Concordia skipper says gravity forced him off disaster ship

By: 10 years ago

Costa Concordia’s captain Francesco Schettino. AFP FILE PHOTO

ROME, Italy — The captain of the Costa Concordia told his manslaughter trial Wednesday that gravity not cowardice had been behind his decision to abandon ship with passengers and crew still aboard.

On a day when he also claimed that his decision to delay evacuation of the stricken vessel could have saved lives, Francesco Schettino delivered a new version of his previous, widely-derided claim that he had “tripped and fallen” into a lifeboat.

Thirty-two people lost their lives when the cruise ship sank off Italy’s coast in 2012.

In court, Schettino confirmed that he had left the bridge barely half an hour after ordering the launch of lifeboats, saying he needed to get a radio from his cabin.

The cabin was on the right hand side of the boat which was tilted towards the sea and was soon to lurch further on to its starboard side, leaving him with no option but to disembark, he said.

“I was subject to the force of gravity,” Schettino said. “Either I had to throw myself into the water – perhaps that would have been better — or I had to get into the lifeboat.”

The 54-year-old insisted that, had he found himself on a more central deck: “I would have been the last person off the boat.”

Before leaving the bridge, recorded telephone conversations with officials in the port of Livorno indicate, Schettino had insisted he would be the last man off.

The reason for his need to collect a radio from his cabin was not made clear in court.

He insisted he had been given a life jacket and put it on because he was cold, rather than getting one from his cabin with the intention of abandoning ship.

He also rejected suggestions that he had been negligent in failing to issue a clear “abandon ship” order, for fear of inciting panic. “I sweetened the pill,” he told the court in Grosseto, Tuscany.

Saved lives?

Earlier in the day, Schettino had defended his decision to delay evacuation for over an hour after he hit rocks off the Italian island of Giglio.

The captain, who is also charged with causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship, replied that such a move would have led to chaos among the 4,229 people on board.

“I wanted to get the ship as close to the island as possible. The way it was shaking, had I sounded the (nautical signal for abandon ship) seven long whistles and one short one, people would have thrown themselves into the water,” Schettino said.

The Concordia hit the rocks at 9.45 pm and the order to abandon ship was not issued until over an hour later, at 10.54 pm, by which time the boat had drifted back towards the island, where it eventually came to rest on the sea bed, half-submerged in about 20 meters (70 feet) of water.

The prosecution team are seeking to portray Schettino as a man who was completely overwhelmed by events.

But the experienced merchant seaman insisted he was fully in control and knew the wind would take the boat into a safer position.

Damage limited?

“I delayed sounding the alarm knowing exactly how much manoeuvre time the ship had. I knew the Concordia well, I wanted to get her closer to the island and then sound the alarm,” he said.

“By then the damage was done. (But through my actions) It was contained.”

Schettino also denied that he had not radioed for tow boats to help stabilize the ship because of concern over the financial implications of seeking salvage. “I did not put the boat before human lives,” he said.

On Monday, the captain had denied being responsible for steering the giant cruise ship recklessly close to the island, saying he believed it was set on a route that would take it near the rocky coastline but not so close as to run any risk.

He has effectively blamed his subordinates on the bridge for plotting the course that led to disaster.

Prosecutors revealed for the first time on Monday that they intend to seek a 20-year prison sentence for the career seaman who has been described as “Captain Coward” because of the manner of his departure from the boat.

The trial was adjourned on Tuesday evening and will resume on December 11, when Schettino will be questioned by lawyers for the defense and victims’ families.