If maritime superstitions are to be believed, the Costa Concordia was doomed from the moment it was launched.

When a grand christening ceremony was held in July 2006 in the port of Civitavecchia, the ceremonial champagne bottle failed to smash against the hull of the luxury liner - now on its side in the sea as rescue workers hunt for missing passengers - and wet the bow.

In a video capturing the moment, some among the crowd - which included supermodel Eva Herzigová - can be heard gasping as the bottle is hurled from a height and bounces, unbroken, off the side.