Costa Concordia: Story of a doomed ship... from birth to reberth

Costa Allegra crusier is seen in this undated photo in Italy. A liner owned by the same company as the Costa Concordia, which ran aground off Italy last month, sent out a distress signal in the Indian Ocean on Monday after a fire in the engine room left it without power, the company said. Costa Cruises said the fire on the Costa Allegra had been put out and no passengers were hurt. (REUTERS)

Members of the US salvage company Titan and Italian firm Micoperi work at the wreck of Italy's Costa Concordia cruise ship near the harbour of Giglio Porto on September 15, 2013. The Italian island of Giglio made final preparations on September 15, 2013 on the eve of an unprecedented attempt to raise the 114,500-ton Costa Concordia cruise ship from its watery grave. The biggest salvage of a passenger ship ever attempted is to begin shortly after 6:00 am (0400 GMT) on September 16 and could last up to 12 hours. (AFP)

Salvagers started to pump fuel away from the half-submerged wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship on Sunday, a month after it capsized and foundered off the Italian coast (REUTERS)

A ferry pulls into the port past the Costa Concordia cruise ship which ran aground off the west coast of Italy at Giglio island and is now half-submerged and threatening to slide into deeper waters. A week after the 114,500-tonne ship ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan coast, hopes of finding anyone alive have all but disappeared. Diving crews recovered the body of a woman aboard the ship on Saturday, bringing the death toll to at least 12. Twenty people are unaccounted for and hopes of finding anyone alive have all but gone. (REUTERS)

A view of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground off the west coast of Italy, at Giglio island, on Wednesday. Italian divers suspended their search of the capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia after the vessel shifted slightly on its resting place near the Tuscan island of Giglio, officials said on Wednesday. (REUTERS)

Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground is seen off the west coast of Italy at Giglio island January 14, 2012. At least three people were killed and rescuers were searching for other victims after an Italian cruise ship carrying more than 4,000 people ran aground and keeled over in shallow waters. (REUTERS)

Passengers stand near life boats after boarding the cruise ship Carnival Imagination at the Port Of Miami, Florida, January 16, 2012. Carnival, the owner of the cruise ship that capsized off Italy's west coast, the Costa Concordia, said it expected to take a hit of around $90 million from Friday's accident just as a result of the boat being out of use for the rest of the year. (REUTERS)

Rescue workers inspect the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground off the west coast of Italy at Giglio island. Rescue workers searching the half-submerged hulk of an Italian cruise ship for missing passengers and crew recovered a sixth body on Monday, more than 48 hours after the vessel capsized off Italy's west coast. (REUTERS)

Small boats are docked at the Giglio harbour behind the Costa Concordia, after the cruise ship ran aground and keeled over off the Isola del Giglio, late on January 13. Three people died and several were missing after the ship with more than 4,000 people on board ran aground sparking chaos as passengers scrambled to get off. Two South Korean honeymooners were rescued early today from the cruise as emergency crews searching for dozens missing. (AFP)

A picture taken on September 17, 2013 shows the wreck of Italy's Costa Concordia cruise ship which begins to emerge from water near the harbour of Giglio Porto. Salvage operators in Italy lifted the Costa Concordia cruise ship upright from its watery grave off the island of Giglio on Tuesday in the biggest ever project of its kind. Thirty-two people died when the ship, with 4,200 passengers onboard, hit rocks and ran aground off the island of Giglio on January 2012. (AFP)

A picture taken on September 17, 2013 shows the wreck of Italy's Costa Concordia cruise ship which begins to emerge from water near the harbour of Giglio Porto. Salvage operators in Italy lifted the Costa Concordia cruise ship upright from its watery grave off the island of Giglio on Tuesday in the biggest ever project of its kind. Thirty-two people died when the ship, with 4,200 passengers onboard, hit rocks and ran aground off the island of Giglio on January 2012.  (AFP)

A picture taken on September 17, 2013 shows the wreck of Italy's Costa Concordia cruise ship which begins to emerge from water near the harbour of Giglio Porto. Salvage operators in Italy lifted the Costa Concordia cruise ship upright from its watery grave off the island of Giglio on Tuesday in the biggest ever project of its kind. Thirty-two people died when the ship, with 4,200 passengers onboard, hit rocks and ran aground off the island of Giglio on January 2012. (AFP)





The wreck of Italy's Costa Concordia cruise ship begins to emerge from water on September 17, 2013 near the harbour of Giglio Porto.  Salvage operators in Italy lifted the Costa Concordia cruise ship upright from its watery grave off the island of Giglio on Tuesday in the biggest ever project of its kind.  (AFP)




South African Nick Sloan (C) , senior salvage master of Titan-Micoperi, speaks to journalists following the successful rotation of the wreck of Italy's Costa Concordia cruise ship on September 17, 2013 near the harbour of Giglio Porto. Salvage operators in Italy lifted the Costa Concordia cruise ship upright from its watery grave off the island of Giglio in the biggest ever project of its kind.   The ship's horn sounded for the first time since the January 13, 2012 tragedy, its sound mixing with applause and cheers in the port in a dramatic climax to the massive salvage operation.   Local residents and survivors spoke of an eerie feeling as the ship rose, saying the sight reminded them of the tragedy that claimed 32 lives. (AFP)

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