#CostaConcordia - The salvage master charged with righting the ill-fated cruise liner Costa Concordia has spoken of the risks involved in the task.
Still lying in her side on the Italian coast off Tuscany after grounding in the shallows on the night of 13 January 2012, the Costa Concordia is set to be lifted from the water by a specialised team headed by Captain Nick Sloan.
According to The Irish Times, their job goes by the name of the Parbuckling Project, and involves tying a sort of sling around the vessel using cables in order to raise her from the sea bed - a delicate operation due to the size of the vessel, and its resting place among jagged rocks.
Speaking candidly with The Guardian after a press conference in Rome on Thursday to discuss the operation scheduled for this coming week, South African salvage expert Capt Sloan said there is a "90% plus" chance the plan will work.
"The more we found out about the ship the more scared we got," he added, referring to the major clean-up operation in and around the shipwreck in the 18 months following the tragedy that claimed 32 lives and saw thousands of passengers - including an Irish couple - brought to safety in a major rescue operation.
Francesco Schettino, the Italian captain of the Costa Concordia, will face trial on charges of manslaughter and causing the loss of his ship after failing to reach a plea deal with prosecutors.
