It is well known that a cruise ship recently ran aground off the coast of a small island in Italy. The Costa Concordia cruise ship had only left hours prior to the accident from the port of Civitavecchia near Rome. The accident occurred off the maritime park of the island of Giglio.
Subsequently, numerous individuals have lost their lives, more have gone missing and a great scandal has begun brewing for the captain of the ship. In addition to the human cost, there is now a potential environmental cost that are concerning many in the region. Since the cruise ship had only recently left port it therefore has nearly all of the fuel still on board for the expected seven day journey.
A total of some 500,000 gallons of fuel is still on board the cruise ship, which is currently laying on its side just off the coast of Giglio. In addition to the island being known for its beautiful waters, it is also known for the coral which is currently being harmed by the cruise ship. Environmental Minister Corrado Clini stated: “The environmental risk for the island of Giglio is very, very high. The aim is to prevent the fuel leaking out of the ship. We are working to avoid this. It is urgent and time is running out.”
The wreck of the Costa Concordia is highlighting the position of environmental groups in the region, which have been attempting to ban cruise ships from the region for some time. The concerns have been that large ships themselves harm the natural beauty of the region alongside impacting the seas with pollution. Also a concern, which has now come true, is a major disaster of a large ship coming too close to shore. Environmental groups have been attempting to ban large ships, including all cruise ships, from the Tuscan islands of Giglio, Pianosa, Elba, Capraia, Montecristo and Gorgona.
Alessandra Motola Molfino, president of the conservation group Italia Nostra, stated: “These monstrous floating cities pollute the scenery with their very presence and the rivers, seas and cities where they stop with the refuse that they produce. The disaster of the Costa Concordia unfortunately proves the insubstantiality of the type of tourism that exploits and tramples on Italy’s beauty and cultural heritage and does not produce any growth or wellbeing.”
Currently the cruise ship is situated on a ledge in the sea which has allowed it to remain in waters that are only about fifteen meters deep. But if the ship moves in any way, whether due to weather or another cause, it will slide into deep water and become much more difficult to deal with. Recently crews had to stop working on the ship due to movements, however, the ship is still on the sea ledge. Both officials working on the vessel and on the havoc left behind on land are busy trying to remedy the situation.
