The wreck of the Costa Concordia arrives at port of Genoa Pra-Voltri towed by several tugboats. Photo: PA
Costa Concordia has been handed over to the team responsible for its breaking and recycling after being safely docked in the port of Genoa yesterday afternoon. (source: IHS Maritime 360 Fairplay)
Ownership of the vessel was transferred in mid-afternoon from Costa Crociere to Italian engineering group Saipem and Genoa ship repairer San Giorgio del Porto for the start of a recycling operation that is expected to take 22 months.
Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi was in Genoa to follow the docking of the ship at a specially prepared berth close to the port’s Voltri Terminal Europa.
He praised those involved “for getting something done which everyone said would be impossible”.
The wrecked cruise ship and its accompanying convoy left the island of Giglio on Wednesday.
It deliberately slowed down on the last leg of the journey so as to arrive off Genoa in the early hours of Sunday as planned.
The final approach to the port began at 05.00. Shortly afterwards, Genoese pilots boarded the disabled cruise ship to prepare it to enter port.
Before the entry manoeuvres began, Costa Crociere chief executive Michael Thamm went aboard to personally thank senior salvage master Nick Sloane and the Titan Micoperi salvage team for their work in recovering the vessel.
A little before 11 00, harbour tug Messico took over from seagoing tug ITC Blizzard to take Costa Concordia into port.
