First aerial photos reveal how doomed Costa Concordia has been rolled upright as divers begin grim task of hunting for the missing two bodies
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Salvage officials think Russel Rebello and Maria Grazia Trecarichi's bodies could be found in lifeboat under hull
Engineers confirmed they reached 25 degrees just before midnight and vessel was finally upright by 4am today
The 114,000 tonne ship has been marooned outside Giglio harbour off the coast of Tuscany, Italy, for 20 months
Some 32 people lost their lives on January 13, 2012 when the vessel hit rocks and sank with 4,200 people aboard
Liner was rotated with pulleys and lifted up in the largest and most expensive maritime salvage operation ever
Engineers expect a 'burp' of noxious gases as the ship is lifted and trapped air bubbles are released
Raised the ship by 65 degrees - without it breaking in two - and it's vertical so it can be towed away next spring
Ship's captain Francesco Schettino, aka 'Captain Coward', at home in Naples preparing to face trial over disaster
PUBLISHED:02:46 EST, 16 September 2013| UPDATED:03:34 EST, 18 September 2013
These dramatic images shed new light on the biggest ever salvage operation of a passenger ship - an epic effort that took 19 hours.
The satellite photographs were released as salvagers declared the unprecedented operation a success and the hunt for the last two missing Costa Concordia passengers got underway.
Officials believe the bodies of waiter Russel Rebello and passenger Maria GraziaTrecarichi could be found in a lifeboat beneath the ship’s hull.
It was hoped that their remains would become visible as the complex system of cables and hydraulics hauled the vessel - on which 32 lives
From above: A European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company image shows the operation on the Costa Concordia cruise ship, taken by the Astrium satellite
Recovery: This EADS image shows another view of the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship after it was turned upright in the harbour of Isola de Giglio
Successful: Rotating the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship is believed to be one of the biggest maritime salvage operations in history
Wide view: The severly damaged side of the stricken Costa Concordia is visible after the parbuckling operation succesfully uprighted the ship around 4am
Upright again: The recovery of the ship Costa Concordia shipwreck was successfully completed early this morning off the island of Giglio
Destroyed: Work began to right the stricken Costa Concordia vessel, which sank in January 2012. If the operation is successful, it will then be towed away and scrapped
Vertical: Rust and grime covers one half of the Costa Concordia after the stricken vessel was winched upright after more than a year resting on its side in Giglion harbour
What happens next: The damage must be repaired to stabilize the ship so it can withstand the coming winter, when seas and winds will whip the liner
'Perfect' effort: The crippled cruise ship was pulled completely upright after a complicated, 19-hour operation to wrench it from its side where it capsized last year
Salvage teams worked through the night for 19 hours - and decks eventually became visible after being underwater for 20 months since it went down off the coast Tuscany, Italy.
The vessel is covered in rust and stained by the sea, while all the windows which were submerged in Giglio harbour, have been shattered.
Kevin Rebello, the waiter's brother, and Elio Vincenzi, the passenger's husband, were expected to arrive on the island today.
'I haven't slept since yesterday,' Kevin Rebello said in an interview in Rome. 'It's taken 20 months. If it takes another 20 hours, for me it's worth the wait.'
Stages: A minute-long time-lapse video reveals the impressive £500million parbuckling effort to right the Costa Concordia off the Italian island of Giglio
Lifted up: Salvage experts started the rotation of the ship yesterday at around 9am, before the cruise liner was finally laid to rest on an underwater mattress today at 4am
Falling apart: A detail of the shipwrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia in an upright position after the salvage operations in Giglio island, Italy
Finally above water: The wrecked side of the Costa Concordia, which has been submerged under water for the last 20 months, was finally visible this morning
Reporting: Broadcast crew work in front of the wreckage of Italy's Costa Concordia cruise ship near the harbour of Giglio Porto
Dedication: The wreck of Italy's Costa Concordia was finally upright this morning after salvage crews worked through the night to complete the 19-hour operation
Lifted up: The severly damaged side of the stricken Costa Concordia is visible after the parbuckling operation succesfully uprighted the ship
Above sea level: Work began yesterday to right the stricken Costa Concordia vessel, which sank on January 12, 2012
Operation: A detail of the right side of the Costa Concordia is seen after it was lifted upright on the Tuscan Island of Giglio, Italy, early this morning
Wreckage: The damaged side of the capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia is seen at the end of the 'parbuckling' operation outside Giglio harbour
Effects of marine life: The damaged side of the capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia is seen at the end of the 'parbuckling' operation outside Giglio harbour
Looking on: Salvage crews have completed one of the most difficult and expensive wreck recovery projects ever performed
All in one piece: The capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia is seen at the end of the 'parbuckling' operation outside Giglio harbour
Big job: The crippled cruise ship was pulled completely upright early this morning after a complicated, 19-hour operation to wrench it from its side where it capsized
Operation: The hunt for the last two missing Costa Concordia passengers was today under way after the ship was finally pulled upright early this morning
First of its kind: The procedure, known as parbuckling, has never been carried out on a vessel as large as Costa Concordia before
THE LAST TWO MISSING BODIES
Russel Rebello (right) was a waiter on board the ship and a married father-of-two from Mumbai, India.
The 33 year old - who had been working on the Costa Concordia for a few months before the incident - was praised for his heroism in saving lives before he died when the cruise liner sank.
He even gave one survivor his own lifejacket - and was last seen as he made his way to a muster station at a restaurant on the ship.
His brother Kevin Rebello, said that he hopes he can one day bring his brother home to Mumbai ‘to give him a decent burial’.
Passenger Maria Grazia Trecarichi was celebrating her 50th birthday on the ship with her 17-year-old daughter Stefania.
They boarded different lifeboats because Mrs Trecarichi (above), from Sicily, was cold and had gone below deck to get a jacket. Stefania survived.
Elio Vincenzi, her husband, said: ‘I am still hoping to find my wife. This is a tense wait for me and for my daughter.'
And Mr Vincenzi said: ‘I am still hoping to find my wife. This is a tense wait for me and for my daughter.'
Despite fears the ship may break apart before it reached the crucial angle of 65 degrees, the operation has gone smoothly, but slower than expected.
The £500million salvage effort is said to be the largest in maritime history, but there will be no saving the £370million liner - destined for the scrapyard.
Local residents and survivors said that there was an eerie feeling as the ship rose - and some said the sight reminded them of the tragedy.
‘Seeing it re-emerge is emotional for me,’ said survivor Luciano Castro. ‘I could not miss it. That ship could have been my end and instead I am here.'
The operation will not be complete until the vessel is towed away from the island - probably by next spring, after a full survey is done on the wreckage.
Shortly after 4am today, a foghorn wailed on Giglio island and the head of Italy's Civil Protection agency announced that the ship had reached vertical.
Franco Gabrielli added that the operation to rotate the cruise liner - known in nautical terms as parbuckling - was complete.
Some 36 giant cables were placed across the hull to drag up the ship - and enormous tanks were welded onto its side and filled with water to act as ballast.
'We completed the parbuckling operation a few minutes ago the way we thought it would happen and the way we hoped it would happen,' said Franco Porcellacchia, project manager for the Concordia's owner, Costa Crociere Spa.
'A perfect operation, I must say.'
No environmental spill has been detected so far, he said. Applause rang out among firefighters in the tent where the engineers made the announcement.
An hour later, Nick Sloane, the South African chief salvage master, received a hero's welcome as he came ashore from the barge that had served as the floating command control room for the operation.
Lost hero: Russel Rebello, a married father-of-two from Mumbai, India had only been employed on the Costa Concordia for a few months as a waiter when the ship sank
Still missing: Russel Rebello was praised for his heroism in saving lives before he died when the cruise liner sank
Up close: Local residents and survivors said that there was an eerie feeling as the ship rose - and some said the sight reminded them of the tragedy
The operation continues: Workers on a boat sail past the Costa Concordia ship after it was lifted upright, on the Tuscan Island of Giglio, Italy
Inspection: Members of US company Titan Salvage and Italian firm Micoperi look at the damaged side of the wreckage of Italy's Costa Concordia cruise ship
Mission: Salvage experts started the rotation of the ship yesterday at around 9am, before the ship was finally laid to rest on an underwater mattress today at 4am
Difficult task: The Concordia's submerged side suffered significant damage during the 20 months it bore the weight of the ship on the jagged reef
Rusty: Salvage operators in Italy lifted the Costa Concordia cruise ship upright from its watery grave off the island of Giglio in the biggest ever project of its kind
Damage: The vessel is covered in rust and stained by the sea, while all the windows which were submerged in Giglio harbour, Italy, have been shattered
Smashed: Damaged windows of the wreckage of Italy's Costa Concordia cruise ship near the harbour of Giglio Porto
Brought up: The Costa Concordia ship is seen after it was lifted upright, on the Tuscan Island of Giglio, Italy, this morning
Back up: As the ship rose from the depths, decks which have been underwater for 20 months since the ship went down with the loss of 32 lives, became visible
Wreck: The previously sunken side of the Costa Concordia is covered in rust and stained by the sea while all the windows are shattered
Detail: The Costa Concordia vessel is covered in rust and stained by the sea while all the windows which were submerged are shattered
Momentous occasion: A foghorn sounded across the harbour of Giglio Porto as 4am this morning to mark the moment the Costa Concordia completed its 65 degree rotation
Breaking dawn: The upright wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship can be seen as the sun rises over Giglio in Italy this morning
As day breaks: The Costa Concordia cruise liner is seen after it was lifted upright, on the Tuscan Island of Giglio, Italy, early Tuesday morning
Picture perfect: The ship was wrenched from its side where it capsized last year off Tuscany, with officials declaring it a 'perfect' end to a daring engineering feat
'Brilliant! Perfetto,' Sloane said, using some of the Italian he has learned over the past year on Giglio preparing for Tuesday's operation.
'It was a struggle, a bit of a roller coaster. But for the whole team it was fantastic.'
The Concordia slammed into a reef off Giglio Island on January 13, 2012, after the captain brought it too close to shore.
The cruise ship drifted, listed and capsized just off the island's port, killing 32 people.
Standing straight: The Costa Concordia after it was lifted upright, on the Tuscan Island of Giglio, Italy, in the early hours Tuesday morning
Close up: The crippled cruise ship was pulled completely upright early Tuesday morning after a 19-hour operation to wrench it from its side. Officials declaring it a 'perfect' end to a daring and unprecedented engineering feat
Complicated operation: Salvage workers attempt to raise the cruise ship last night by 'parbuckling' - rotating the ship by a series of cables and hydraulic machines
Surveying the damage: The severely damaged side of the stricken Costa Concordia is visible after the parbuckling operation successfully put the cruise ship upright this morning
Steady progress: Engineers managed to raise the ship 25 degrees during the course of the day and said they hoped things would get easier as gravity starts to take effect
Carefully watched: Every minute of the lengthy operation has been followed by the world's media, pictured, who have descended on Giglio and camped out overnight
Engineers are now using remote controls to carefully open valves to let seawater start filling huge ballast tanks that had been welded onto the already exposed side so the weight of the water in the tanks helped pull the cruise liner up much faster
Giglio was hit by an electrical storm yesterday which delayed the start of the winching by three hours and it was a further three hours before the huge system of pulleys, counterweights and chains eased the cruise liner free.
The salvage operation involved engineers using the technique known as 'parbuckling', rotating the vessel using a series of cables and hydraulic machines.
‘After applying 6,000 tons of force, we saw the detachment of the ship from the reef,’ said engineering chief Sergio Girotto.
In an unprecedented maritime salvage operation, engineers on Monday gingerly wrestled the hull of the shipwrecked Costa Concordia off the Italian reef where the cruise ship has been stuck since January 2012
Losing light: As work continues into the night the top desk is now almost entirely visible above the waves for the first time since January 2012
Engineers inspect parts of Costa Concordia which have lain underwater for nearly two years - the salvage operation was underway yesterday off the coast of Giglio island
Emerging from the depths: The distinctive marks and broken windows show exactly where the water level stopped even as it is gradually turned upright
The capsized Costa Concordia liner is pictured several hours in to the £500m operation to right the vessel which is involving engineers from 24 different countries
The shipwrecked cruise Costa Concordia before the start of parbucking (top) and after the salvage work starts (bottom), showing the rusty yellowish-stain (circled) where it at rested, during the ongoing operation in Giglio
The rusty yellowish-stain line on the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship after (L) and before (R) it was slowly lifted during salvage works
The line of rust, left, shows the progress of efforts to move the enormous ship and right, taken 92 minutes after the top picture, the bottom image shows the painfully slow process of lifting the Costa Concordia off its side
Winching the liner upright was expected to take up to 12 hours, but a threat of tangles in the steel cables last night delayed the operation, which was eventually completed after 19 hours.
The final phase of the rotation went remarkably fast as gravity began to kick in and pull the ship toward its normal vertical position.
Parbuckling is a standard operation to right capsized ships. But never before had it been used on such a huge cruise liner. The Concordia is expected to be floated away from Giglio in the spring and turned into scrap.
Sloane said an initial inspection of the starboard side, covered in brown slime from its 20 months underwater while the ship was stuck on a rocky seabed perch, indicated serious damage that must be fixed in the coming weeks and months. The damage he said was caused by both the capsizing and the operation to rotate the ship.
A general view shows the shipwrecked cruise Costa Concordia before(R) and during (L) the salvage work, showing the rusty yellowish-stain where it at rested, during the ongoing operation in Giglio island
The Concordia was lying on its side on an underwater reef. An underwater platform was built on which the ship will come to rest as a system of jacks and cables haul it upright
Dozens of crank-like pulleys slowly rotated the ship upright at a rate of about 3 metres per hour, while steel chains weighing 17,000 tons have been looped under the vessel to help pull it upright
The deck of the liner was revealed as the salvage operation continued throughout the afternoon yesterday - by lunchtime the ship had been tilted back three degrees, with 62 degrees to go
Engineers from around the world have worked to attach cables to water tanks ('caissons') on the port side of the ship to pull it upright and then keep it afloat
Slowly, the submerged part of the ship was winched above water three hours into the salvage operation - but there was no sign yet of the two people still missing
Islanders on Giglio are delighted to see the operation to 'parbuckle' (set straight) the Costa Concordia is finally underway, 20 months after the liner sank off the coast
This shot shows the scale of the operation to right the half-submerged vessel - the water-filled caissons and pulley system can be seen on the right of the shot
The 114,000-tonne cruise liner's swimming pools could be seen on the deck as the Italian cruise ship was slowly rotated in the £500m salvage operation yesterday
Massive operation: Work is now underway to right the stricken Costa Concordia liner, 20 months after it hit a reef and sank off the coast of Tuscany, at a cost of 32 lives
Journalists and residents on the picturesque fishing island watch this morning as the salvage operation gets underway - islanders are keen to get the ship moved
Hundreds of cables are attached to caissons - metal tanks on the side of the ship filled with water that are being used as ballast to winch the vessel upright
The sun rose over the Tuscan coast yesterday morning as engineers prepared to launch the largest and most expensive rescue operation in maritime history
Delicate operation: The engineers working to right the ship hope it can be towed ashore next spring and dismantled for scrap
Members of the US salvage firm Titan and Italian firm Micoperi work on the wreck of the Costa Concordia near Giglio Porto yesterday morning after the delayed operation began
A raft of vessels was in place outside Giglio harbour yesterday to assist with what is the biggest and most expensive maritime rescue operation in history
'We have to do a really detailed inspection of the damage,' to determine how to shore it up so it can withstand towing.
But he seemed confident: 'She was strong enough to come up like this, she's strong enough to be towed.'
The island was crowded yesterday with people watching the spectacle. Its harbour, Giglio Porto, was closed to the public but dozens surveyed the scene from the cliffs.
Residents of the tiny island of Giglio expressed their delight at the shadow of the disaster finally being lifted.
‘We are still in shock from that night,’ said Assunta Schiafino, a cafe worker, who remembers the terror of the 4,000 passengers made to abandon the listing ship in the dark. ‘There were thousands of them here on the port and all our doors were open to help them. It changed all our lives for ever.'
Annaretta Badari and Virgini Feramola from Reggio Emiglia in northern Italy have been holidaying on the island for 20 years, but were put off after the shipwreck. They came back to watch the salvage operation.
‘It’s caused enormous anguish for people here,’ said Mrs Badari. ‘I hope that they manage to take it away and that they find something off the two missing people. We will pray for the relatives.’
The starboard side of the ship, which was raised 65 degrees in the operation, must now be stabilized to enable crews to attach empty tanks on the side that will later be used to help float the vessel away.
It must also be made strong enough to withstand the winter storm season, when high seas and gusts will likely buffet the 115,000-ton, 300-metre (1,000-foot) long liner.
After receiving cheers, embraces and a kiss from his wife on shore, Sloane said he wanted to get some sleep, a beer 'and maybe a barbeque tomorrow'.
'I think the whole team is proud of what they achieved,' he said as he was mobbed by well-wishers and television crews.
Helping the Concordia to weather the winter is an artificial platform on the seabed that was constructed to support the ship's flat keel. 'The ship is resting on its platform,' Gabrielli said.
About an hour before the rotation was complete, observers said the boat seemed to suddenly settle down on its new perch.
Residents on the small fishing island are keen to see the ship righted and towed away - it has lain offshore for 20 months now and they see it as a depressing blot on their picturesque landscape
The operation to raise the Costa Concordia began at 8am UK time yesterday after it was delayed by fierce electrical storms that hit the island of Giglio overnight
The deck of the boat - including one of its swimming pools, left, could be seen by onlookers onshore as the vessel was slowly raised
Fierce and unexpected electrical storms overnight had cleared the skies ahead of the rescue operation - engineers will use a technique called 'parbuckling' to raise the ship
Workers have put anti-pollution floating barriers around the shipwreck, designed to absorb any toxic waste that might leak as it it raised - but Greenpeace say such barriers will not prevent pollution
Mayor Sergio Ortelli said the island felt a wave of relief as soon as the Concordia was freed from the reef in the initial hours of the operation. But he said there was also the realisation that two bodies have yet to be found, with a fresh search to be launched now.
The Concordia's captain is on trial for alleged manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship during the chaotic and delayed evacuation.
Captain Francesco Schettino claims the reef wasn't on the nautical charts for the liner's week-long Mediterranean cruise.
It emerged yesterday afternoon that Schettino, who was at the command of the ship when it ran aground, is not on the island for the historic righting of his liner.
Schettino, universally known as Captain Coward after allegedly abandoning ship with 300 passengers still aboard, is reportedly at his home near Naples, preparing for his trial which will resume on September 23 and refusing even to speak to friends.
Carlo Sassi, Schettino’s spokesman told the Italian news agency ANSA: ‘He is not even talking to me. It’s months since we last spoke. He doesn’t call me any more. He doesn’t want to listen any more - perhaps it is the new defensive line of his new legal team.’
Costa is a division of Miami-based Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise company.
Engineers worked on the bow of the Costa Concordia this morning ahead of the massive salvage operation - workers from 24 countries are involved in the project
The team in charge of the salvage operation was keen to move the shipwreck before the autumn storms arrived and broke it up even more
This is the biggest such maritime salvage operation ever undertaken, and engineers are hoping the ship will not splinter or leak toxic materials as it is winched upright
The Costa Concordia's progress is being watched by residents on the fishing island of Giglio - the presence of the stricken craft has been an unhappy reminder of the tragedy last January and locals are glad to see the wreck go
Next spring, when engineers hope to float the ship away, they will gradually empty the water tanks until the ship is buoyant enough to float away, with the empty tanks on each side acting as a giant pair of water wings.
Officials are predicting a massive ‘burp’ of noxious gases as the ship is lifted and air-bubbles beneath the surface are released.
Civil protection engineer Francesco Campopiano said ‘There is a hypothesis that due to the decomposition of organic matter, sulphurous gases will be released that will smell like rotting eggs.
'Imagine you had meat in the refrigerator and left it for a week. That’s what it will smell like.'
Fuel was siphoned out of the ship soon after it sank, but there still remains fuel and toxic waste on board, so an absorbent barrier has been placed around the ship to catch any leaks during the salvage operation.
Despite ecologists' fears, no major pollution has been detected in the waters near the ship so far, but campaigners have warned that even in the best case scenario, the pollution equivalent to a small town would be emitted during the parbuckling operation.
South African Nick Sloane, 52, is the senior salvage master for Titan, the American salvage company which, together with Italian firm Micoperi, is charged with raising the stricken vessel and towing it back to shore
Italian Admiral Stefano Tortora is overseeing the massive rescue operation off the coast of the Tuscan island of Giglio
Workers stand in front of the Costa Concordia lying on its side in the Mediterranean yesterday morning, shortly before the salvage operation began
An underwater platform has been built on which the 114,00-tonne ship will come to rest as jacks and underwater cables haul it upright in the rescue operation
According to official figures a perfect parbuckling operation will still cause the at-sea dispersion of 80,000 cubic metres of liquid, a third of those currently contained in the vessel.
Alessandro Giannì, campaigns director of Greenpeace Italy, said: ‘We are rooting for everything to go well. But we have to be realistic. These liquids, which have become ever more toxic over the 20 months inside the ship, include tonnes of organic substances and other potentially carcinogenic chemicals: adhesives, detergents, flame retardants.
'It's as if you accidentally discharged the sewage and furnishings of a town of five thousand inhabitants into the sea.'
'Even in the best-case scenario the pollution equivalent to small town would be emitted. It’s difficult to say how long it will take to get back to normality: Exxon mobile took 20 years.
However, engineers have dismissed as 'remote' the possibility that the Concordia might break apart and no longer be sound enough to be towed to the mainland to be turned into scrap.
Reporters from around the world gathered at Giglio harbour to watch the massive salvage operation of the Costa Concordia - engineers said it would be at least an hour before any visible movement
Sergio Ortelli, the mayor of Giglio, said residents of the island were keen to see the ship removed.
He said the stricken ship lying offshore was a problem they wanted 'to solve as soon as we can', and added: 'Islanders can't wait to see the back of it.'
Residents of the fishing island have watched for more than a year from the shore as cranes and barges have moved into place to try to remove the hulk from their port.
Some gathered this morning on a breakwater to witness the operation getting underway, and the local paper headline read 'We're Holding Our Breath'
The ship has been marooned and half-sunk off the coast of Tuscany for 20 months, and footage filmed by divers shows the former deck where passengers once sunbathed turned on its side, with dinner plates, cutlery, shoes and sun loungers scattered across the seabed.
Thirty-two people died when the ship, with 4,200 passengers and crew onboard, hit rocks and ran aground off the island of Giglio after an ill-judged 'salute' to inhabitants by the ship’s captain.
The USS Oklahoma was parbuckled by the US military in 1943 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, but the 1,000ft Concordia has been described as the largest cruise ship ever to capsize and subsequently require the complex rotation.
Haunting images taken by divers' video cameras show the ship's rooms, complete with mirrors, hairdryers and other items used by the ship's 4,200 passengers before it sank in January 2012
Chairs covered with tablecloths lie on the seabed close to the Italian island of Giglio where the Costa Concordia has lain for a year-and-a-half - 32 people lost their lives in the disaster
Four Costa Concordia crew members and a Costa Cruises company official were sentenced to jail in July for their part in the accident, and the ship's captain Francesco Schettino (above) remains on trial for manslaughter and causing the loss of the ship
Passengers onboard the cruise ship Costa Concordia wait to be evacuated after it ran aground off the island of Giglio last year - of the 4,200 people aboard, 32 died
This aerial view of the Costa Concordia gives an idea of the scale of the operation facing the Italian and American engineers tasked with raising the huge ship from the seabed
COSTA CONCORDIA TRAGEDY: THE FACTS AND FIGURES
The Costa Concordia cruise liner hit a reef off the Italian island of Giglio on the night of 13 January 2012 after its captain, Francesco Schettino, had deviated from the ship's course to make an unplanned salute to the islanders.
There were 4,252 passengers and crew on board from countries around the world on what should have been the first leg of a cruise around the Mediterranean, starting from Civitavecchia in Lazio.
When the ship hit the reef the crashing sound could be heard, and it cut a 230ft long gash in the ship's hull, letting seawater rush in and making the vessel tilt so dramatically that many of the lifeboats on one side could not be launched.
This picture, taken this morning, shows engineers beginning their operation to right the stricken cruise ship that sank with the loss of 32 lives in January last year
There was a temporary power blackout on board as water flooded the engine room, and as the ship listed over, many people jumped into the water to swim for shore, while others were rescued by lifeboat and helicopters.
The ship's captain decided not to call Giglio harbour for emergency help initially - instead, he tried to reverse the vessel's course, and only eventually ordered evacuation after an hour when the ship grounded after listing in the water.
Meanwhile passengers had already called emergency services and in the ensuing six-hour rescue operation, most people were safely brought to shore. Thirty-two died and two are still unaccounted for - engineers working to right the ship today are hoping to locate the two bodies in the wreckage.
Dubbed 'Italy's most hated man' and 'Captain Coward', Schettino is currently on trial over charges of multiple manslaughter, abandoning ship and causing a shipwreck. He claims the reef he hit wasn't on the nautical charts for the cruise.
Costa Concordia was operated by Costa Cruises, which offered €11,000 compensation to each passenger - a third of them have so far taken up this offer.
First aerial photos reveal how doomed Costa Concordia has been rolled upright as divers begin grim task of hunting for the missing two bodies
- Salvage officials think Russel Rebello and Maria Grazia Trecarichi's bodies could be found in lifeboat under hull
- Engineers confirmed they reached 25 degrees just before midnight and vessel was finally upright by 4am today
- The 114,000 tonne ship has been marooned outside Giglio harbour off the coast of Tuscany, Italy, for 20 months
- Some 32 people lost their lives on January 13, 2012 when the vessel hit rocks and sank with 4,200 people aboard
- Liner was rotated with pulleys and lifted up in the largest and most expensive maritime salvage operation ever
- Engineers expect a 'burp' of noxious gases as the ship is lifted and trapped air bubbles are released
- Raised the ship by 65 degrees - without it breaking in two - and it's vertical so it can be towed away next spring
- Ship's captain Francesco Schettino, aka 'Captain Coward', at home in Naples preparing to face trial over disaster
By
Hannah Roberts In Giglio,
Mark Duell and
Harriet Arkell
PUBLISHED:02:46 EST, 16 September 2013|
UPDATED:03:34 EST, 18 September 2013
These dramatic images shed new light on the biggest ever salvage operation of a passenger ship - an epic effort that took 19 hours.
The satellite photographs were released as salvagers declared the unprecedented operation a success and the hunt for the last two missing Costa Concordia passengers got underway.
Officials believe the bodies of waiter Russel Rebello and passenger Maria Grazia Trecarichi could be found in a lifeboat beneath the ship’s hull.
It was hoped that their remains would become visible as the complex system of cables and hydraulics hauled the vessel - on which 32 lives were lost - from its side.
Scroll down for videos
From above: A European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company image shows the operation on the Costa Concordia cruise ship, taken by the Astrium satellite
Recovery: This EADS image shows another view of the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship after it was turned upright in the harbour of Isola de Giglio
Successful: Rotating the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship is believed to be one of the biggest maritime salvage operations in history
Wide view: The severly damaged side of the stricken Costa Concordia is visible after the parbuckling operation succesfully uprighted the ship around 4am
Upright again: The recovery of the ship Costa Concordia shipwreck was successfully completed early this morning off the island of Giglio
Destroyed: Work began to right the stricken Costa Concordia vessel, which sank in January 2012. If the operation is successful, it will then be towed away and scrapped
Vertical: Rust and grime covers one half of the Costa Concordia after the stricken vessel was winched upright after more than a year resting on its side in Giglion harbour
What happens next: The damage must be repaired to stabilize the ship so it can withstand the coming winter, when seas and winds will whip the liner
'Perfect' effort: The crippled cruise ship was pulled completely upright after a complicated, 19-hour operation to wrench it from its side where it capsized last year
Salvage teams worked through the night for 19 hours - and decks eventually became visible after being underwater for 20 months since it went down off the coast Tuscany, Italy.
The vessel is covered in rust and stained by the sea, while all the windows which were submerged in Giglio harbour, have been shattered.
Kevin Rebello, the waiter's brother, and Elio Vincenzi, the passenger's husband, were expected to arrive on the island today.
'I haven't slept since yesterday,' Kevin Rebello said in an interview in Rome. 'It's taken 20 months. If it takes another 20 hours, for me it's worth the wait.'
Stages: A minute-long time-lapse video reveals the impressive £500million parbuckling effort to right the Costa Concordia off the Italian island of Giglio
Lifted up: Salvage experts started the rotation of the ship yesterday at around 9am, before the cruise liner was finally laid to rest on an underwater mattress today at 4am
Falling apart: A detail of the shipwrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia in an upright position after the salvage operations in Giglio island, Italy
Finally above water: The wrecked side of the Costa Concordia, which has been submerged under water for the last 20 months, was finally visible this morning
Reporting: Broadcast crew work in front of the wreckage of Italy's Costa Concordia cruise ship near the harbour of Giglio Porto
Dedication: The wreck of Italy's Costa Concordia was finally upright this morning after salvage crews worked through the night to complete the 19-hour operation
Lifted up: The severly damaged side of the stricken Costa Concordia is visible after the parbuckling operation succesfully uprighted the ship
Above sea level: Work began yesterday to right the stricken Costa Concordia vessel, which sank on January 12, 2012
Operation: A detail of the right side of the Costa Concordia is seen after it was lifted upright on the Tuscan Island of Giglio, Italy, early this morning
Wreckage: The damaged side of the capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia is seen at the end of the 'parbuckling' operation outside Giglio harbour
Effects of marine life: The damaged side of the capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia is seen at the end of the 'parbuckling' operation outside Giglio harbour
Looking on: Salvage crews have completed one of the most difficult and expensive wreck recovery projects ever performed
All in one piece: The capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia is seen at the end of the 'parbuckling' operation outside Giglio harbour
Big job: The crippled cruise ship was pulled completely upright early this morning after a complicated, 19-hour operation to wrench it from its side where it capsized
Operation: The hunt for the last two missing Costa Concordia passengers was today under way after the ship was finally pulled upright early this morning
First of its kind: The procedure, known as parbuckling, has never been carried out on a vessel as large as Costa Concordia before
THE LAST TWO MISSING BODIES
Russel Rebello (right) was a waiter on board the ship and a married father-of-two from Mumbai, India.
The 33 year old - who had been working on the Costa Concordia for a few months before the incident - was praised for his heroism in saving lives before he died when the cruise liner sank.
He even gave one survivor his own lifejacket - and was last seen as he made his way to a muster station at a restaurant on the ship.
His brother Kevin Rebello, said that he hopes he can one day bring his brother home to Mumbai ‘to give him a decent burial’.
Passenger Maria Grazia Trecarichi was celebrating her 50th birthday on the ship with her 17-year-old daughter Stefania.
They boarded different lifeboats because Mrs Trecarichi (above), from Sicily, was cold and had gone below deck to get a jacket. Stefania survived.
Elio Vincenzi, her husband, said: ‘I am still hoping to find my wife. This is a tense wait for me and for my daughter.'
And Mr Vincenzi said: ‘I am still hoping to find my wife. This is a tense wait for me and for my daughter.'
Despite fears the ship may break apart before it reached the crucial angle of 65 degrees, the operation has gone smoothly, but slower than expected.
The £500million salvage effort is said to be the largest in maritime history, but there will be no saving the £370million liner - destined for the scrapyard.
Local residents and survivors said that there was an eerie feeling as the ship rose - and some said the sight reminded them of the tragedy.
‘Seeing it re-emerge is emotional for me,’ said survivor Luciano Castro. ‘I could not miss it. That ship could have been my end and instead I am here.'
The operation will not be complete until the vessel is towed away from the island - probably by next spring, after a full survey is done on the wreckage.
Shortly after 4am today, a foghorn wailed on Giglio island and the head of Italy's Civil Protection agency announced that the ship had reached vertical.
Franco Gabrielli added that the operation to rotate the cruise liner - known in nautical terms as parbuckling - was complete.
Some 36 giant cables were placed across the hull to drag up the ship - and enormous tanks were welded onto its side and filled with water to act as ballast.
'We completed the parbuckling operation a few minutes ago the way we thought it would happen and the way we hoped it would happen,' said Franco Porcellacchia, project manager for the Concordia's owner, Costa Crociere Spa.
'A perfect operation, I must say.'
No environmental spill has been detected so far, he said. Applause rang out among firefighters in the tent where the engineers made the announcement.
An hour later, Nick Sloane, the South African chief salvage master, received a hero's welcome as he came ashore from the barge that had served as the floating command control room for the operation.
Lost hero: Russel Rebello, a married father-of-two from Mumbai, India had only been employed on the Costa Concordia for a few months as a waiter when the ship sank
Still missing: Russel Rebello was praised for his heroism in saving lives before he died when the cruise liner sank
Up close: Local residents and survivors said that there was an eerie feeling as the ship rose - and some said the sight reminded them of the tragedy
The operation continues: Workers on a boat sail past the Costa Concordia ship after it was lifted upright, on the Tuscan Island of Giglio, Italy
Inspection: Members of US company Titan Salvage and Italian firm Micoperi look at the damaged side of the wreckage of Italy's Costa Concordia cruise ship
Mission: Salvage experts started the rotation of the ship yesterday at around 9am, before the ship was finally laid to rest on an underwater mattress today at 4am
Difficult task: The Concordia's submerged side suffered significant damage during the 20 months it bore the weight of the ship on the jagged reef
Rusty: Salvage operators in Italy lifted the Costa Concordia cruise ship upright from its watery grave off the island of Giglio in the biggest ever project of its kind
Damage: The vessel is covered in rust and stained by the sea, while all the windows which were submerged in Giglio harbour, Italy, have been shattered
Smashed: Damaged windows of the wreckage of Italy's Costa Concordia cruise ship near the harbour of Giglio Porto
Brought up: The Costa Concordia ship is seen after it was lifted upright, on the Tuscan Island of Giglio, Italy, this morning
Back up: As the ship rose from the depths, decks which have been underwater for 20 months since the ship went down with the loss of 32 lives, became visible
Wreck: The previously sunken side of the Costa Concordia is covered in rust and stained by the sea while all the windows are shattered
Detail: The Costa Concordia vessel is covered in rust and stained by the sea while all the windows which were submerged are shattered
Momentous occasion: A foghorn sounded across the harbour of Giglio Porto as 4am this morning to mark the moment the Costa Concordia completed its 65 degree rotation
Breaking dawn: The upright wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship can be seen as the sun rises over Giglio in Italy this morning
As day breaks: The Costa Concordia cruise liner is seen after it was lifted upright, on the Tuscan Island of Giglio, Italy, early Tuesday morning
Picture perfect: The ship was wrenched from its side where it capsized last year off Tuscany, with officials declaring it a 'perfect' end to a daring engineering feat
'Brilliant! Perfetto,' Sloane said, using some of the Italian he has learned over the past year on Giglio preparing for Tuesday's operation.
'It was a struggle, a bit of a roller coaster. But for the whole team it was fantastic.'
The Concordia slammed into a reef off Giglio Island on January 13, 2012, after the captain brought it too close to shore.
The cruise ship drifted, listed and capsized just off the island's port, killing 32 people.
Standing straight: The Costa Concordia after it was lifted upright, on the Tuscan Island of Giglio, Italy, in the early hours Tuesday morning
Close up: The crippled cruise ship was pulled completely upright early Tuesday morning after a 19-hour operation to wrench it from its side. Officials declaring it a 'perfect' end to a daring and unprecedented engineering feat
Complicated operation: Salvage workers attempt to raise the cruise ship last night by 'parbuckling' - rotating the ship by a series of cables and hydraulic machines
Surveying the damage: The severely damaged side of the stricken Costa Concordia is visible after the parbuckling operation successfully put the cruise ship upright this morning
Steady progress: Engineers managed to raise the ship 25 degrees during the course of the day and said they hoped things would get easier as gravity starts to take effect
Carefully watched: Every minute of the lengthy operation has been followed by the world's media, pictured, who have descended on Giglio and camped out overnight
Engineers are now using remote controls to carefully open valves to let seawater start filling huge ballast tanks that had been welded onto the already exposed side so the weight of the water in the tanks helped pull the cruise liner up much faster
Giglio was hit by an electrical storm yesterday which delayed the start of the winching by three hours and it was a further three hours before the huge system of pulleys, counterweights and chains eased the cruise liner free.
The salvage operation involved engineers using the technique known as 'parbuckling', rotating the vessel using a series of cables and hydraulic machines.
‘After applying 6,000 tons of force, we saw the detachment of the ship from the reef,’ said engineering chief Sergio Girotto.
In an unprecedented maritime salvage operation, engineers on Monday gingerly wrestled the hull of the shipwrecked Costa Concordia off the Italian reef where the cruise ship has been stuck since January 2012
Losing light: As work continues into the night the top desk is now almost entirely visible above the waves for the first time since January 2012
Engineers inspect parts of Costa Concordia which have lain underwater for nearly two years - the salvage operation was underway yesterday off the coast of Giglio island
Emerging from the depths: The distinctive marks and broken windows show exactly where the water level stopped even as it is gradually turned upright
The capsized Costa Concordia liner is pictured several hours in to the £500m operation to right the vessel which is involving engineers from 24 different countries
The shipwrecked cruise Costa Concordia before the start of parbucking (top) and after the salvage work starts (bottom), showing the rusty yellowish-stain (circled) where it at rested, during the ongoing operation in Giglio
The rusty yellowish-stain line on the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship after (L) and before (R) it was slowly lifted during salvage works
The line of rust, left, shows the progress of efforts to move the enormous ship and right, taken 92 minutes after the top picture, the bottom image shows the painfully slow process of lifting the Costa Concordia off its side
Winching the liner upright was expected to take up to 12 hours, but a threat of tangles in the steel cables last night delayed the operation, which was eventually completed after 19 hours.
The final phase of the rotation went remarkably fast as gravity began to kick in and pull the ship toward its normal vertical position.
Parbuckling is a standard operation to right capsized ships. But never before had it been used on such a huge cruise liner. The Concordia is expected to be floated away from Giglio in the spring and turned into scrap.
Sloane said an initial inspection of the starboard side, covered in brown slime from its 20 months underwater while the ship was stuck on a rocky seabed perch, indicated serious damage that must be fixed in the coming weeks and months. The damage he said was caused by both the capsizing and the operation to rotate the ship.
A general view shows the shipwrecked cruise Costa Concordia before(R) and during (L) the salvage work, showing the rusty yellowish-stain where it at rested, during the ongoing operation in Giglio island
The Concordia was lying on its side on an underwater reef. An underwater platform was built on which the ship will come to rest as a system of jacks and cables haul it upright
Dozens of crank-like pulleys slowly rotated the ship upright at a rate of about 3 metres per hour, while steel chains weighing 17,000 tons have been looped under the vessel to help pull it upright
The deck of the liner was revealed as the salvage operation continued throughout the afternoon yesterday - by lunchtime the ship had been tilted back three degrees, with 62 degrees to go
Engineers from around the world have worked to attach cables to water tanks ('caissons') on the port side of the ship to pull it upright and then keep it afloat
Slowly, the submerged part of the ship was winched above water three hours into the salvage operation - but there was no sign yet of the two people still missing
Islanders on Giglio are delighted to see the operation to 'parbuckle' (set straight) the Costa Concordia is finally underway, 20 months after the liner sank off the coast
This shot shows the scale of the operation to right the half-submerged vessel - the water-filled caissons and pulley system can be seen on the right of the shot
The 114,000-tonne cruise liner's swimming pools could be seen on the deck as the Italian cruise ship was slowly rotated in the £500m salvage operation yesterday
Massive operation: Work is now underway to right the stricken Costa Concordia liner, 20 months after it hit a reef and sank off the coast of Tuscany, at a cost of 32 lives
Journalists and residents on the picturesque fishing island watch this morning as the salvage operation gets underway - islanders are keen to get the ship moved
Hundreds of cables are attached to caissons - metal tanks on the side of the ship filled with water that are being used as ballast to winch the vessel upright
The sun rose over the Tuscan coast yesterday morning as engineers prepared to launch the largest and most expensive rescue operation in maritime history
Delicate operation: The engineers working to right the ship hope it can be towed ashore next spring and dismantled for scrap
Members of the US salvage firm Titan and Italian firm Micoperi work on the wreck of the Costa Concordia near Giglio Porto yesterday morning after the delayed operation began
A raft of vessels was in place outside Giglio harbour yesterday to assist with what is the biggest and most expensive maritime rescue operation in history
'We have to do a really detailed inspection of the damage,' to determine how to shore it up so it can withstand towing.
But he seemed confident: 'She was strong enough to come up like this, she's strong enough to be towed.'
The island was crowded yesterday with people watching the spectacle. Its harbour, Giglio Porto, was closed to the public but dozens surveyed the scene from the cliffs.
Residents of the tiny island of Giglio expressed their delight at the shadow of the disaster finally being lifted.
‘We are still in shock from that night,’ said Assunta Schiafino, a cafe worker, who remembers the terror of the 4,000 passengers made to abandon the listing ship in the dark. ‘There were thousands of them here on the port and all our doors were open to help them. It changed all our lives for ever.'
Annaretta Badari and Virgini Feramola from Reggio Emiglia in northern Italy have been holidaying on the island for 20 years, but were put off after the shipwreck. They came back to watch the salvage operation.
‘It’s caused enormous anguish for people here,’ said Mrs Badari. ‘I hope that they manage to take it away and that they find something off the two missing people. We will pray for the relatives.’
The starboard side of the ship, which was raised 65 degrees in the operation, must now be stabilized to enable crews to attach empty tanks on the side that will later be used to help float the vessel away.
It must also be made strong enough to withstand the winter storm season, when high seas and gusts will likely buffet the 115,000-ton, 300-metre (1,000-foot) long liner.
After receiving cheers, embraces and a kiss from his wife on shore, Sloane said he wanted to get some sleep, a beer 'and maybe a barbeque tomorrow'.
'I think the whole team is proud of what they achieved,' he said as he was mobbed by well-wishers and television crews.
Helping the Concordia to weather the winter is an artificial platform on the seabed that was constructed to support the ship's flat keel. 'The ship is resting on its platform,' Gabrielli said.
About an hour before the rotation was complete, observers said the boat seemed to suddenly settle down on its new perch.
Residents on the small fishing island are keen to see the ship righted and towed away - it has lain offshore for 20 months now and they see it as a depressing blot on their picturesque landscape
The operation to raise the Costa Concordia began at 8am UK time yesterday after it was delayed by fierce electrical storms that hit the island of Giglio overnight
The deck of the boat - including one of its swimming pools, left, could be seen by onlookers onshore as the vessel was slowly raised
Fierce and unexpected electrical storms overnight had cleared the skies ahead of the rescue operation - engineers will use a technique called 'parbuckling' to raise the ship
Workers have put anti-pollution floating barriers around the shipwreck, designed to absorb any toxic waste that might leak as it it raised - but Greenpeace say such barriers will not prevent pollution
Mayor Sergio Ortelli said the island felt a wave of relief as soon as the Concordia was freed from the reef in the initial hours of the operation. But he said there was also the realisation that two bodies have yet to be found, with a fresh search to be launched now.
The Concordia's captain is on trial for alleged manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship during the chaotic and delayed evacuation.
Captain Francesco Schettino claims the reef wasn't on the nautical charts for the liner's week-long Mediterranean cruise.
It emerged yesterday afternoon that Schettino, who was at the command of the ship when it ran aground, is not on the island for the historic righting of his liner.
Schettino, universally known as Captain Coward after allegedly abandoning ship with 300 passengers still aboard, is reportedly at his home near Naples, preparing for his trial which will resume on September 23 and refusing even to speak to friends.
Carlo Sassi, Schettino’s spokesman told the Italian news agency ANSA: ‘He is not even talking to me. It’s months since we last spoke. He doesn’t call me any more. He doesn’t want to listen any more - perhaps it is the new defensive line of his new legal team.’
Costa is a division of Miami-based Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise company.
Engineers worked on the bow of the Costa Concordia this morning ahead of the massive salvage operation - workers from 24 countries are involved in the project
The team in charge of the salvage operation was keen to move the shipwreck before the autumn storms arrived and broke it up even more
This is the biggest such maritime salvage operation ever undertaken, and engineers are hoping the ship will not splinter or leak toxic materials as it is winched upright
The Costa Concordia's progress is being watched by residents on the fishing island of Giglio - the presence of the stricken craft has been an unhappy reminder of the tragedy last January and locals are glad to see the wreck go
Next spring, when engineers hope to float the ship away, they will gradually empty the water tanks until the ship is buoyant enough to float away, with the empty tanks on each side acting as a giant pair of water wings.
Officials are predicting a massive ‘burp’ of noxious gases as the ship is lifted and air-bubbles beneath the surface are released.
Civil protection engineer Francesco Campopiano said ‘There is a hypothesis that due to the decomposition of organic matter, sulphurous gases will be released that will smell like rotting eggs.
'Imagine you had meat in the refrigerator and left it for a week. That’s what it will smell like.'
Fuel was siphoned out of the ship soon after it sank, but there still remains fuel and toxic waste on board, so an absorbent barrier has been placed around the ship to catch any leaks during the salvage operation.
Despite ecologists' fears, no major pollution has been detected in the waters near the ship so far, but campaigners have warned that even in the best case scenario, the pollution equivalent to a small town would be emitted during the parbuckling operation.
South African Nick Sloane, 52, is the senior salvage master for Titan, the American salvage company which, together with Italian firm Micoperi, is charged with raising the stricken vessel and towing it back to shore
Italian Admiral Stefano Tortora is overseeing the massive rescue operation off the coast of the Tuscan island of Giglio
Workers stand in front of the Costa Concordia lying on its side in the Mediterranean yesterday morning, shortly before the salvage operation began
An underwater platform has been built on which the 114,00-tonne ship will come to rest as jacks and underwater cables haul it upright in the rescue operation
According to official figures a perfect parbuckling operation will still cause the at-sea dispersion of 80,000 cubic metres of liquid, a third of those currently contained in the vessel.
Alessandro Giannì, campaigns director of Greenpeace Italy, said: ‘We are rooting for everything to go well. But we have to be realistic. These liquids, which have become ever more toxic over the 20 months inside the ship, include tonnes of organic substances and other potentially carcinogenic chemicals: adhesives, detergents, flame retardants.
'It's as if you accidentally discharged the sewage and furnishings of a town of five thousand inhabitants into the sea.'
'Even in the best-case scenario the pollution equivalent to small town would be emitted. It’s difficult to say how long it will take to get back to normality: Exxon mobile took 20 years.
However, engineers have dismissed as 'remote' the possibility that the Concordia might break apart and no longer be sound enough to be towed to the mainland to be turned into scrap.
Reporters from around the world gathered at Giglio harbour to watch the massive salvage operation of the Costa Concordia - engineers said it would be at least an hour before any visible movement
Sergio Ortelli, the mayor of Giglio, said residents of the island were keen to see the ship removed.
He said the stricken ship lying offshore was a problem they wanted 'to solve as soon as we can', and added: 'Islanders can't wait to see the back of it.'
Residents of the fishing island have watched for more than a year from the shore as cranes and barges have moved into place to try to remove the hulk from their port.
Some gathered this morning on a breakwater to witness the operation getting underway, and the local paper headline read 'We're Holding Our Breath'
The ship has been marooned and half-sunk off the coast of Tuscany for 20 months, and footage filmed by divers shows the former deck where passengers once sunbathed turned on its side, with dinner plates, cutlery, shoes and sun loungers scattered across the seabed.
Thirty-two people died when the ship, with 4,200 passengers and crew onboard, hit rocks and ran aground off the island of Giglio after an ill-judged 'salute' to inhabitants by the ship’s captain.
The USS Oklahoma was parbuckled by the US military in 1943 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, but the 1,000ft Concordia has been described as the largest cruise ship ever to capsize and subsequently require the complex rotation.
Haunting images taken by divers' video cameras show the ship's rooms, complete with mirrors, hairdryers and other items used by the ship's 4,200 passengers before it sank in January 2012
Chairs covered with tablecloths lie on the seabed close to the Italian island of Giglio where the Costa Concordia has lain for a year-and-a-half - 32 people lost their lives in the disaster
Four Costa Concordia crew members and a Costa Cruises company official were sentenced to jail in July for their part in the accident, and the ship's captain Francesco Schettino (above) remains on trial for manslaughter and causing the loss of the ship
Passengers onboard the cruise ship Costa Concordia wait to be evacuated after it ran aground off the island of Giglio last year - of the 4,200 people aboard, 32 died
This aerial view of the Costa Concordia gives an idea of the scale of the operation facing the Italian and American engineers tasked with raising the huge ship from the seabed
COSTA CONCORDIA TRAGEDY: THE FACTS AND FIGURES
The Costa Concordia cruise liner hit a reef off the Italian island of Giglio on the night of 13 January 2012 after its captain, Francesco Schettino, had deviated from the ship's course to make an unplanned salute to the islanders.
There were 4,252 passengers and crew on board from countries around the world on what should have been the first leg of a cruise around the Mediterranean, starting from Civitavecchia in Lazio.
When the ship hit the reef the crashing sound could be heard, and it cut a 230ft long gash in the ship's hull, letting seawater rush in and making the vessel tilt so dramatically that many of the lifeboats on one side could not be launched.
This picture, taken this morning, shows engineers beginning their operation to right the stricken cruise ship that sank with the loss of 32 lives in January last year
There was a temporary power blackout on board as water flooded the engine room, and as the ship listed over, many people jumped into the water to swim for shore, while others were rescued by lifeboat and helicopters.
The ship's captain decided not to call Giglio harbour for emergency help initially - instead, he tried to reverse the vessel's course, and only eventually ordered evacuation after an hour when the ship grounded after listing in the water.
Meanwhile passengers had already called emergency services and in the ensuing six-hour rescue operation, most people were safely brought to shore. Thirty-two died and two are still unaccounted for - engineers working to right the ship today are hoping to locate the two bodies in the wreckage.
Dubbed 'Italy's most hated man' and 'Captain Coward', Schettino is currently on trial over charges of multiple manslaughter, abandoning ship and causing a shipwreck. He claims the reef he hit wasn't on the nautical charts for the cruise.
Costa Concordia was operated by Costa Cruises, which offered €11,000 compensation to each passenger - a third of them have so far taken up this offer.
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