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| Costa Concordia: Divers to search and recover final missing body, officials promise | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Italian officials have pledged to search for the last remaining missing body within the partially submerged Costa Concordia wreckage as the salvage operation makes one final push this week. | Italian officials have pledged to search for the last remaining missing body within the partially submerged Costa Concordia wreckage as the salvage operation makes one final push this week. |
| Removal of the 290-metre vessel from the seabed will get underway today and last for several days, two-and-a-half years after it ran aground and capsized off the west coast of Italy. | Removal of the 290-metre vessel from the seabed will get underway today and last for several days, two-and-a-half years after it ran aground and capsized off the west coast of Italy. |
| Thirty-two people died in the incident, with most bodies since recovered except one – an Indian waiter. | Thirty-two people died in the incident, with most bodies since recovered except one – an Indian waiter. |
| Franco Gabrielli, from the Civil Protection Department, said it was a “great sorrow” that the final body has not yet been found. | Franco Gabrielli, from the Civil Protection Department, said it was a “great sorrow” that the final body has not yet been found. |
| He pledged that divers will continue to search for the last victim as the delicate operation to remove the ship begins this week. | He pledged that divers will continue to search for the last victim as the delicate operation to remove the ship begins this week. |
| Mr Gabrielli told reporters on the island of Giglio – off which the ship had sunk – that while the weather wasn’t optimal for the mammoth task of extracting the wreck, it was good enough to allow it to start. | Mr Gabrielli told reporters on the island of Giglio – off which the ship had sunk – that while the weather wasn’t optimal for the mammoth task of extracting the wreck, it was good enough to allow it to start. |
| The Concordia will be refloated and towed to Genoa on the mainland, where it will be used for scrap. | The Concordia will be refloated and towed to Genoa on the mainland, where it will be used for scrap. |
| The cruise liner was successfully moved upright last September, with the hull currently resting on a false bed created at a depth of roughly 30 metres. | The cruise liner was successfully moved upright last September, with the hull currently resting on a false bed created at a depth of roughly 30 metres. |
| The comprehensive process of removing the ship from its current location means that an initial section of the structure will be floated first so that engineers can check for damage. | The comprehensive process of removing the ship from its current location means that an initial section of the structure will be floated first so that engineers can check for damage. |
| A pneumatic system will be used to pump water gradually from 30 caissons (airtight tanks) surrounding the wreck, filling them with air and pushing the vessel upwards. | A pneumatic system will be used to pump water gradually from 30 caissons (airtight tanks) surrounding the wreck, filling them with air and pushing the vessel upwards. |
| Engineers will float a small section at first to check for structural damage. If the Costa Concordia cannot be moved in one piece, it will have to be dismantled where it is. | Engineers will float a small section at first to check for structural damage. If the Costa Concordia cannot be moved in one piece, it will have to be dismantled where it is. |
| If the structure is safe, the ship will be moved 30 meters away from shore before being gradually refloated. | If the structure is safe, the ship will be moved 30 meters away from shore before being gradually refloated. |
| Each of the 13 decks will be examined as they emerge for any hazards that could seep into the ocean. | Each of the 13 decks will be examined as they emerge for any hazards that could seep into the ocean. |
| When the process is finished, a section of about 18 metres will remain submerged and the 114,500-tonne vessel will be tugged at a steady two knots to Genoa on a four-day journey over 190 nautical miles. | When the process is finished, a section of about 18 metres will remain submerged and the 114,500-tonne vessel will be tugged at a steady two knots to Genoa on a four-day journey over 190 nautical miles. |
| Michael Thamm, chief executive of Costa Cruises, said all the company’s energies were focused on the “successful conclusion of this unprecedented engineering challenge to respect a precise commitment - to remove the Concordia wreck as soon as possible, in compliance with the highest environmental and safety standards”. | Michael Thamm, chief executive of Costa Cruises, said all the company’s energies were focused on the “successful conclusion of this unprecedented engineering challenge to respect a precise commitment - to remove the Concordia wreck as soon as possible, in compliance with the highest environmental and safety standards”. |