“Even before the Concordia tragedy, environmentalists had railed against what they brand “sea monsters,” virtually floating cities,each pumping massive amounts of greenhouse gases — sailing perilously close to the sea coast to thrill passengers aboard”…AP. Photograph: © SAF
Excerpts;
Stone fortresses and watchtowers which centuries ago stood guard against marauding pirates loom above pristine waters threatened by a new and modern peril: fuel trapped within the capsized Costa Concordia luxury liner.
The island of Giglio is part of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, which says it is Europe’s biggest marine sanctuary.
The risk of environmental damage to the archipelago’s seas has not yet receded. A half-million gallons (2,400 tons) of black goo are in danger of leaking out and polluting some of the Mediterranean’s most unspoiled sea…
Isola del Giglio, Tuscany, Italy. Photo source: ©© Patpatpat
Costa Concordia: Storms threaten to shift marooned cruise liner and release oil spill into a wildlife haven, Guardian UK
The Italian environment ministry has warned that the ship is already polluting the granite shallows in which it rests, as tonnes of cooking oil, paint, detergents, solvents and chlorinated swimming pool water seep out from the holes punched in the hull by divers. “This was a city on the sea built for 4,000 and packed with supplies, AC units, fridges and all kinds of toxic material…”
