Costa Concordia Upright Again

Yesterday, following a painstaking 19-hour procedure called "parbuckling," Costa Concordia is once again upright. The process took longer than estimated due to a weather delay the previous night, but began at 9am local time on Monday off the island of Giglio.

As you can see from the photo at left, the starboard side of the ship is covered in slime from being underwater. It also shows signs of deterioration from the full weight of the ship resting on it. After repairs are made and sponsons are attached to the starboard side, Costa Concordia will be ready to be floated when the sponsons on both sides of the vessel are filled with air. The final move will be to tow the ship away, possibly as early as next spring.