On the surface, it is a perfect day on the Tuscan coast, but underwater, divers once again had to stop searching for victims because they are worried the Costa Concordia could slip off the rocks where it landed.
The Concordia shifted again on its rocky perch Friday, forcing the suspension of diving search operations for the 21 people still missing and raising concerns about the stability of the ship's resting place.
For relatives of the 21 people still missing, it looks like another day without resolution.
"We decided to suspend the search operation, just for the safety of the rescue team," explained Coast Guard spokesman Cosimo Nicastro.
But the search in areas above the waterline resumed in the evening after the ship was deemed stable.
Rescuers say it is hard to tell if the slight movements registered by sensors placed on board the Costa Concordia were just vibrations as the ship settles on the rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio or if the massive ocean liner is slowly slipping off the reef.
Salvage experts suggest it could be because of pockets of air gradually escaping.
The Concordia's movements are being watched since any significant shift could be dangerous for divers trying to locate those missing since the Concordia ran aground Jan. 13.
An additional fear is that movement could damage tanks holding 500,000 gallons of fuel oil and lead to leaks
.Crews have not been able to start siphoning it. They've only dropped booms in the water to contain it, if there is a leak.
The sea floor drops off sharply a few meters (yards) from where the ship is resting, and Italy's environment minister has warned it risks sinking.
The cruise captain who grounded the Costa Concordia off the Tuscan coast with 4,200 people on board did not relay correct information either to the company or crew after the ship hit rocks, the cruise ship owner's CEO said Friday.
CEO Pierluigi Foschi told Italian state TV that the company spoke to the captain at 10:05 pm (4:05 p.m. EST), some 20 minutes after the ship ran aground on January 13th, but could not offer proper assistance because the captain's description "did not correspond to the truth."
Capt. Francesco Schettino said only that he had "problems" on board but did not mention hitting a reef.
Likewise, Foschi said crew members were not informed of the gravity of the situation.
An audiotape of the Concordia's first contact with maritime authorities has a Concordia office repeatedly replying that the ship had experienced a blackout, even though it had hit the reef more than half an hour earlier.
"We have a blackout on board and are checking the situation," the officer says.
A Port Official responds, "Only generators? Police got a call from a relative of a crew member who said, during dinner, everything fell on his head?"
"No negative," the officer says. "We have a blackout."
There is also an interview on Jurnal TV with the captain's dinner companion.
She insists Francesco Schettino saved thousands of lives and did not abandon ship, as he has been accused.
But another video shows a crew member telling passengers, "On behalf of the captain, go back to your cabins. Everything has been fixed."
Passenger video shown on Italian TV indicates crew members telling passengers to go to their cabins as late as 10:25 pm (4:25 pm EST). The abandon ship alarm sounded just before 11:00 pm (5:00 pm EST).
"That's because they also did not receive correct information on the gravity of the situation," Foschi said.
The remarks by Costa CEO Foschi are the latest to indicate a lack of proper communication with authorities on land as the emergency unfolded.
Schettino, who was jailed after he left the ship, is under house arrest near Naples.
Costa in recent days has suspended Schettino, announced it is no longer paying his legal fees and has signed on as a civil party in the prosecution, a move that positions it as an injured party and would allow it to seek damages in the case of a guilty verdict.
Coast Guard spokesman Commander Cosimo Nicastro said crews will evaluate the ship's stability Saturday morning to see if the diving operation can resume, focusing on an area where passengers would have sought lifeboats, Nicastro said.
