Concordia Captain Confident in Commanding Other Ships, Challenges Firing in Court

Francesco Schettino, the infamous captain of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship, has made his return to court.

This time he is contesting Costa Crociere’s decision to fire him in the aftermath of the Costa Concordia tragedy – where 32 passengers were left dead. Officials have placed blame on Schettino for the incident; investigators allege that he took the luxury liner off its course in a “stunt”.

Survivors and observers have separately accused Schettino of flirting with women in the moments before the crash, and that he was distracted from his duties.

On the other hand, the captain insists that he will definitely be in the command of another vessel at some point. He also stated in numerous occasions that his steering abilities actually helped save many people on that fateful night. In his defense, he noted that the reef responsible for taking the Concordia down was not visible on his navigation charts.

A separate court is deciding whether to indict Schettino on manslaughter and other charges.