Salvage crews start work to refloat Costa Concordia

Ship ran aground in January; at least 30 people killed, 2 unaccounted for

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Photos: Luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia runs aground

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The Costa Concordia cruise ship lays near the port on Jan. 7, 2013 on the Italian island of Giglio. (Filippo Monteforte / AFP - Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Workers stand on the Costa Concordia cruise ship near the port on Jan. 8, 2013 on the Italian island of Giglio. (Filippo Monteforte / AFP - Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation
The Costa Concordia cruise ship lays near the harbor of Giglio Porto on Oct. 14, 2012. The luxury cruise ship capsized and sank on Jan. 13, 2012, after approaching the Tuscan island of Giglio to perform a manuever close to the shore known as a "salute." It struck a rock which tore a gash in its hull and capsized soon afterwards. 32 people lost their lives during a chaotic nighttime evacuation of 4,200 passengers and crew. Two bodies have still not been recovered. (Filippo Monteforte / AFP - Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Francesco Schettino, the former captain of the Costa Concordia luxury cruise ship, arrives at the Teatro Moderno theater for a pre-trial hearing in Grosseto, Italy, on Oct. 16, 2012. The case of Schettino, 51, is of such interest that a theater had to be turned into a courtroom to accommodate those who had a legitimate claim to be at the closed-door hearing. The court will decide if Schettino should face a full trial, which could take place next year. (Gregorio Borgia / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation

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A boy prepares to snorkel in front of the wreckage of the capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia, near the harbour of Giglio Porto, on Aug. 28, 2012. Tourists on the Tuscan coast were taking part in a rather macabre form of sightseeing -- taking boat trips to view the wreckage of shipwrecked cruise liner Costa Concordia, where 32 people lost their lives after it hit rocks on January 13. (Alessandro Bianchi / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Related interactive Costa Concordia captain admits he was 'distracted'
Workers prepare to remove a giant rock embedded in the hull of the capsized Costa Concordia on July 12. (Remo Casilli / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Related video Submerged: Costa Concordia survivors fight cruise industry
Workers from the U.S. salvage company Titan and Italian firm Micoperi remove the swimming pool slide from the Costa Concordia's upper deck on June 23. Salvage crews will attempt to refloat the half-submerged cruise liner in what is set to be the biggest ever operation of its kind. (Vincenzo Pinto / AFP - Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation
A couple sunbathe in front of the wreckage of the Costa Concordia on June 20. (Max Rossi / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
The body of a victim, retrieved from the Costa Concordia cruise ship which ran aground off the west coast of Italy, is lifted to a helicopter during operations to bring up four bodies from the wreck at Giglio island on Feb. 23. Divers found a total of eight bodies on the wreck on Feb. 22. (Giampiero Sposito / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
A diver from the Rotterdam-based SMIT salvage firm works underwater while taking part in the operation to remove fuel from the cruise ship Costa Concordia, as it lies stricken off the shore of the island of Giglio on Feb. 16. (Laura Lezza / Getty Images Contributor) Share Back to slideshow navigation
The capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship is seen off the west coast of Italy at the snow-covered Giglio island on Feb. 11. Salvage and rescue operations on the capsized ship faced a new obstacle on Friday as rare snowfall hit Giglio, stopping ferry services out of Porto Santo Stefano to the island. (Giampiero Sposito / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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Hungarians carry the coffin of Sandor Feher, a violinist who died during the accident after he had rescued children and other passengers on the Costa Concordia. The funeral ceremony was held in Budapest on Feb. 1, in the KIspest cemetery. (Ferenc Isza / AFP - Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Technicians of SMIT, the Dutch extraction company, work in the port of Giglio on Jan. 28. Rough seas forced a delay in the planned start of the operation to remove a half-million gallons of fuel from the grounded Costa Concordia. (Pier Paolo Cito / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Related video Costa Concordia removal could take a year
Seagulls fly in front of the grounded cruise ship on Jan. 30. Residents of Giglio are growing increasingly worried about threats to the environment and the future of the Italian island as the recovery operation is forecast to take up to a year. (Pier Paolo Cito / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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A scuba diver seen during preparations for the oil extraction operation on Jan. 28. (SMIT Salvage via AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Oil recovery workers climb on board the Costa Concordia cruise ship Jan. 24. Salvage crews began preparations to pump fuel from the wreck as the search continued for more bodies 11 days after the cruise liner struck a rock off the Tuscan coast and capsized. (Tony Gentile / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
A firefighter is lowered from a helicopter above the Costa Concordia in an undated photo made available on Jan. 23. (Vigili del Fuoco via AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Related video More bodies found aboard capsized ship
Two Italian navy scuba divers inspect inside the Costa Concordia as it lies on its side, half-submerged and threatening to slide into deeper waters, in this photo released on Jan. 23. (Marina Militare via Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Workers of Italian cruise line Costa Crociere march in downtown Genoa, Italy, on Jan. 22. (Luca Bruno / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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Related video 13th cruise ship victim found
A firefighter climbs on the bridge of the Costa Concordia on Jan. 22. A week after the 114,500-ton ship ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan coast, hopes of finding anyone alive have all but disappeared. (Paul Hanna / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Family members of missing victims throw flowers into the water near the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship, on Jan. 21. (Giampiero Sposito / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Divers recover a statue of the Madonna from inside the chapel of the Costa Concordia cruise ship. (Massimo Percossi / EPA) Share Back to slideshow navigation
An Italian Fire Department helicopter hovers over the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship off the island of Giglio, Jan. 20. The ship struck rocks on Jan. 13. (Massimo Percossi / EPA) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Carabinieri police divers passing by the bell of the stricken Costa Concordia luxury liner during their underwater search on Jan. 19. Rescuers were forced to suspend operations after the ship moved again on Friday, firefighters' spokeman Luca Cari said. (Carabinieri via AFP - Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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Related interactive Italy's island of comfort for victims of cruise ship wreck
Relatives and friends of victims of the stricken cruise ship are escorted by police to a local church on the island of Giglio on Jan. 19. (Massimo Percossi / EPA) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Scuba divers of the Gruppo Carabinieri Subaquei diving under the wreck of the Costa Concordia on Jan. 19. (Carabinieri via EPA) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Related video The search for Costa Concordia survivors
Search and rescue teams continue the search for survivors on the Costa Concordia on Jan. 19. (Tullio M. Puglia / Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Related video Salvaging the Costa Concordia
The Costa Serena, background, passes its wrecked sister ship, the Costa Concordia, on Jan. 18. International cruise goers put on a brave face as Costa's first Mediterranean tour since last week's tragedy set sail out of the same port as the doomed luxury liner. (Vincenzo Pinto / AFP - Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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Angel Paredes, right, a Peruvian crew member who survived the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, is welcomed by relatives at Lima's airport on Jan. 18. (Mariana Bazo / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Related video Reaction to cruise ship disaster in Italy
Police divers surface in the water Jan. 18 close to the wrecked Costa Concordia. (Massimo Percossi / EPA) Share Back to slideshow navigation
A firefighter hangs from a helicopter over the Costa Concordia on Jan. 18. Divers searching the capsized cruise liner suspended work on Wednesday after the vast wreck shifted slightly, but officials said they are hoping to resume as soon as possible. (Max Rossi / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Venedicta Molina, front, and her husband Saturnino Soria, left, parents of missing Peruvian crew member Erika Soria, arrive at Giglio island on Jan. 18. "We will not leave until we have found Erika," her father said. (Massimo Percossi / EPA) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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A bench from the stricken ship lies on nearby rocks on Jan. 18. (Massimo Percossi / EPA) Share Back to slideshow navigation
A satellite image shows the wreck of the Costa Concordia off the island of Giglio on Jan. 17. (DigitalGlobe) Share Back to slideshow navigation

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Related video New audio reveals cruise ship chaos
Rescuers work on the cruise ship Costa Concordia as it lies stricken off the shore of the island of Giglio on Jan. 17. (Laura Lezza / Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Related video Cruise ship’s diesel fuel presents danger
Police scuba divers search the Costa Concordia on Jan. 17. (Italian Police via EPA) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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Rescuers place explosive charges on the side of the Costa Concordia on Jan. 17 to create access holes prior to entering the stricken ship. (Andreas Solaro / AFP - Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation
The heavily listing Costa Concordia, as seen the night of Jan. 16 from the harbor on Giglio island. (Andreas Solaro / AFP - Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation

Related video Cruise ship survivor: ‘So much chaos’

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Rescuers search for missing people in and around the partially submerged Costa Concordia on Jan. 16. (Filippo Monteforte / AFP - Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation
A woman looks at the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise liner on Jan. 16. The owner of the luxury liner said its captain had made "errors of judgment" as the search continued for the missing. (Gregorio Borgia / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Related video Crippled cruise survivors report ‘chaos,’ ‘panic’
A woman is hugged by a relative upon her arrival early Jan. 16 on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion with 30 other passengers who survived the Costa Concordia accident. (Richard Bouhet / AFP - Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Rescue workers climb aboard the Costa Concordia on Jan. 16. (Max Rossi / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
A rescue boat and a helicopter patrol near the Costa Concordia on Jan. 16. (Andreas Solaro / AFP - Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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A coast guard scuba diver makes his way through floating pieces of furniture Jan. 15 inside the Costa Concordia. (Italian Coast Guard via AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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Costa Concordia passenger Lauren Moore, right, of Bowling Green, Ky., is greeted upon her return from Italy by her father, Ronnie Moore, second right; mother, Sarah Moore; and sister, Leslie Moore, left, on Jan 15 at the Louisville International Airport. (Alex Slitz / Daily News via AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Related video Search on after cruise ship capsizes
Firefighters on a dinghy look at a rock emerging from the side of the Costa Concordia on Jan. 15. (Andrea Sinibaldi / Lapresse via AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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Related video Cruise ship survivor recounts swimming to safety
Rescue operations continue Jan. 15 on the Costa Concordia. The ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, was taken into custody over accusations that he abandoned ship before all the passengers had safely evacuated. (Maurizio Degl' Innocenti / EPA) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Costa Concordia cruise liner captain Francesco Schettino, right, is escorted by police on Jan. 14 in Grosseto. Schettino was arrested on charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship, police said. (Stringer/italy / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Related video Evacuation from cruise ship 'absolute chaos'
Boats patrol near the Costa Concordia on Jan. 15. (Filippo Monteforte / AFP - Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Two passengers from South Korea who were on their honeymoon are rescued from the Costa Concordia on Jan. 15 after being found trapped on the ship. (Reuters, AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
The Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground is seen Jan. 14 off the coast of Giglio. At least 11 people were killed, and rescuers were searching for other victims after the Italian cruise ship carrying more than 4,000 people ran aground. (Italian Guardia di Finanza / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Passengers arrive at Porto Santo Stefano on Jan. 14 after the Costa Concordia ran aground. (Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Italian coast guard personnel recover the "black box" of the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia to establish the precise sequence of events behind the disaster, which occurred in calm seas and clear weather. (Gregorio Borgia / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
The Costa Concordia is seen Jan. 14 off the west coast of Italy. Rescue workers continue to search for survivors. (Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Some of the passengers of the shipwrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia receive first aid and comfort each other in Savona, Italy. (Luca Zennaro / EPA) Share Back to slideshow navigation

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Rescue workers help a woman Jan. 14 upon her arrival at Porto Santo Stefano in Italy. Helicopters and nearby boats assisted in the rescue efforts. (Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Members of the emergency services take an injured passenger from the Costa Concordia to a waiting ambulance Jan. 14 on the island of Giglio. (Enzo Russo / EPA) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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Costa Concordia passengers are seen Jan. 14 in a rescue boat. The ship had sailed from the Italian port of Civitavecchia just hours before the accident. (Peter Honvehlmann / EPA) Share Back to slideshow navigation
Passengers and crew members wearing life jackets prepare to evacuate the Costa Concordia on Jan. 13 after the ship ran aground. (Sky Italia via AFP - Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation
The Costa Concordia lays on its starboard side after it ran aground on Jan. 13, forcing some 4,200 people aboard to evacuate aboard lifeboats to the nearby Isola del Giglio. (Giuseppe Modesti / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation