An operation to pump 2,400 tonnes of fuel from the shipwrecked Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia has started.
It comes a month after the ship crashed into rocks and ran aground near the Tuscan island of Giglio off the Italian coast, with 4,229 passengers and crew on board.
The bodies of 17 people killed in the accident have been retrieved from the capsized ship . A further 15 people are unaccounted for.
Dutch company Smit, working with Italian firm Neri, is carrying out the underwater operation to drain oil still inside the wreck after experts confirmed the vessel was stable.
A total of 15 oil tanks believed to be holding around 84% of the fuel on board need to be emptied by salvage workers to prevent any leaks into the sea.
Environmentalists have warned a fuel leak would be disastrous and may contaminate sea water and affect marine life.
The pristine waters off Giglio form part of a protected sanctuary for dolphins and whales.
The drainage operation is expected to take 28 days.
Only then can work begin to refloat the liner in a separate operation which could take between seven and 10 months.
The captain of the ship, Francesco Schettino , remains under house arrest at his home in Naples and faces charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship.
He denies any wrongdoing.
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