Ten years have gone by since that tragic Friday night that cannot be erased from memory by all those who experienced it. On board the Italian Costa Concordia cruise liner were more than 4200 people, including passengers and crew.
On January 13, 2012, at around 9.45pm, the ship hit rocks off the island of Giglio in Tuscany after the ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, decided to deviate its planned course and move in close to the shore to carry out a maritime ‘salute’ to the island.
From land the enormity and grandeur of the sparkling white Costa Concordia with its bright lights against the night sky lit up by a full moon could be seen clearly.
The ship, known for its luxuries on board, had left Civitavecchia port, just north of Rome, a few hours earlier and when tragedy struck many were still enjoying their dinners.
The Costa Concordia suffered a 53-meter tear on its port side when it hit the rocks and started to take in water while at the same time suffering a blackout. There was great confusion on the bridge and passengers received conflicting information.
Soon it became clear the ship needed to be evacuated as it began listing to the sideboard side.
Rescue operation
A massive rescue operation began to get everybody off the ship. Islanders, which numbers less than 1,000 in the winter months, did everything they could to help, making food and blankets available and opening their homes to the traumatised and cold passengers and crew who were evacuated.
The captain’s abandoning of the ship while passengers were still on board would not go unnoticed that night.
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His conduct cost him a prison sentence, which he is still serving, of more than 16 years after a trial which lasted 19 months and declared him guilty of manslaughter.
Thirty-two people died in the disaster; the youngest victim was only 5 years old. To pay tribute to those who lost their lives, a special mass will be held on Thursday at midday in the church at Giglio port and then a wreath will be thrown into the sea where the incident occurred.
Commemoration
In the evening, at the same time when the Costa Concordia struck the rocks, a candlelit commemoration and prayers will take place in memory of the victims.
Some survivors of that harrowing experience have been back to Giglio in gratitude to the islanders who helped them make it out alive.
The 114,000-ton ship remained an eyesore off the island’s coast for more than two years, until July 2014. Its removal is considered the largest maritime salvage operation in history.
Hundreds of people were involved in the work to parbuckle the ship, re-float it and tow it back to Genoa in northern Italy where it was dismantled for scrap. Survivors were compensated.
The total cost of the disaster, including victims' compensation, re-floating, towing and scrapping costs, is estimated at $2 billion.
