Engineer Sergio Girotto said that the crippled vessel wouldn’t budge for some three hours after the operation to right it began.u00a0After 6,000 tonnes of force were applied, Girotto said ‘we saw the detachment’ using undersea cameras.u00a0However, fears loom that the operation could pollute the pristine waters of Giglio.u00a0

Up she rises! Tourists watch on as the Costa Concordia is wrested from the reef embedded in its hull after a three hours. The salvage operation began behind schedule owing to stormy weather. Pic/Getty Images