GIGLIO ISLAND
The wreckage of the Costa Concordia cruise ship has been pulled upright in the biggest ever salvage operation of a passenger ship.
The 114,000 tonne ship was make to stand vertically using a series of huge jacks and cables in an operation that lasted 19 hours.
"The parbuckling operation has been completed. We have reached zero degrees," said Franco Gabrielli, the head of the civil protection agency overseeing the project.
The operation, whose start was delayed for three hours due to a storm, ended shortly after midday.
The Italian-American Consortium Micoperi-Titan undertook the rescue operation in which 500 people from 26 countries participated.
At an estimated cost of more than 600 million euros ($859 million), the operation is expected to be the most expensive maritime wreck recovery.
Giglo Island was closed to maritime traffic during the operation as the Italian coast guard took intensive security measures around the wreckage.
The Parbuckling system - dating back to the 19th century and consisting of turning barrels via two ropes - was used on such a large ship for the first time.
The first phase of the rescue operation, referred to as the Parbuckling Project, was followed by 350 journalists from different agencies around the world including Anadolu Agency.
The 290-metre long cruise ship was carrying more than 4,000 people on January 13, 2012 when it hit rocks off Giglio, capsizing and resulting in 32 deaths.
Captain Francesco Schettino, accused of manslaughter and abandoning the ship, is currently on trial regarding the accident.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
