Undersea prep resumes for ship’s oil removal
Italian firefighter work on the hull of the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012. The Concordia ran aground on Jan. 13 off the port of the island of Giglio port after the captain deviated from his planned route and gashed the hull of the ship on a reef. The ship contains about 500,000 gallons (2,400 tons) of heavy fuel and other pollutants, and fears are growing that those pollutants could spill out, damaging a pristine environment that is home to dolphins, whales and other marine life. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
An an oil boom floats around the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012. The Concordia ran aground on Jan. 13 after the captain deviated from his planned route and gashed the hull of the ship on a reef. The ship contains about 500,000 gallons (2,400 tons) of heavy fuel and other pollutants. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
A view of the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012. The Concordia ran aground on Jan. 13 after the captain deviated from his planned route and gashed the hull of the ship on a reef. The ship contains about 500,000 gallons (2,400 tons) of heavy fuel and other pollutants. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
ROME (AP) — Underwater operations have resumed aimed at readying the shipwrecked Costa Concordia for the removal of tons of oil from its tanks.
After days of stormy weather, seas off the Tuscan island of Giglio were calm enough Sunday to resume work.
But the Italian government office overseeing salvage and rescue operations said winds were increasing and that the work would be halted before seas become too choppy.
Divers’ search of the half-submerged vessel for the bodies of the 15 people missing in the Jan. 13 capsizing remains suspended due to sea conditions.
At least 17 people died after the cruise ship rammed a reef off Giglio and flipped over on its side. Rough seas so far have thwarted efforts to pump out the fuel to avoid pollution of pristine waters.