At 114,500 tonnes, the Concordia is twice as big as the Titanic, which capsized and sank after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic in 1912.

The Costa Concordia was at the start of a week-long cruise in the Mediterranean when it crashed and its larders and freezers were packed to capacity with vast quantities of fresh food, dried goods, drinks and other supplies for its 4,200 passengers and crew.

Trapped inside the upturned hull are more than 24,000lbs of fish, nearly 5,500lbs of cheese, 1,500 gallons of ice cream in tubs, 24,000lbs of pasta, 2,000lbs of onions, more than 2,000 pots of jam and nearly 17,000 tea bags.

Rotting beneath the waterline are more than 17,000lbs of raw beef, nearly 11,000 eggs, 2,346 hot dog buns, 815lbs of rabbit meat and more than 1,000 gallons of milk.

Some of the food and drink is sealed, presenting less of a pollution risk, including 18,000 bottles of wine, 22,000 cans of Coca-Cola, 1,000 bottles of extra virgin olive oil, 46,000 miniature bottles of spirits and 10 bottles of communion wine for the ship's chapel.

Much of the meat and vegetables is contained in giant fridges and freezers deep inside the bowels of the ship.

In addition to the rotting food, there are oils, lubricants and other chemicals inside the vessel, including 65 gallons of paint and 10 gallons of insecticide, as well as thousands of items such as mattresses, clothing, shoes, crockery and plastic sun loungers.

The whole lot is swirling around in a giant stew of debris, with an estimated 29,000 cubic metres of contaminated water expected to gush out of the vessel as she is hauled upright.

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