"Officials are hoping to begin salvage work soon, including pumping oil off the wreck, as hopes fade of finding any more survivors.
Twenty-three people are missing, and 11 confirmed dead, after the huge ship crashed into rocks on Friday.
Along with the salvage workers - who will begin operations once rescue efforts have been declared over - a specialist team from Dutch salvage company SMIT is to prepare to pump more than 2,300 tonnes of fuel from the ship's 17 tanks.
The firm says this could take several weeks. Experts believe there is little risk of a major fuel leak that would contaminate the scenic area."
Even though at this moment in time, there seems to be no risk of any significant environmental disaster regarding the 2,300 tonnes of fuel onboard the stricken cruise liner, the ground upon which its settled is constantly moving, currently hampering efforts to search for and rescue the 23 people still missing. This could create an unforseen situation, on a very large scale, causing untold damage to the Italian coastline and to aqatic life similar to that seen in the Gulf of mexico.
Fingers crossed...
"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16606405"
