Amazing pictures show hulking wreck of the Costa Concordia rusting away in the Mediterranean Sea as massive operation to lift stricken cruise liner begins
- - Refloating the Concordia will be the next phase in the largest maritime salvage in history
- - Thirty massive tanks filled with air will lift the hulk of the liner off the seabed in June
- - The 114,500-tonne vessel hit rocks off Italian island on January 13, 2012, killing 32 people
By LEON WATSON
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Rusting away in the Mediterranean Sea, this is what remains of stricken cruise liner the Costa Concordia.
Two years on from the tragedy that claimed the lives of 32 people, the creaking hulk is still stranded off the island of Giglio where it struck rocks and sank.
Mattresses can still be seen inside the liner and the ship's furniture is visible through shattered windows still in place. Today, officials confirmed the massive 'parbuckling' operation to try and lift it outside Giglio harbour will begin in June.
Thirty massive tanks filled with air will lift the hulk of the Costa Concordia off the seabed so it can be towed away. The 114,500-tonne vessel hit rocks on January 13.
People watch the cruise liner Costa Concordia before the 'parbuckling' operation outside Giglio harbour
Mattresses are seen inside the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia
What happens then is yet to be decided. Last week it was revealed a British port is in the running to dismantle the ship, a mega-contract expected to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
Able Seaton Port on Teeside, near Hartlepool, has been asked to submit a proposal for the vast demolition project, which is expected to take 200 people two years to complete. It estimated value of the contract is more than Euro 300million.
A final judgement will be taken in March but some eight ports are in contention including Able Port on the River Tees, among others in Italy, Norway, Turkey, China and France.
Able UK confirmed that it was in the tender process and said that its yard had previously recycled both a French aircraft carrier and US Government vessels.
Thirty massive tanks filled with air will lift the hulk of the Costa Concordia off the seabed in June so it can be towed away from the
Italian island of Giglio
Tragedy: The 114,500-tonne vessel hit rocks on January 13, 2012, killing 32 people
A shattered window of the saloon. The ship's furniture can been seen still in place
Altogether 12 companies have been invited to bid for the job of breaking up, scrapping and recycling the vessel.
Italy’s environment minister Andrea Orlando told reporters that although it was the government's preferred choice that the contract go to an Italian bidder, it was not in a position to make any demands.
The 114,000-ton ship was wrested from the rocks in September last year in a complicated 19-hour salvage operation, the largest and most expensive of its kind.
A close look at the Costa Concordia wreck for the second anniversary of the tragedy from the ferry connecting the port of Giglio Island with the mainland
People walk past a stone plaque bearing the names of victims killed when cruise liner Costa Concordia capsized
The side of the cruise liner Costa Concordia is pictured during the 'parbuckling' operation
A damaged side of the cruise liner Costa Concordia outside Giglio harbour
The painstaking operation to recover the Costa Concordia begins before the second anniversary of the tragedy tomorrow
Refloating the Concordia will be one more phase in the largest maritime salvage in history
More than 1,000 concrete stacks and six underwater platforms are being used to keep the vessel stable.
To tow the cruise ship away, Costa has rented for three months, at a cost of Euro 30 million euro, the Dockwise Vanguard, the largest semi-submersible vessel in the world.
Michael Thamm, chief executive officer of Costa Crociere, said: 'We are very confident that we can remove this ship within the month of June. This is not very far away - and then a great job will be done.'
Mr Thamm said he expected the cost of the Costa Concordia salvage effort to reach €600m (£496m) by the time it was removed from Giglio.
News of the tender came as Giglio prepares to mark the two year anniversary of the disaster on Monday with a mass and concert commemorating those who lost their lives.
Captain Schettino, is currently standing trial in the Tuscan town of Grosseto charged with multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship.
Hulking wreck: A seagull stands in front of the cruise liner Costa Concordia
More than 1,000 concrete stacks and six underwater platforms are being used to keep the vessel stable
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