Captain of Costa Concordia Seeks Release from Prison After Eight Years
The captain of the ill-fated cruise ship Costa Concordia is back in the news 13 years after the loss of the ship which created global headlines. Italian media is reporting that Francesco Schettino, now age 64, has petitioned the courts in Italy for a form of early release from his 16-year prison sentence.
Schettino was in command of the cruise ship owned by Carnival Corporation’s Costa Cruises. The ship was in service for just six years built by Fincantieri and delivered in 2006. It was 114,500 gross tons with a capacity for 3,780 passengers and 1,100 crew making a week-long cruise in the Western Mediterranean.
On January 13, 2012, the Concordia left Civitavecchia, Italy, but Captain Schettino decided to deviate from the normal course to make a “salute” sailing close to Giglio island. He later blamed faults with the vessel, problems with the crew and misunderstanding of commands, and other issues, while it was alleged he was distracted by other people on the bridge.
As they sailed close to the island and the cruise ship sounded its horn, it struck an underwater rock outcropping that fatally ruptured the hull and flooded the electrical controls rendering the ship immediately powerless and drifting. There were 3,200 passengers aboard and over 1,000 crew. A total of 32 people would die as the vessel foundered and during a botched evacuation.
Infamously Schettino abandoned the bridge with other officers. He later claimed he had fallen from the listing ship or that he had gone to shore to oversee the evacuation. A famous recording surfaced of the Coast Guard screaming and cursing at him, and ordering him back aboard the vessel. The cruise ship capsized, leaving passengers to fend for themselves and climb over the hull and down ladders in a rescue organized by the Coast Guard.
Schettino was sentenced in February 2015 to 16 years in prison for dereliction of duty, multiple counts of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck, and abandoning his passengers. His appeals were exhausted in 2017. He was ordered to surrender at a prison in Rome.
Under Italian law, Schettino filed for early release into a state of “semi-liberty” whereby he would be out of prison for the remainder of his sentence. This is available after the prisoner has served at least half their time in jail and has demonstrated good behavior.
The Italian media reports there are mixed reactions. The protests are expected to grow in advance of a court hearing. In addition to the 32 who died, many people were injured and carry emotional scars from the disaster. It was the largest cruise ship lost and led to extensive changes in the management of the industry. Costa Cruises paid a fine of more than $1 million in addition to settlements with the families and passengers. Carnival Corporation overhauled the management and training of its officers and in 2016 established a training center in the Netherlands.
An Italian court has set a hearing for March 4 to decide if Schettino will win his release from prison.