Concordia Cruise Ship May Claim More Than Just Lives

By now, most everyone has heard or read about the terrible Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck off Italy’s Tuscan coast. But this wreck has the potential to claim more than just lives — by inflicting severe environmental damage the pristine waters surrounding the ship. It seems like recovery operations have focused mostly on searching for survivors and recovering bodies.

Most recently, divers recovered a 17th body from the wreck — a woman on the submerged sixth floor deck without a life jacket. This is a vital task, but only recently have there been plans of a salvage operation to remove the more than 500,000 gallons of heavy fuel aboard the ship. Unfortunately, it also looks like these plans may have to be postponed due to extreme weather conditions – heavy seas and strong wind forecasts.

Initially, the salvage operation was planned to start today but may have to be postponed until the middle of next week. This might be a recipe for disaster as precious time is going to waste. The pumping operation to get all of the fuel off the boat is expected to last nearly a month, so every day is vital to its completion.

There are also numerous other potentially toxic substances aboard the ship as Italy’s civil protection service released a list of such substances Friday. The list includes 50 liters of insecticide, 41 cubic meters of lubricants, among other harmful agents. So far there have been no reports of water contamination near the ship, but I am afraid that this will soon be the case.

The waters outside of Giglio, the island next to the wreck, feature crystal clear waters and form part of a marine sanctuary for dolphins, porpoises and whales. They are also a tourist destination and some of the most beautiful waters off the coast of Italy.

It would be an incredible and an irreversible loss if these were damaged. The loss of lives from the wreck is a tragedy and all actions by the ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, should be investigated. However, the important issue here is the possible environmental ramifications of the wreck. Investigations and trials can wait, the waters and marine life cannot.


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