Recovery and environmental efforts on the capsized Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia were suspended Sunday after the ship shifted position more quickly than usual. Officials said divers would be incurring too much risk by staying inside the wreckage, according to The Telegraph.
Efforts by the company hired to siphon out the 2,300 tons of fuel the vessel was carrying were halted over the weekend as well. The fuel is being removed in order to mitigate the risks of any further environmental damage caused by the wreckage, which lies near a marine and dolphin sanctuary.
Here are some of the most recent developments regarding the Costa Concordia.
* The number of confirmed deaths rose to 17 on Saturday as the body of a Peruvian-born waitress who had been working aboard the vessel was found on the sixth deck. Erika Fani Soriamolina is being hailed as a heroine, after it was revealed by surviving passengers that she had given her lifejacket to an elderly man and helped other passengers into lifeboats as people were being evacuated from the stricken vessel, as also reported by The Telegraph.
* 15 people are still missing out of the 4,200 passengers and crew members who had been on the ship.
* Recovery efforts were halted when the ship moved 3.5 centimeters in an hour. It's typical shifting speed has been approximately 5 to 6 millimeters within that same time frame. Officials were unsure whether the shift was due to the ship settling or whether it is actually moving along the seabed, potentially into deeper waters.
* Italy's civil protection agency had originally stated that removal of the ship's fuel would begin on either Saturday or Sunday, according to CNN International. Rough seas and other adverse conditions are being blamed for the delay.
* Removal of the fuel is expected to take anywhere from three weeks to a month, according to Euronews.
* Representatives from Costa, the company that owns the ship, announced compensation to the surviving passengers of approximately $14,400 each, plus any costs associated with the cruise itself. Officials have stated injured passengers and the families of the deceased would be offered a different deal.
* Several individuals and families have publicly rejected Costa Cruises compensation offer, and lawsuits have been filed against the company by passengers and their families.
* The Telegraph also reported that removal of the ship is estimated to take anywhere from seven to 10 months. Costa has begun taking bids from salvage companies, and it remains uncertain whether attempts will be made to tow the ship as one piece or whether it will be cut into pieces for salvage.
* Residents of Giglio, the island that the Concordia is resting in front of, have begun circulating petitions demanding to know what accommodations will be made for the upcoming tourist season, as vessels are currently prohibited from running closer than one mile away from the island.
Vanessa Evans is a musician, traveler, and freelance writer with an interest in European studies and events.
1 comment