COSTA CRUISES: Removal of Concordia wreck at last

The 30 air tanks fitted to the wreck of Costa Concordia started to be pumped full of air on 20 July in order to raise the remains of the ship, ready for her final trip to ship dismantlers in Genoa

At one stage it was suggested that Costa Concordia would be taken to her final destination aboard the heavy-lift vessel Dockwise Vanguard, but now it seems that she will be towed the 170 nautical miles to the Italian port, which is also the home of Costa Cruises.

The final cost of the salvage and scrapping operation is likely to reach £1 billion, more than twice the original cost of building the ship, delivered in 2006.

The trial of Costa Concordia’s captain, Francesco Schettino, for the manslaughter of 32 people, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship before it had been evacuated, continues.