Costa Concordia Being Readied for Final Tow to Genoa

The bow of the Costa Concordia cruise liner is seen as it emerges during the refloating operation at Giglio harbour July 20, 2014. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

Update: She’s off! Track Costa Concordia Live – AIS MAP

Update: Costa Concordia Departure Pushed Back to Wednesday

After 2 and a half years shipwrecked along the small island of Giglio, the end is finally within sight.

The refloating of the Costa Concordia has continued around the clock this weekend, with salvage crews working to lower the remaining sponsons into place in preparation for the full refloating and upcoming towing operation.

According to the latest update from project officials Sunday afternoon, the wreck has now emerged 7.5 meters, with 6.3 meters remaining. Crews were working Sunday to maneuver the last 6 sponsons into place. Once this is completed, deck four and deck three of the ship are expected to emerge from the water rapidly.

One incident of note, at about 11 p.m. Saturday night, a small amount of oil was spotted in the water around amidship. The Oil Spill Response team was quick to jump on the spill, placing absorbent boom to clean the area. There is no evidence of leakage in progress and project officials said that no damage to the structure or equipment has been observed.

Still no confirmation if the shipwreck is expected to depart for Genoa on Monday as originally planned, or if the departure would pushed back until Tuesday. According to a report from Reuters, the departure has been pushed back to Tuesday due to forecasts of rough seas.

Project officials did release some details Sunday about the convoy of ships that will accompany the Costa Concordia during its five-day tow to the port of Genoa. The tow itself will be performed by the AHTS’ MV Resolve Earl and MV ITC Blizzard, while another 12 vessels will surround the wreck each serving a different purpose. You can see the details of the convoy in the graphic below.

We will update with any new information that becomes available today. gCaptain’s full coverage of the refloating can be found HERE.