Arrivederci, Concordia

The ongoing saga of the Costa Concordia has a major new chapter.

Costa Concordia wreck raised from under-sea platform.

The damaged ocean liner is now afloat, and soon will be towed to its final salvage location.

Here's more, from the BBC:

"The ship is upright and is not listing. This is extremely positive," the engineer in charge of the salvage, Franco Porcellacchia, told a news conference.

He said the sixth deck of the ship had begun to emerge on Monday, and once that was fully above water the other decks would become visible in quick succession.

"When deck three re-emerges we are in the final stage and ready for departure," he added.

Tugboats attached to the ship by cables have moved it a short distance away from the shore.

The time-lapse footage on the BBC web site is fun to watch.

The wreck was a terrible tragedy, but it is inspiring to see the salvage efforts proceeding so well.