Costa Concordia anchoring marks first phase of ship recovery

Preliminary work to remove the doomed Costa Concordia cruise liner from Giglio Island began Thursday. Workers are attempting to anchor the wreck with cables so that it can be carefully turned upright and then re-floated away from the island. It is expected that this first phase of anchoring the wreck will be completed by Sept. 19. The salvage companies that will re-float the Costa Concordia and tug it away have said they expect the island should be free of the wreck by next spring. Thirty two people were killed when the Concordia capsized on January 13 after hitting a rock while sailing close to island of Giglio off the Tuscan coast to 'salute' local residents.