The Italian port of Giglio echoed with the sound of sirens and applause on Wednesday as the rusting hulk of the Costa Concordia left for its final voyage, two and a half years after its disastrous sinking in which 32 people died.
Locals, tourists and journalists packed on to the jetty leading out to sea from the picturesque Tuscan port as technicians coordinating the final stage of the most ambitious maritime salvage operation in history began rotating the cruise ship to prepare for departure.
Encased in large metal boxes which are acting as huge air-filled armbands enabling the 114,500 gross tonnage vessel to stay afloat despite its decrepitude and damage, the Concordia was being towed by tug boats to Genoa, where it is to be broken up for scrap.
On Tuesday night, after the 10-day refloating stage was completed, engineers raised a blue flag, known as the Blue Peter, to signify the ship's imminent departure. South African salvage master Nick Sloane said this was an old maritime tradition aimed also at telling the crew they've "gotta get out the bars".
By Wednesday morning, as the ship left the port, the flag had been taken down. At around noon on Wednesday, Sloane said, the Concordia would be in a position "to say goodbye to Giglio".
As it makes the approximately 200 nautical mile journey to Genoa, where it is expected to arrive on Sunday, the Concordia will be accompanied by a large convoy of ships with different functions including environmental monitoring and oil spill response. Two tugs will pull it from the front, with two auxiliary tugs deployed at the stern.
Analysis from the Italian shipping register has established the damaged hull is suitable for towing and can safely withstand waves of up to 2.6 metres, which are rare at this time of year in Italy.
However, environmentalists have warned of the potentially serious impact that leakage of toxic substances from the hull could have on the waters through which it is to travel.
"It's obvious that these are risky contents and we hope that in the planning of this operation the risk of these spills has been adequately tackled both in terms of prevention and, in the event that something does leak out, in terms of response and mitigation," said Alessandro Gianni of Greenpeace Italy.
Now the ship has left Giglio, it is expected that the search will re-start for the only victim of the disaster whose body has not been found. Kevin Rebello, brother of Russel, an Indian waiter who was working on the cruise ship, said he expected the go-ahead would be given in the coming days.
"Everything seems like it did in the first days after the tragic accident. Anxiety, stress, the waiting. Now only time will bring answers. Thirty-one months have passed since the accident and things are not as they were before," he told the Guardian.
"If the result is negative, there will be nothing for it but to wait for the Concordia to arrive in Genoa to be broken up, and we can hope to find answers in the breaking up stage which will last around 24 months. There is nothing else to do but wait. Patience."