The Costa Concordia, the Italian cruise ship that sunk and killed 32 people in 2012, has entered the port of Genoa for scrapping after one of the biggest salvage operations in maritime history.

Two and a half years since the tragic sinking of the ship, the Costa Concordia has finally ended its four-day and 200 mile voyage to Genoa’s Voltri industrial port to mark the end of a two year salvage operation that has reportedly cost the Costa Concordia's owners, Costa Crociere, an estimated £1.2 billion.

After reaching Genoa, the ship will then be broken down by a consortium led by Italian engineering group Saipem and Genoa-based San Giorgio del Porto, which sources say could take a further two years and cost upwards of £79 million.

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The Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is expected to arrive in Genoa later on Sunday to mark the success of the operation.

Speaking on behalf of the government ahead of the Costa Concordia’s arrival in Genoa, environment minister Gian Luca Galletti told reporters: “This is not a celebration. We have to think of the victims, but it has to be said that keeping the Concordia in Italy is a great occasion for our country."

Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Costa Concordia cruise ship Show all 25 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Costa Concordia cruise ship 1/25 Costa Concordia Costa Concordia cruise ship after being refloated using air tanks attached to its sides at Giglio Island 2/25 Costa Concordia The wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship is carried away in front of the harbour of Isola del Giglio, after it was refloated using air tanks attached to its sides, off Giglio Island 3/25 Costa Concordia The wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship is towed away in front of the harbour of Isola del Giglio 4/25 Costa Concordia People watch as the wrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia is towed by tugs from Giglio after being refloated, in Isola del Giglio 5/25 Costa Concordia The wreck of the Costa Concordia is towed by two tugboats as it leaves behind the tiny Tuscan island of Isola del Giglio 6/25 Costa Concordia Costa Concordia cruise ship after being refloated using air tanks attached to its sides at Giglio Island 7/25 Costa Concordia The luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia lays on its starboard side after it ran aground off the coast of the Isola del Giglio Island 8/25 Costa Concordia Young people sit on a stone wall while works to re-float of the wreck of the 'Costa Concordia' cruise ship continue off the coast of the Giglio Island 9/25 Costa Concordia An aerial view of the refloated wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the Giglio Island 10/25 Costa Concordia Costa Concordia leaning on its starboard side after running aground on the tiny Tuscan Island of Giglio 11/25 Costa Concordia A boat sails in front of the wreck of the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia, held up by giant tanks in the final stages of the refloating phase, in the tiny Tuscan island of Isola del Giglio 12/25 Costa Concordia A view of the on-going works to remove the Costa Concordia cruise ship on Giglio Island 13/25 Costa Concordia The name of the Costa Concordia cruise ship appears above the water line after being refloated using air tanks attached to its side at the Giglio Island 14/25 Costa Concordia The "Fagioli" installations part of the technical mechanism to refloat the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship during the operation to remove the liner off the Giglio Island 15/25 Costa Concordia Water is expelled from the caissons hooked on the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship during an operation to refloat the boat off the Giglio Island 16/25 Costa Concordia An area inside the Costa Concordia cruise liner at Giglio Island 17/25 Costa Concordia An interior of Costa Concordia cruise ship 18/25 Costa Concordia An interior of Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck 19/25 Costa Concordia An interior of Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck 20/25 Costa Concordia An interior of Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck 21/25 Costa Concordia An interior of Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck 22/25 Costa Concordia An interior of Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck 23/25 Costa Concordia An area inside the Costa Concordia cruise liner at Giglio Island 24/25 Costa Concordia An area inside the Costa Concordia cruise liner at Giglio Island 25/25 Costa Concordia An interior of Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck 1/25 Costa Concordia Costa Concordia cruise ship after being refloated using air tanks attached to its sides at Giglio Island 2/25 Costa Concordia The wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship is carried away in front of the harbour of Isola del Giglio, after it was refloated using air tanks attached to its sides, off Giglio Island 3/25 Costa Concordia The wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship is towed away in front of the harbour of Isola del Giglio 4/25 Costa Concordia People watch as the wrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia is towed by tugs from Giglio after being refloated, in Isola del Giglio 5/25 Costa Concordia The wreck of the Costa Concordia is towed by two tugboats as it leaves behind the tiny Tuscan island of Isola del Giglio 6/25 Costa Concordia Costa Concordia cruise ship after being refloated using air tanks attached to its sides at Giglio Island 7/25 Costa Concordia The luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia lays on its starboard side after it ran aground off the coast of the Isola del Giglio Island 8/25 Costa Concordia Young people sit on a stone wall while works to re-float of the wreck of the 'Costa Concordia' cruise ship continue off the coast of the Giglio Island 9/25 Costa Concordia An aerial view of the refloated wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the Giglio Island 10/25 Costa Concordia Costa Concordia leaning on its starboard side after running aground on the tiny Tuscan Island of Giglio 11/25 Costa Concordia A boat sails in front of the wreck of the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia, held up by giant tanks in the final stages of the refloating phase, in the tiny Tuscan island of Isola del Giglio 12/25 Costa Concordia A view of the on-going works to remove the Costa Concordia cruise ship on Giglio Island 13/25 Costa Concordia The name of the Costa Concordia cruise ship appears above the water line after being refloated using air tanks attached to its side at the Giglio Island 14/25 Costa Concordia The "Fagioli" installations part of the technical mechanism to refloat the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship during the operation to remove the liner off the Giglio Island 15/25 Costa Concordia Water is expelled from the caissons hooked on the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship during an operation to refloat the boat off the Giglio Island 16/25 Costa Concordia An area inside the Costa Concordia cruise liner at Giglio Island 17/25 Costa Concordia An interior of Costa Concordia cruise ship 18/25 Costa Concordia An interior of Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck 19/25 Costa Concordia An interior of Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck 20/25 Costa Concordia An interior of Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck 21/25 Costa Concordia An interior of Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck 22/25 Costa Concordia An interior of Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck 23/25 Costa Concordia An area inside the Costa Concordia cruise liner at Giglio Island 24/25 Costa Concordia An area inside the Costa Concordia cruise liner at Giglio Island 25/25 Costa Concordia An interior of Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck

Adding: "We have excellent technology and we are capable of undertaking great things."

The scrapping of the Costa Concordia sees the final stage of a complex project that began just months after the boat was wrecked in January 2012.

Since April last year, these efforts have intensified, with cables being put underneath the submerged ship to pull it upright.

According to reports, there were up to 200 people working on the ship daily and the Italian authorities have received praise for carrying out the work with very few glitches and minimal damage to the environment.

Galletti said: "There hasn't been any problem at all. They should have a bit more confidence in Italians."

A massive operation nine days ago saw the ship re-floated nine days ago, which made it possible for the ship to be towed back to Genoa.

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The return of the ship to the port in marks a bleak comparison to nine years ago when the ship embarked on its maiden voyage.

In September 2005 the ship, which was built in Genoa’s Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyard, was launched to great fanfare and celebration in the city.

After being in operation for seven years, in 2012 the ship which had a capacity of 4,000 passengers came into trouble off the island of Giglio on the Tuscan coast.

The ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, is currently on trial for causing the ship wreck and , according to reports, if found guilty could face up to 20 years in jail.

Costa Concordia Salvage Operation in Numbers

Length: 290.20 m

Weight: 114,147 tonnes

Cost of ship: €450 million

Total cost of salvage operation: €1.5 billion

Estimated cost of scrapping of ship: €100 million

Amount of fuel removed from wreck: 2,380 tonnes

Number of salvage workers involved: 500