Underwater pumping operations began Sunday to remove some of the 500,000 gallons of fuel aboard the Costa Concordia, officials said, nearly a month after the cruise ship ran aground off Tuscany. 
 
 In this photo released by the Italian Presidency, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, right, greets relatives of the victims of the cruise ship that ran aground last month off Tuscany, in Rome, Sunday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Snow covers the rooftops of the houses overlooking the harbour of the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012, as the grounded Costa Concordia cruise liner still lays stricken in background.... (Associated Press) 
 
 Pope Benedict XVI, framed by marble statues, delivers his message during the Angelus prayer in St. Peter's square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012. The Pontiff has called on the Syrian leadership... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo released by the Italian Presidency, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, right, greets some relatives of the victims of the cruise ship that ran aground last month off Tuscany, in Rome,... (Associated Press) 
 
 After nearly two weeks of delays because of rough seas and bad weather, the pumping got under way on the first of 15 tanks that are believed to hold around 84 percent of the fuel on board, Italy's civil protection department said. 
 
 Officials say it will take 28 consecutive days of pumping to empty the tanks. 
 
 Dutch shipwreck salvage firm Smit is overseeing the operation, along with an Italian partner. 
 
 The fuel extraction process involves fixing valves on the underwater fuel tanks, one on top, one on bottom. Hoses are attached to the valves and as the oil _ which must be warmed to make it less gooey _ is sucked out of the upper hose, sea water is pumped in to fill the vacuum via the lower hose. 
 
 "We expect the next five days to be good weather, and we will work 24 hours a day to pump out the fuel," said Bart Huizing, Smit's salvage master. He said operations would initially focus on the six tanks in the front part of the ship where about 62-65 percent of the fuel is located. 
 
 "Hopefully by the end of the week we will have the majority out," he told The Associated Press in Giglio. 
 
 Ever since the Concordia ran aground Jan. 13, fears have swirled about fuel leaks and resulting contamination of the pristine waters off the tiny island of Giglio, which form part of a protected sanctuary for dolphins, whales and porpoises. There have been no reports of any serious leaks. 
 
 The Concordia slammed into a reef off Giglio after the captain deviated from the ship's planned course in an apparent stunt. Passengers have said the captain then delayed sounding the evacuation alarm until the ship had capsized so much that lifeboats on one side couldn't be lowered. 
 
 About 4,200 passengers and crew escaped, but 17 bodies have been found and another 15 people remain missing and presumed dead. 
 
 The captain, Francesco Schettino, is under house arrest, accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship before all the passengers had been evacuated. He has said the reef wasn't marked on his nautical charts. 
 
 Earlier Sunday during a memorial service for victims, Italy's president and the country's top bishop demanded justice and called for the truth of what transpired that night to come to light. 
 
 "Let the light of the Lord help bring about truth and justice, let wounds be healed and let trust and courage for the future be reinforced," Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco said in his homily. 
 
 President Giorgio Napolitano, who attended the service at Rome's St. Mary of the Angels basilica, said he was sorry that what transpired "was the responsibility of Italy and Italians." 
 
 "We must continue to investigate," he told reporters outside the basilica. "Prosecutors deserve respect for the job they're doing." 
 
 Another memorial service, falling on the one-month commemoration of the grounding, was planned for Monday in Giglio itself. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Simone Camilli in Giglio contributed to this report. ||||| Costa Concordia fuel removal operation begins 
 
 There have been fears of a fuel leak from the stricken liner 
 
 Pumping to remove more than 2,300 tonnes of fuel from the grounded Costa Concordia cruise ship has started, Italian officials have said. 
 
 It began on Sunday afternoon, nearly a month after the ship hit a reef and capsized off the island of Giglio. 
 
 The process had been delayed by both the search and rescue operation and bad weather, prompting fears of a leak into the protected waters off the island. 
 
 Seventeen people died when the ship capsized and 15 more are presumed dead. 
 
 Its captain has been accused in Italy of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship before all those aboard were evacuated. 
 
 Prosecutors in France have also launched an investigation, given that four French nationals died and two others are among the missing. 
 
 The captain, Francesco Schettino, denies wrongdoing. 
 
 Crane barge 
 
 Dutch salvage company Smit is conducting the operation to pump out the fuel, which is expected to take about four weeks to complete. 
 
 It will concentrate on the first of 15 tanks that are believed to hold around 84% of the fuel on board, the AP news agency quoted Italy's civil protection department as saying. 
 
 Valves will be fixed to the tanks, allowing oil to be pumped through a hose on to a crane barge alongside the vessel. From there the oil will be transferred to a waiting oil tanker. 
 
 As oil is removed, water will be forced in via a second hose to fill the vacuum.
– Italian officials have begun operations to salvage some 500,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil from the stricken Costa Concordia cruise ship, reports the BBC. Dutch salvage company Smit is performing the operation, which has been delayed by bad weather and the search for survivors; the salvage is expected to take 28 days. "We expect the next five days to be good weather, and we will work 24 hours a day to pump out the fuel," says Smit's salvage master. "Hopefully by the end of the week we will have the majority out." Some 15 tanks are believed to hold 84% of the fuel aboard, notes the AP.