Fuel pumping from Concordia delayed

2012-01-28 14:40

Giglio Island IGLIO - Preliminary operations to pump fuel out of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, which ran aground 15 days ago off the island of Giglio, were suspended on Saturday because of bad weather, the civil protection agency said.

Technicians from the Dutch salvage company Smit and Italy's Neri decided the sea was too rough and that it would be dangerous to continue their work.

They decided to put into port on the barge serving as their operations base near the wreck of the Concordia until the weather improved.

On Friday they attached valves to six of the stricken vessel's 23 tanks as a first phase in syphoning off the estimated 2 380 tonnes of fuel remaining in the Concordia's tanks, prompting fears of a spill would be environmentally disastrous in one of Europe's biggest marine parks.

Pumping had been due to begin on Saturday morning and is expected to take several weeks.

The civil protection agency said the search for bodies of victims was able to continue Saturday.

The official toll from the disaster stands at 16 dead, of whom 14 have been identified, and another 16 missing.

- AFP