Fears grow over fuel, as divers search cruise wreck

Divers combed the wreck of an Italian cruise liner for a sixth day yesterday in an increasingly desperate search for survivors, as salvagers worked to prevent an environmental disaster.
The owner of the giant 17-deck vessel, Genoa-based Costa Crociere, also sought to distance itself further from the ship’s captain Francesco Schettino, announcing that it would be a plaintiff in the case against him.
Marco De Luca, the company’s lawyer, said Costa – Europe’s biggest cruise operator – had also officially suspended him from his duties.
Rescuers have so far recovered 11 bodies and 21 more people are missing out of the more than 4,200 from around the world who had been on board the Costa Concordia when it hit rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio today.
In transcripts of his interrogation by prosecutors on Tuesday that were leaked to Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Schettino defended his actions but admitted he had made “a mistake” in sailing so close to the shore.
A transcript published yesterday by Italian news channel Sky TG24 of the first conversation between the Italian coastguard and the doomed Costa Concordia cruise ship also reveals a state of denial on board about the gravity of the situation after the liner hit rocks off Giglio island.
The call from the coastguard in Livorno was made at 22:12 pm (2112 GMT) on Friday – about forty minutes after a massive impact and as the 17-deck ship was listing ominously onto the island’s rocky shores.
Schettino, 52, is under house arrest at his home near Naples. He has been accused of multiple manslaughter and of abandoning ship, but has not yet been formally charged – a process that could take months under Italian law.
He also said that he “fell over inside a lifeboat” when the boat pitched over. He said he could not return on board after leaving the ship “because the space was obstructed” by boats that had come to help the rescue.
The investigating judge who questioned Schettino in the town of Grosseto said he had made “no serious attempt” to return to the ship after leaving it.
The rescue operation, which was halted Wednesday after the half-submerged ship shifted while divers were inside, resumed at first light yesterday.
“We have divers going down now. We will then use the micro-explosives to open more holes. They will enter inside the ship and search for more people” in the 114,500-ton vessel, coast guard spokesman Filippo Marini told reporters.
The 2,380 tons of fuel on board the ship have alarmed environmentalists worried about the potential impact of any leak on this pristine nature reserve and marine sanctuary – a major holiday spot off the shores of Tuscany.
 A Dutch salvage company said it was ready to pump out fuel and diesel from the tanks before winds pick up later, with widespread concern among rescue teams that choppy seas could again force a suspension of operations.
According to the latest forecasts, strong winds were expected yesterday evening. Italy is set to declare a state of emergency in the area and Environment Minister Corrado Clini has said the risk of a spill is “very high”.
Salvage workers say there is currently no danger of large scale pollution off the island of Giglio but admit there is still a risk of spillage, particularly as the pumping operation is expected to take around four weeks.
The Costa Concordia was on the first day of its seven-day cruise and passengers were settling down to dinner when tragedy struck.

AFP