Capsized Costa Concordia to be salvaged in one piece

Costa Concordia, the luxury cruise ship that ran aground off the Italian coast in January 2012, will be salvaged in one piece, according to a report.

The US-owned company Titan Salvage has won the bid to remove the ship, which struck the island of Giglio on January 13, after its captain allegedly steered the liner carrying 4200 people close to shore in an apparent stunt.

The work to refloat the cruise ship will begin early next month, and is expected to take a year.

According to News24, the salvage plan, which still needs approval by Italian authorities, foresees removing the ship in one piece and towing it to an Italian port, Costa said.

Workers completed the removal of fuel from the Concordia on March 24, and Costa said environmental protection would be a 'top priority' during the ship's removal.

Meanwhile, the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, who is under house arrest, has been accused of abandoning the ship at the time of crisis.

Schettino faces possible charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship.