Concordia upright

Salvors confirmed that the parbuckling operation was successfully completed in the early hours of this morning after beginning in earnest on Monday morning.

The wreck is now upright and resting safely on the specially built artificial sea bed, at a depth of approximately 30 metres.

According to Nick Sloane, senior salvage master, Titan-Micoperi, although the operation took longer than previously anticipated (12 hours), the outcome was better than expected.

During a press conference today, he said that the operation took an additional seven hours to complete because 6,800 tonnes of pressure had to be applied to the capsized ship in order to pull it from the rocky shallows where it has rested since January 2012.

When the vessel made it to vertical, it was an emotional moment for the salvors who have had 500 people working on the project around the clock for 15 months.

Unfortunately, Italian authorities said there is still no sign of the remains of the two missing victims – an Italian passenger who had been celebrating her 50th birthday and an Indian waiter, but the search will continue.

Looking forward, the plan is to refloat the Concordia in spring or early summer and tow it to an Italian port to be broken up for scrap.