Concordia 'costliest salvage ever'

Righting, refloating and sending the Costa Concordia off for scrap is expected to go down in history as the world's most expensive wreck salvage operation.

So far the bill is reckoned to be just under $800 million.

On Monday engineers began the slow process of lifting the giant hulk upright.

The painstaking process was delayed for three hours by a storm overnight off the Italian coast where it's lain for 20 months.

It's expected to take up to 12 hours to bring the 114, 500 tonne wreck upright.

At least 30 people died when the ship hit rocks and capsized off the island of Giglio in January last year.

It's hoped the bodies of another two still missing will be found by the salvage teams as the operation unfolds.

The final disappearance of the wreck of the Costa Concordia from these shores is still a long way off.

The salvage teams will spend several months stabilising it.

Only then will they try to refloat it and tow it to meet its fat