WATCH: Pod of dolphins spotted near Costa Concordia wreck

ABOVE: The towed hulk of the Costa Concordia had an unexpected escort Thursday – a pod of dolphins. See the footage for yourself! 

Dolphins were spotted swimming near the stricken Costa Concordia cruise liner on Thursday, as it was being towed towards Genoa to be scrapped.

The floating shipwreck has now entered the Cetacean Sanctuary (protected marine area of the Ligurian Sea), after a daring engineering operation set the Concordia upright last September.

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Accompanying the tugs which pull the Concordia, moving at 2 knots (2.3 miles per hour), are several boats to monitor any pollution in the waters, which are home to schools of dolphins.

Custom-built tanks attached to the liner’s flanks have been filled with air to serve as buoyancy aids to facilitate the transfer of the ship.

Nets have been attached to sides of the liner in case any remnants of the Concordia’s last passenger cruise – dishware, pots and pans, bed linen, chairs and other furnishings, tumble out of the ship during towing.