The dismantling and recycling of Costa Concordia cruise ship has been finally completed in Italy and marked the official end to history's largest maritime salvage job.
The consortium responsible for the vessel's dismantling announced the completion of the project in Genoa, about 3 years after the arrival of the liner. The consortium, popular as Ship Recycling Consortium, is made up by Saipem, Italy, holding 51%, and San Giorgio del Porto, 49%.
On January 13, 2012, Costa Concordia ran aground on the Island of Giglio in the Mediterranean after sailing too close shore. The ship came to rest on her side along the rock outcropping outside the main harbor of the isle, prompting the massive salvage operation which lasted more than 2 years and involved the popular “parbuckling” operation – an event televised live across the world. The ship was later refloated and in July 2014 towed to Genoa for dismantling and recycling.
According to the Ship Recycling Consortium, during the dismantling and recycling, approx 53,000 tons of materials were recycled at Italian facilities. More than 350 workers, working a combined 1 million man hours, worked around the clock to dismantle the ship in an environmentally-friendly manner.
Francesco Schettino, Costa Concordia’s captain, was sentenced to 16 years in jail for the shipwreck, which murdered 32 people.