“Go back on the ship, damn it! ”: Exactly 10 years ago the Costa Concordia cruise ship sank.

Rewatch: The Costa Concordia Disaster

On Friday, January 13, 2012, the eight-year-old ship left the Italian port city of Sitavecchia early in the evening. There were 3,206 passengers and 1,023 crew members on the luxury cruise boat at the time. When the Costa Concordia approached Giglio a few hours later, it deviated from its planned course to sail close to the island and give a “naval salute” by sounding the ship’s horn. A human error would kill 33 people.

Because of the change of course, the ship approached the reef. By the time the danger was discovered, it was already too late. Veteran Captain Francesco Schettino was unable to adjust the course and avoid the collision. This was partly due to communication problems with the rest of the crew. The ship’s lower hull collided with the reef, causing a 50-meter rupture to the left side of the hull.

messy evacuation

However, at first, the captain and crew acted as if nothing was wrong. Even those on board were sent to their cabins, with information that it was only a blackout. The eviction began only half an hour later.

Passengers no longer have to rely on captain Schettino, who has already left his ship. According to his own account, he “fallen into a lifeboat”. The captain of the Coast Guard ordered him to return to the ship, the captain hurried, saying: “Go back to the ship, damn you!” This will allow Schettino to supervise the evacuation. However, the captain refused. He replied, “It’s dark and we can’t see anything.”

The captain wasn’t the only one who made mistakes. The last crew members left the ship while at least 300 passengers were on board. By the next morning, the Coast Guard had rescued nearly 4,200 people, but aid arrived too late for the 32 people on board: they drowned.

After the rescue, this was followed by a recovery that cost more than 500 million euros. Just straightening the ship took more than half a year. When the ship collapsed in the port of Genoa in November 2014, the body of the last victim was recovered: a cook who worked on board.

debt question

Shortly after the ship disaster, the actions of the crew were investigated. Four crew members immediately pleaded guilty and were sentenced to up to three years in prison. The trial of Captain Schettino, which lasted for more than a year and a half, made it clear that he evaded his responsibilities, abandoned the ship and its passengers and was responsible for manslaughter.

Although Schettino claimed he was merely a “scapegoat,” naval experts agreed that he was responsible for the shipping disaster. A judge sentenced him to 16 years in prison in February 2015. Also on appeal This ruling has been confirmed.