The final parts of the ill-fated Costa Concordia cruise ship are being cut up and recycled at dry dock no. 4 in Genoa, Italy. It comes more than four years after the vessel sank.
8 September 2016
On 13 January, 2012, the Costa Concordia partially sank off Giglio, Italy, claiming the lives of 32 passengers and marking the start of the largest maritime salvage operation in history.
Now, the final, rusting pieces of the cruise ship have been transferred to dry dock no. 4 in the Port of Genoa where they will be cut up and recycled.
Five tugs towed the last of the Costa Concordia’s hull to the dry dock on 1 September 2016.
Costa Concordia
Since it was towed to Genoa for scrapping in May 2015, hundreds of workers have been involved in dismantling the cruise ship from top to bottom.
Around 80% of the cruise ship’s structure and fittings will be recycled. The project is being led by the Italian oil and gas industry contractor, Saipem.
The scrapping of the Costa Concordia is scheduled to be complete by early 2017.
The wreck of the cruise ship
The salvage operation is estimated to have cost more than $1 billion.
Costa Concordia in 2009. Credit: Cezary Piwowarski
Following the grounding and partial sinking of the Costa Concordia, the ship’s captain was convicted of manslaughter.
Captain Francesco Schettino was sentenced to a total of 10 years for multiple manslaughter, five years for causing the shipwreck and one year for abandoning his post.
He was severely criticised for his handling of the disaster, and was accused of abandoning the ship before all of the 4,200 passengers and crew had been rescued.
12 February, 2015
Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino has been found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino
The verdict comes more than three years after the cruise liner hit rocks off the Tuscan island, Giglio, and sank, killing 32 of the 4,200 passengers on board.
Related articles
Prosecutors had sought a 26-year sentence for the captain who was described as a “reckless idiot”, but he was given 10 years less.
Francesco Schettino was at the helm of the doomed vessel when it crashed into rocks in January 2012, but has always denied the charges against him.
Throughout the trial he was accused of taking the ship too close to shore and abandoning the Costa Concordia while others were still on board.
The 54-year-old was not present when Judge Giovanni Puliatti read out the verdict on Wednesday, and it’s been reported that he’ll be appealing the decision.
Schettino avoided immediate arrest and is expected to remain free, pending his appeal, meaning it could be years before he begins serving his sentence.
The Costa Concordia captain was sentenced to a total of 10 years for multiple manslaughter, five years for causing the shipwreck and one year for abandoning his post.
The wreckage of the Costa Concordia was finally re-floated in August last year, before being towed to Genoa for scrapping, making it the most expensive maritime salvage operation in history.
Ship owner, Costa Crociere, avoided potential criminal charges after agreeing to pay a $1.3m fine in 2013.
However, survivors of the wreck, the Tuscany region and Giglio are suing the company for further damages.