Operation to remove oil from cruise ship wreck begins

Salvage workers have finally begun pumping 2,300 tonnes of diesel from the wrecked cruise liner the Costa Concordia.

Days of bad weather have until now prevented the operation to recover the fuel, increasing fears of leakage and the threat of a an environmental disaster.

A Dutch company has been charged with removing the oil, some of which the Salvage master, Bart Huizing had already bottled.

“Now we have the weather forecast showing at least four to five days of good weather so we will continue pumping 24-hours a day and as I said before things are looking good.”

Italy’s Civil Protection department has said the operation to empty the Costa Concordia’s 15 fuel tanks could take up to a month.

After that, the massive salvage operation will begin in ernest. It was on January 13 the vessel capsized after striking a rock. At least 17 people died and 15 are still missing.

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