Gabrielli calls for immediate removal of Costa Concordia

MP Matteoli characterizes towing to Genoa as ill-advised

(ANSA) - Grosseto, June 26 - Italian Emergency Commissioner Franco Gabrielli on Thursday urged the prompt removal of the Costa Concordia shipwreck from the Tuscan island where it smashed into rocks in January 2012.

Gabrielli told residents of the island of Giglio, who have endured living with the Costa Concordia shipwreck, that the carcass of the cruiser "must leave as soon as possible" and promised that it could be towed away as soon as clearance is granted the cabinet of ministers, expected Monday. The decision was sent to the national cabinet of Premier Matteo Renzi after a meeting on Wednesday that was supposed to approve the transfer of the Costa Concordia for dismantlement and disposal in Genoa failed to reach consensus.

Costa Cruises, the regional government of Tuscany, and the province of Grosseto voted against the transfer during a meeting called by Gabrielli. But another 17 parties voted in favour of the removal, including the administration of the island of Giglio.

President of the parliamentary commission on public works and transport, Altero Matteoli, said the wreck should be taken to the nearby Tuscan port of Piombino rather than Genoa and called for further study of the logistics of transferring the ship. The MP, who is a former infrastructure minister under ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi and a member of the centre-right Forza Italia (FI) party, said it would take at least a week to tow the wreck up to Genoa and transport might be delayed or endangered by adverse weather conditions.