Concordia Wreck Environmental Damage, Italy

The Italian government said today that there was an “environmental damage”, but “very content” on the seabed off the island of Giglio as a result of the sinking of the cruise last Friday “Costa Concordia”, which contains within 2380 tons of fuel.

Aside from his appearance on Wednesday before the plenary of the House, the Italian Minister of Environment, Corrado Clini, said there is a risk of a possible fuel spill at sea, which could spread throughout the Tyrrhenian coast .

“There is already an environmental damage, much content on the seabed off the island of Giglio,” Clini said to reporters in the halls of the Italian Lower House. “We are facing an extreme situation because the ship is unstable, he added. We must act quickly (…). I think in the next twelve hours we will be ready to begin work on the tank. To empty the 2380 tons of fuel in the tank need at least two weeks. “

The environment minister said that in order to bring the “Costa Concordia” of where that is aground, where today resuspended to movement tasks of the cruise, “obviously” it will take more time, because “just a little common sense to understand that there is a dangerous game. “

“The risk is the dispersion in the sea of ​​fuel that could contaminate not only the wreckage, but all the Tyrrhenian coast, will depend very much on the current” Marine said Clini, who explained that they have already received proposals from France and Germany to assist in disaster management.

The representative in Italy of the Dutch company Smit Salvage, charged with the task of extracting the fuel, estimated today that will require two to six weeks to complete emptying of the fuel, and explained that to do so and without causing pollution will use a system to drill the tank plate.

Giglio Island is part of a natural marine park is considered one of the most important ecosystems of the Mediterranean and around it the helicopters involved in the rescue efforts have spotted some stains on the water.

The wreck of the “Costa Concordia”, owned by the shipping company Costa Cruises, leaves for the moment, a balance of 11 dead, including the Spanish tourist Guillermo Gual and Peruvian crew Costilla Thomas Alberto Mendoza.