost of which is estimated at more than €600m (£502m) – a figure that may well increase. | |
| If all goes according to plan, the steel chains will be used to rotate the ship 65 degrees and leave it to rest on the series of underwater platforms; which, when placed together, stretch to around 150m in length. | |
| Now that the engineers have begun the operation they cannot stop it – even if they run into problems. | Now that the engineers have begun the operation they cannot stop it – even if they run into problems. |
| "All the forces you're putting on her will cause a lot of deformation, so the weaker elements will deform and some will fracture," Sloane told the Guardian last week. "And if you put it back then that's it, you've lost the chance. You only have one chance from the start." | "All the forces you're putting on her will cause a lot of deformation, so the weaker elements will deform and some will fracture," Sloane told the Guardian last week. "And if you put it back then that's it, you've lost the chance. You only have one chance from the start." |
| If the operation succeeds, the team will be able to move on to the next phase of the salvage — establishing the extent of the damage to the starboard side, attaching additional sponsons, then using the huge steel boxes to add buoyancy to the water-logged ship and help it to refloat. | If the operation succeeds, the team will be able to move on to the next phase of the salvage — establishing the extent of the damage to the starboard side, attaching additional sponsons, then using the huge steel boxes to add buoyancy to the water-logged ship and help it to refloat. |
| If it goes wrong, there are fears it could cause environmental damage due to materials and toxic liquids polluting waters known for their marine life. | If it goes wrong, there are fears it could cause environmental damage due to materials and toxic liquids polluting waters known for their marine life. |
| In total, over 30,000 tonnes of steel have been used for the parbuckling and refloating plans. The salvage is being led by the US company Titan Salvage and Italian engineers Micoperi. | In total, over 30,000 tonnes of steel have been used for the parbuckling and refloating plans. The salvage is being led by the US company Titan Salvage and Italian engineers Micoperi. |
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