This morning (September 16) marks the beginning of one the largest salvage operations in history, as engineers work alongside the Italian Civil Protection agency to right the shipwrecked Costa Concordia ocean liner.

Since it ran aground off the Tuscan island of Islo Del Giglio in 2012, the Costa Concordia has remained on its side and has been immovable, casting a permanent shadow over the Italian island’s small community.

Engineers are using a process called parbuckling to shift the 952 ft cruiser. This involves attaching large water tanks and chains weighing more than 114,000 tonnes to one side of the capsized ship. Using a combination of winches and the weight of the water in these special tanks, it is hoped that the ship will right itself.

The process will be conducted slowly to avoid further damage to the vessel, which has been partially submerged and exposed to the elements both above and below the water for more than 18 months.

Although booms and nets are in place to catch anything emerging from the ship, environmentalists have voiced concerns regarding the possibility of toxic leakage, BBC News reports.

Preparations for the salvage operation have been underway since January 2012, when the cruise liner ran aground, running up a total cost of US $798 million. If the ship is successfully lifted upright, it will be towed away and used for scrap.

“There is a lot of expectation because this is the concrete realisation of a year of hard work, we are sure everything will go well," Sergio Ortelli, mayor of Islo Del Giglio, told AFP.

The Costa Concordia was shipwrecked last year after straying too close to the coast of Isola Del Giglio during an unofficial salute, hitting rocks and flooding the engine room. The incident resulted in 32 deaths and the emergency evacuation of more than 4,000 passengers and crew.

The ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, has been convicted of manslaughter and is currently awaiting trial.