Italian Navy / AP

Divers make their way into a flooded cabin of the Costa Concordia that is grounded off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy. A large platform carrying a crane and other equipment hitched itself to the toppled ship on Tuesday, signaling the start of preliminary operations to remove a half-million gallons of fuel from the grounded cruise ship before it leaks into the pristine Tuscan sea. Actual pumping of the oil isn't expected to begin until Saturday.

Italian Navy / AP

Ropes float outside of a flooded corridor of the cruise ship.

Divers found the 16^th body in the partly submerged wreckage of the Costa Concordia on Tuesday. Officials said they couldn’t confirm the identity of the body. At least half a dozen bodies have not been identified yet, and are presumed to be among the 17 victims that are still missing.

NBC News reports that divers are blasting holes inside the steel-hulled ship to ease access for crews searching for the missing. The search and rescue operation will continue in tandem with a fuel removal operation.

 A large platform carrying a crane and other equipment hitched itself to the shipwreck, signaling the start of preliminary operations to remove a half-million gallons of fuel from the ship's tanks before it leaks into the pristine Tuscan sea. Pumping of the oil is scheduled to begin Saturday.

Italian Navy / AP

A diver makes his way into a flooded cabin of the Costa Concordia cruise ship grounded off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy.

Slideshow: Luxury cruise ship runs aground

DigitalGlobe

The Costa Concordia, carrying more than 4,200 passengers, ran aground Jan. 13 off the coast of Italy.

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Related stories:

• Death toll from cruise ship wreck up to 15
• Captain says he was told to perform fatal maneuver
• Woman's body found aboard stricken Italian cruise ship
• PhotoBlog: Madonna recovered from Costa Concordia

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Carabinieri via AFP - Getty Images

A Carabinieri diver passes by the stricken Costa Concordia luxury liner near Giglio island during searches on Jan. 19. Italian rescuers were forced to suspend operations on the stricken Costa Concordia on Jan. 20.

Carabinieri via AP

A Carabinieri scuba diver swims next to the Costa Concordia cruise ship's anchor, off the tiny Giglio island, Italy. The $450 million Costa Concordia was carrying more than 4,200 passengers and crew when it slammed into well-marked rocks off the island of Giglio after the captain made an unauthorized diversion from his programmed route. The ship then keeled over on its side.

Carabinieri via AFP - Getty Images

Carabinieri divers pass by the bell of the stricken Costa Concordia luxury liner near the Giglio island during searches on Jan. 19. Italian rescuers were forced to suspend operations on the stricken Costa Concordiaon on Jan. 20, a week after a Mediterranean tragedy in which up to 32 people are feared dead.

Though this is not the first time we are seeing images of divers searching the Costa Concordia, these pictures provide detailed views of the ship that we had not previously seen. Over the past week, divers have worked with the threat of the ship moving and splitting in two at any moment. Search and rescue operations for the 21 people still missing have been temporarily suspended and resumed several times this week.

msnbc.com news services report:

Sensors installed Thursday show constant vibrations in the ship structure, NBC News has learned. The ship is resting on two points underwater, keeping it from sinking. The remainder of the vessel is hanging and moves. Officials are worried the Concordia will sink further or suffer a sudden drop.

Seven days after the 114,500-ton ship ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan coast, hopes of finding anyone alive have all but disappeared and the cold waters around the ship have become rougher, with worse weather expected at the weekend.

"The ship is not in safe enough conditions for rescue operations to continue," Coast Guard spokesman Cmdr. Cosimo Nicastro told The Associated Press. Continue reading.

For the latest updates on the Costa Concordia, visit our Overhead Bin.

Slideshow: Luxury cruise ship runs aground

DigitalGlobe

The Costa Concordia ran aground Jan. 13 off the coast of Italy, resulting in the evacuation of thousands of passengers as the ship began heavily listing.

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NBC News is reporting all rescue divers have been evacuated from the Costa Concordia. NBC's Laura Saravia in Porto Santo Stefano, Italy said the ship is rocking slightly due to choppy seas. "The movement is affecting divers working on rescue efforts inside, and they have been evacuated as a precaution. Rescue operations are suspended at this moment," Saravia said. Read the full story.

Max Rossi / Reuters

A rescue worker climbs onto the Costa Condordia on Jan. 16, 2012. Rescue workers searched the half submerged hulk of the capsized Italian cruise ship for 14 people still missing on Monday, more than 48 hours after the huge vessel capsized, killing at least six and injuring more than 60.

Gregorio Borgia / AP

A woman looks at the Costa Concordia cruise liner two days after it ran aground off the tiny Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, on Jan. 16, 2012.

Previously on PhotoBlog:

• Honeymooners rescued from stricken cruise ship
• Passengers tell of panic on wrecked cruise ship

Slideshow: Luxury cruise ship runs aground

Max Rossi / Reuters

The Costa Concordia ran aground Jan. 13 off the coast of Italy, resulting in the evacuation of thousands of passengers as the ship began heavily listing.

Launch slideshow