Italian Emergency Commissioner
Franco Gabrielli on Thursday urged the prompt removal of the
Costa Concordia shipwreck from the Tuscan island where it
smashed into rocks in January 2012.
Gabrielli told residents of the island of Giglio, who have
endured living with the Costa Concordia shipwreck, that the
carcass of the cruiser "must leave as soon as possible" and
promised that it could be towed away as soon as clearance is
granted the cabinet of ministers, expected Monday.
The decision was sent to the national cabinet of Premier
Matteo Renzi after a meeting on Wednesday that was supposed to
approve the transfer of the Costa Concordia for dismantlement
and disposal in Genoa failed to reach consensus.
Costa Cruises, the regional government of Tuscany, and the
province of Grosseto voted against the transfer during a meeting
called by Gabrielli.
But another 17 parties voted in favour of the removal,
including the administration of the island of Giglio.
President of the parliamentary commission on public works
and transport, Altero Matteoli, said the wreck should be taken
to the nearby Tuscan port of Piombino rather than Genoa and
called for further study of the logistics of transferring the
ship.
The MP, who is a former infrastructure minister under
ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi and a member of the centre-right
Forza Italia (FI) party, said it would take at least a week to
tow the wreck up to Genoa and transport might be delayed or
endangered by adverse weather conditions.
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