REUTERS/Tony Gentile
It took a grueling 19-hour effort, but the
The "parbuckling" process, wherein pulleys and steel cables were used to slowly pull the 60,000-ton ship into an upright position, has been a success. The boat will now have hollow steel boxes called sponsons attached to the side of it to ensure buoyancy, before being towed away for scrap.
It's a remarkable scene, and even more remarkable when you consider that the boat has been there on its side on the rocky coast, since it crashed in January 2012, killing 32 people.
These pictures show just how weathered and mangled the boat has become. It's really quite remarkable:
REUTERS/Tony Gentile
REUTERS/Tony Gentile
REUTERS/Tony Gentile
REUTERS/Tony Gentile
REUTERS/Tony Gentile
REUTERS/Tony Gentile