CESMA News, March 2013

Captain Schettino is now the centre of a criminal investigation and has been accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the remaining passengers on board the ship. Prosecutors are now deciding on an indictment for Captain Schettino to face trial. Five other members of the crew, including the first officer who was officer of the watch during the accident and three of Costa Cruises shorebased staff are also facing criminal charges arising from the accident.

Mr. Ciro Ambrosio, 1rst Officer

Captain Schettino has never denied responsibilities for what happened. He arrived on the bridge only 11 minutes before the ”Costa Concordia” hit the rocks near the island of Giglio. He then noticed that the vessel was already off course after which he took the con to prevent disaster. He rejects
testimonies from his crew that he had panicked after the grounding. The evidence by the VDR will prove that he had followed the right procedures to try to prevent a catastrophic accident and a greater loss of life. This could be the first shipping accident where the VDR recordings and the numerous photos made by smartphones of crew and passengers could play an important role by finding out what really happened on the bridge and elsewhere during that terrible night.
The way the accident was treated by the media showed a lack of understanding for all aspects involving work at sea. Captain Schettino has been shocked by the way he had been portrayed after the accident. It did not only try to ridicule him but also the entire maritime profession and no respect was shown about the role of officers and captains doing their duty under sometimes difficult circumstances. He also claimed that the entire industry is suffering from a shortage of skilled and experienced seafarers. His team of officers on board Costa Concordia was for the greater part young and inexperienced, therewith contributing to the disastrous event. He maintained that the accident should lead to measures to improve maritime safety such as the survivability of ships after water ingress, improved evacuation arrangements and improved communication facilities between crew members. All in all, lessons learned from the accident.

(Based on Telegraph February 2013)