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Author Topic: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For  (Read 209822 times)
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MuffyBee
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« Reply #400 on: September 14, 2012, 09:13:23 PM »

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=4990
After Concordia: Court Experts Broaden Blame for Disaster to Crew, Cruise Line
September 14, 2012

(4:40 p.m. EDT) – Court-appointed experts say that the captain of the Costa Concordia is almost entirely to blame for the January disaster that left 32 people dead. But they also found significant fault with Costa Crociere and the ship's crew.

The experts, ordered by an Italian court to help determine who else beyond the captain should be held accountable for the tragic event, accused the cruise line and ship's crew for "blunders, delays and security breaches that contributed to the disaster," the New York Times reported.

According to ABC News, the findings of the four experts were released in a 270-page analysis, in which the accident is described in second-by-second detail. In the report, Costa Crociere is accused of delaying the emergency alert sent to coastal authorities, while crewmembers are said to have bungled directions and not understood orders. Moreover, experts also contend some crew were not adequately trained or certified in security and emergency drills.

Costa Crociere, meanwhile released its own statement, refuting several of the experts' findings.

The cruise line says that all the blame lies with the captain and that it did not delay emergency alerts. Instead, the cruise line contends it is the legal responsibility of the ship's captain to alert all authorities and that Costa officials were told by Captain Schettino that he had done so.

The line further proclaims its ignorance of the severity of the situation, saying "It is also clear from the records that the communication made by the Master to the crisis department were on the whole not timely, partial and confused, not allowing it to scale a clear perception of the seriousness of what was actually happening."

The line also refuted the claim that ship's crew were not adequately trained, stating the "defects in certifications of some of the crew" were not key to emergency management.  ::snipping2::
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« Reply #401 on: September 17, 2012, 09:31:37 AM »

http://old.post-gazette.com/pg/12261/1261849-499.stm
Lawsuits target Carnival in Italy cruise ship crash
September 17, 2012

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Despite legal obstacles that might force them to sue in Italy, hundreds of Costa Concordia passengers and up to 1,000 businesses on the island where the capsized cruise ship ran aground are pressing ahead with U.S. lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in damages from Miami-based Carnival Corp.

The lawsuits filed in both federal and state courts contend that Carnival is the corporate parent of the Costa brand, which operated the vessel, and is ultimately responsible for any safety violations, negligence or recklessness that may have led to the Jan. 13 accident that claimed 32 lives. Investigators say the ship rammed a reef while passing too close to Giglio Island, off Italy's Tuscan coast.
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« Reply #402 on: September 20, 2012, 09:57:21 AM »

Kind of a mock up thing I suppose.  But what you won't see is the water, the tons of rotting food, how dark it is inside and of course, there are still two people missing.   

http://gothamist.com/2012/09/19/step_inside_the_sinking_concordia_c.php#photo-1
Step Aboard The Sinking Concordia Cruise Ship, Now Listing In Chelsea


Thomas Hirschhorn "Concordia, Concordia," 2012 Gladstone Gallery, New York September 14 – October 20, 2012
Photo gallery at link.

The abandoned remnants of the Costa Concordia cruise ship are still listing on its side off the coast of Italy, and officials say it may take a year to remove it. Despite the horrible consequences of the wreck, in which 32 people were killed (but not the captain—he saved his own ass), there is a certain tragic grandeur to the sight of the ship stranded in shallow waters near the Island of Giglio. But you don't have to fly all the way to Tuscany to contemplate this sinking metaphor for yourself—artist Thomas Hirschhorn has recreated part of it right here in NYC.

Hirschhorn, whose sprawling cardboard cave installation Cavemanman was one of the most memorable gallery shows in Chelsea's history, has installed a giant banquet hall inside Chelsea's Gladstone Gallery, tipped halfway over on its side. The large-scale show, which is open to the public through October 20th, is inspired by photos Hirschhorn saw showing the inside of the ship. The artist explains:   (see more of article at above link)

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« Reply #403 on: September 21, 2012, 10:01:07 AM »

http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2012/09/cruise-ship-lifeboat-policy/70000796/1
Cruise industry pledges more lifeboat training for crew
September 20, 2012

Cruise ships around the world will hold a drill with a fully loaded lifeboat at least once every six months as part of a new safety policy announced today by groups representing the industry.

The new Life Boat Loading for Training Purposes policy, announced jointly by the Cruise Lines International Association and European Cruise Council, will apply to all ocean-going vessels operated by member lines such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess and Holland America. Nearly every major cruise line in the world is a member of one or both groups.

Only crew members who have been assigned a role in operating or loading of lifeboats will be required to attend the drills. The training will involve lowering a lifeboat into the water, filling it to capacity with crew members and then maneuvering it in the water to familiarize the crew to lifeboat operations. The crew will not practice lowering a fully loaded lifeboat.

"Under this policy, only the crew that is essential for operating the lifeboat will be onboard when it is lowered," Cruise Lines International Association spokesperson David Peikin tells USA TODAY. "The additional crew members will be loaded once it is in the water, which is a more appropriate way to conduct the training called for under this policy."

 ::snipping2::
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« Reply #404 on: September 22, 2012, 08:27:09 AM »

http://www.seatrade-insider.com/News/News-Headlines/Strang-outlines-goal-of-positioning-Costa-with-safety-at-its-center.html

20 September 2012
Strang outlines goal of positioning Costa with safety at its center

The appointment of Tom Strang as svp maritime development and compliance at Costa Crociere, reported earlier here, marks not just another significant step in the transformation of the Genoa-based cruise line following the Costa Concordia disaster but a statement of intent from the new management on safety and environmental compliance.

Strang, who filled a similar role at Carnival Corp. & plc, has long experience on the passenger safety side and is chairman of the European Cruise Council’s environment, safety and security subcommittee. In an interview with Seatrade Insider, he described his new posting as an opportunity to participate in the rebuilding of the famous old cruise brand.

‘With the structure we are building at the moment, we are moving the company on, to bring it back to a position of pre-eminence with safety at its center,’ he said. ‘That’s what it’s all about.’

 ::snipping2::
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« Reply #405 on: September 22, 2012, 08:30:56 AM »

Probably should have posted this one first Smile

http://www.seatrade-insider.com/News/News-Headlines/Carnival-s-Strang-moves-to-lead-Costa-maritime-compliance.html

18 September 2012

Carnival's Strang moves to lead Costa maritime compliance


Costa Crociere has added a health, safety and environmental heavyweight to its executive team with the appointment of Tom Strang to the post of svp maritime development and compliance.

Strang was previously vp for maritime policy and compliance at Carnival Corp. & plc, and is already in place in Genoa.

The appointment is significant in part as another major step in an ongoing transformation of Costa’s management team, most notably via the appointment of former AIDA president Michael Thamm as chief executive, replacing Pier Luigi Foschi.

But the addition of Strang will also add credibility in an area where the company has been under intense scrutiny following the Concordia disaster.

 ::snipping2::
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« Reply #406 on: September 29, 2012, 10:49:22 PM »

Interesting.  In one article the crew is given more blame, and in another they win an award. 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=4990
After Concordia: Court Experts Broaden Blame for Disaster to Crew, Cruise Line
September 14, 2012

(4:40 p.m. EDT) – Court-appointed experts say that the captain of the Costa Concordia is almost entirely to blame for the January disaster that left 32 people dead. But they also found significant fault with Costa Crociere and the ship's crew.

The experts, ordered by an Italian court to help determine who else beyond the captain should be held accountable for the tragic event, accused the cruise line and ship's crew for "blunders, delays and security breaches that contributed to the disaster," the New York Times reported.

According to ABC News, the findings of the four experts were released in a 270-page analysis, in which the accident is described in second-by-second detail. In the report, Costa Crociere is accused of delaying the emergency alert sent to coastal authorities, while crewmembers are said to have bungled directions and not understood orders. Moreover, experts also contend some crew were not adequately trained or certified in security and emergency drills.

Costa Crociere, meanwhile released its own statement, refuting several of the experts' findings.

The cruise line says that all the blame lies with the captain and that it did not delay emergency alerts. Instead, the cruise line contends it is the legal responsibility of the ship's captain to alert all authorities and that Costa officials were told by Captain Schettino that he had done so.

The line further proclaims its ignorance of the severity of the situation, saying "It is also clear from the records that the communication made by the Master to the crisis department were on the whole not timely, partial and confused, not allowing it to scale a clear perception of the seriousness of what was actually happening."

The line also refuted the claim that ship's crew were not adequately trained, stating the "defects in certifications of some of the crew" were not key to emergency management. 




http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9571959/Costa-Concordia-crew-win-award-for-being-Seafarers-of-the-year.html
Costa Concordia crew win award for being "Seafarers of the year"
It was one of the biggest maritime disasters for decades, marked by scenes of panic and chaos, but that has not stopped the crew of the Costa Concordia from being nominated "Seafarers of the Year".
September 27, 2012

 In a decision that may raise eyebrows among traumatised survivors of the tragedy, the crew of the luxury vessel received glowing praise from a panel of 10 international shipping experts at the Lloyd's List Global Awards in London.

The award was presented to a group of crew members from the giant ship, which smashed onto rocks off the Italian island of Giglio on Jan 13 after its captain, Francesco Schettino, apparently misjudged a sail-past of the island.

Italian maritime experts who have carried out an exhaustive investigation of the accident, in which 32 people lost their lives, found that some of the crew were not properly drilled in evacuation procedures and could not even understand basic Italian.

According to evidence that was leaked to the Italian press this month, staff of many different nationalities struggled to communicate with each other before and after the Concordia slammed into a rocky shoal off Giglio.

While some passengers praised crew members as acting bravely, others said there was a lack of co-ordination as the chaotic evacuation got under way.
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« Reply #407 on: September 29, 2012, 10:52:05 PM »

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-concordia-lawsuit-dismissed-20120928,0,7605812.story
Lauderdale judge dismisses Concordia lawsuit
Italy is deemed more appropriate venue, not the U.S.

September 29, 2012

A Fort Lauderdale judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by several Italian businesses against Carnival Corp. and its subsidiary Costa Cruises seeking damages for financial losses suffered due to the Costa Concordia capsizing.

Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenbaum, citing a Forum Non Conveniens doctrine, approved Carnival's motion to dismiss the class action suit, noting it was more appropriate to be filed in Italy, not the United States.

The 'forum' doctrine allows courts to dismiss a case when another court or forum is more suited to hear it, according the Legal Information Institute at Cornell University Law School.

The decision could set a precedent for several other Concordia lawsuits that have been filed in the U.S. by survivors and families of the 32 people who died in the tragedy blamed on captain error.
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« Reply #408 on: October 01, 2012, 08:45:18 AM »

I agree Mr. Petar Petrov is to be commended for his valiant efforts to save passengers and for staying aboard ship until the Coast Guard took over.     

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=143684
EP Awards Bulgarian Costa Concordia Hero
October 1, 2012

Bulgarian cruise ship technician Petar Petrov, who saved hundreds of people aboard Costa Concordia cruise liner, will be awarded Monday the European Citizen of the European Parliament Prize.

Petrov will receive the award by Bulgaria's EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva, who will be the official guest of the event, held in the building of the Parliament in downtown Sofia.

The EP prize is awarded annually as an honorary medal.

All 37 holders of the award will meet on November 7-8 in Brussels and will be accepted by the President of the EP, Martin Schultz.

Petrov was a member of the crew of the Costa Concordia cruise liner, which capsized off the coast of Tuscany in Italy. He saved the lives of over 500 people.
 ::snipping2::
Risking his own life, the Bulgarian technician did six runs with a lifeboat which holds 150 people. He was one of the last three crew members that did not leave the ship until the coastguard officials told them they took control over the operation.
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« Reply #409 on: October 03, 2012, 06:53:15 PM »

http://www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk/Firm-help-salvage-Costa-Concordia-wreck/story-17025238-detail/story.html
Firm will help salvage Costa Concordia wreck
October 3, 2012

A BEVERLEY company is part of team tasked with salvaging the Costa Concordia after securing the biggest contracts in its history.

Dalby Offshore Limited has been awarded a multi-million contract to help salvage and raise the ill-fated vessel from the Island of Giglio, north of Rome in Italy.
 ::snipping2::

The key focus for the Beverley-based company will be the ASV Pioneer – a large accommodation barge that is being operated and managed by Dalby on behalf of Aberdeen-based Ferguson Modular.

Dalby has previously used this vessel for offshore workers in the renewables sector, namely those involved with the Greater Gabbard wind farm – one of the largest in the world.

Mr McNiven said: "We had originally set it up as a cable laying barge, for lying cable from the Gabbard wind farm. This in itself was a significant piece of work as the cable stretched for 53km.

"Because the Costa Concordia is on the Italian coast, we will be providing all the supply chain, so we have other vessels there bringing in cement from the mainland.

"We also have the large vessel, which is doing all of the operations around the Costa Concordia."

The Pioneer vessel will have an onboard grout-manufacturing plant and will produce and carry 30,000 tonnes of grout. This will be placed under the Costa Concordia to stabilise it and Dalby will work with UK-based partners Found Ocean Ltd to stabilise the hull and prepare the seabed for lifting the entire ship upright.

"This is a feat never tried before in marine salvage," said Mr McNiven.

Mr McNiven said the first phase of the operation will include the construction of a sub-sea platform followed by welding caissons to the exposed side of the ship, which will be filled with water.

After this, two cranes will be installed on the sub-sea platform to pull the vessel upright. The caissons will then be emptied, creating 60,000 tonnes of buoyancy and enabling the vessel to be towed off.
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« Reply #410 on: October 11, 2012, 08:49:59 AM »

http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/bold-move-of-the-day-costa-concordia-captain-sues-over-his-firing
Bold Move of the Day - Costa Concordia Captain Sues Over His Firing
October 10, 2012

Costa Crociere fired Captain Francesco Schettino back in July of this year following the infamous Costa Concordia tragedy in which the cruise ship under Schettino’s command ran aground off Giglio Island, killing 32 passengers.
The company confirmed that it established punitive actions against the captain, resulting in his dismissal.
In turn, Schettino – who abandoned his sinking ship – is now suing the company for “unfair dismissal”.
 ::snipping2::
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« Reply #411 on: October 12, 2012, 09:28:39 AM »

http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/story/2012-10-11/costa-concordia/
Costa Concordia captain demands job back
October 11, 2012

 ::snipping2::
The captain of the Costa Concordia - which capsized with the loss of 32 lives - has started legal action to get his job back.

Francesco Schettino says he is also owed back pay. It was in January this year that the luxury liner ran aground off Italy's Tuscany coast.
 ::snipping2::
In his legal action, Captain Schettino claims his action helped save lives by heading for shore rather than open water.
 ::snipping2::
At the time, it was reported that he'd abandoned ship before all passengers and crew had got off. He is said to have claimed that he accidentally "tripped" into a lifeboat, but then supervised the evacuation from dry land.

The Captain is expected in Tuscany on Monday for a court hearing at which he is expected to be sent for trial. He could be charged with abandoning ship and multiple counts of manslaughter.
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« Reply #412 on: October 12, 2012, 09:32:54 AM »

http://www.theweek.co.uk/world-news/costa-concordia/49524/traumatised-survivors-ready-sue-costa-captain-faces-judges
Traumatised survivors ready to sue as Costa captain faces judges
October 12, 2012

 ::snipping2::
The survivors are scattered across the world, all with a common painful experience, but each carrying their own unique post-traumatic burdens and pursuing different paths to justice.

Some have taken the E11,000 payout in exchange for promising not to sue. Some have joined expensive class-action lawsuits in the US in exchange for a hefty cut of winnings promised by the American attorneys representing them. In France, many have joined forces to bargain collectively.  

The Italian criminal inquest into the Costa Concordia shipwreck finally opens in Grosseto – the closest town to the scene of the accident - on Monday 15 October.  

The Grosseto judges will hear evidence from a dry but damning 270-page technical report compiled by two Navy admirals and two engineers. It details the maddening series of errors by crew, captain and the cruise company Costa Crociere that doomed the mega cruise ship.

Among the nine people facing charges ranging from manslaughter to abandoning ship is the captain, Francesco Schettino. Given the stories of the mistress – a Moldovan dancer called Domnica Cemortan – and the accusation that he purposefully took the ship too close to land for a sail-by 'salute', his presence alone guarantees a heavy media presence.

But while all eyes are on Italy, a parallel investigation ordered by France's justice ministry could end up in a French courtroom within months.
 ::snipping2::
The Costa Concordia was carrying passengers from all over the world when it sank but the highest percentage were Italians (989), Germans (569) and French (462), and these same countries had the highest numbers of victims. The 32 who lost their lives included 12 Germans, seven Italians and six French.

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« Reply #413 on: October 14, 2012, 04:47:47 PM »

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/14/us-concordia-hearing-schettino-idUSBRE89D08O20121014
Captain of capsized ship to attend Italian hearing for first time
October 14, 2012

(Reuters) - The captain of the stricken Costa Concordia cruise ship will attend pre-trial hearings this week where experts will present analysis of the events that led to the vessel hitting a rock off the Italian coast in January and the death of 30 people.
 ::snipping2::
At least three days of hearings, which consider evidence before a full trial, will be held this week in a theatre in the city of Grosseto, where captain Francesco Schettino faces charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship.

Eight other officers and executives of Costa Cruises, the ship's owner, also are being investigated for their roles in the accident involving the 114,500-tonne ship.

Schettino has publicly pledged to attend the hearings, which will include the presentation of data taken from the ship's "black box" and an analysis of the accident by a panel of experts.

"It's my right to participate," Schettino said last week. He said he wants to make sure the consultants hired by his defense interpret the "black box" data correctly.
 ::snipping2::Schettino did not attend the first hearings, which were held in March. The court then delayed the hearings by seven months till this week to give experts time to collect and analyze the evidence.

Schettino, who has been held up to ridicule in Italy and abroad since the January 13 disaster, said earlier this week he was disputing his dismissal from Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival Corp.

The angry order to "Get back on board, damn it!" delivered by a coast guard officer to Schettino over the telephone after he had abandoned his ship was printed on T-shirts in Italy.
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« Reply #414 on: October 15, 2012, 11:54:10 AM »

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2012/1015/Costa-Concordia-pre-trial-starts-Will-captain-use-I-tripped-defense
Costa Concordia pre-trial starts: Will captain use 'I tripped' defense?
Capt. Francesco Schettino is expected to be charged with abandoning ship when the cruiseliner ran aground in January. He said at the time he tripped into the lifeboat.
October 15, 2012

 ::snipping2::
At this week’s pre-trial hearing, a court in the Tuscan town of Grosseto, where the investigation is taking place, will debate evidence taken from the ship’s "black box" data recorder, which sheds light on how the disaster unfolded. An investigating judge will then decide whether to charge Captain Schettino with abandoning ship – contravening the laws of the sea – and multiple counts of manslaughter.
 ::snipping2::Schettino, who became a figure of ridicule and disdain for many Italians in the wake of the tragedy, faces serious accusations of negligence and abdication of duty.

He is accused of steering the giant cruise ship far too close to Giglio in order to perform a “salute” to a retired ship’s captain and as a favor to a member of the crew whose family came from the island.

When the cruise liner smashed into a rocky shoal, ripping a huge gash in its hull, the captain allegedly downplayed the severity of the incident, both to his superiors in Costa Cruises, the Genoa-based owner of the ship, and to the 3,200 passengers.

He allegedly procrastinated over the decision to abandon ship, costing more than an hour of valuable time, and then jumped into a lifeboat while terrified holidaymakers were still on board.

Recorded conversations between the Italian Coast Guard and Schettino show him refusing an express order to get back on the boat and coordinate the evacuation.

In the face of the accusations, the captain has mounted a spirited defense. He has claimed he was put under enormous pressure by Costa Cruises to perform the sail-by in order to impress passengers. He also said the rocky reef into which the ship crashed was not marked on his nautical charts and that his engineers and officers did not alert him to the true extent of the catastrophe.
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« Reply #415 on: October 17, 2012, 03:49:07 PM »

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/16/costa-concordia-s-captain-s-culpability-in-crash-and-deaths-weighed-by-judge.html
Costa Concordia’s Captain’s Culpability in Crash and Deaths Weighed by Judge
October 16, 2012

Few dispute that Francesco Schettino was responsible for wrecking the Costa Concordia. The tougher question for a judge bringing charges is who is most responsible for the botched evacuation and 32 deaths, Barbie Latza Nadeau reports.


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« Reply #416 on: October 17, 2012, 04:04:31 PM »

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/16/14480554-experts-costa-concordia-equipment-may-not-have-been-working-before-crash
Experts: Costa Concordia equipment may not have been working before crash
October 16, 2012

ROSSETO/GIGLIO, Italy - An Italian court heard on Tuesday that equipment aboard the Costa Concordia luxury liner may not have been functioning when she ran aground and capsized, killing 32 people.

The list of issues compiled by a panel of court-appointed experts included a wide range of alleged malfunctions, from lights that did not work during the disaster to the possibility that radar equipment had been turned off or broken.
The hearing is closed to the public because the huge media interest could not be accommodated.

Also on Tuesday, Francesco Schettino, the captain blamed for the disaster admitted he made mistakes but accused the cruise liner company of mishandling the response. He said last week he was suing Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival Corp., for unfair dismissal following the accident.


His lawyer Francesco Pepe said the hearing would show his client was not solely responsible for the disaster.
"Schettino's responsibility needs to be established and it needs to be established that others may have contributed as well," he said after the conclusion of the hearing's first day.
Meanwhile in Giglio, where the stricken liner still lays on her side awaiting salvage, news has emerged that thieves broke into the Costa Concordia earlier this year, stealing furniture, paintings and luxury goods from a gift shop. Sources at Costa Crociere say the thieves had used entry holes and guide ropes made by search and rescue teams to get into the ship.

This week’s hearings will help the judge decide if Schettino should stand trial. He is accused of manslaughter, causing the shipwreck and abandoning ship while passengers and crew were still aboard. He denies the accusations and has not been charged.

A key question is how much of the blame Schettino should shoulder himself and how much responsibility lies with his crew and employer, Costa Crociere, a division of the Miami-based Carnival Corp. Costa Crociere has denied negligence and has distanced itself from Schettino, firing him in July.
In all, nine people face the prospect of criminal trial, which would be unlikely to begin before next year.
The company's lawyer defended the ship's other crew.
 ::snipping2::
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« Reply #417 on: October 20, 2012, 01:34:10 PM »

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/18/costa-concordia-captain-shallow-waters
Costa Concordia captain claims he steered crashed ship to shallow waters
Francesco Schettino defends his actions on night of disaster in heated exchange with Italian navy admiral at pre-trial hearing

October 18, 2012

 ::snipping2::
After requesting permission to speak for the first time in a pre-trial hearing that will determine whether he stands trial for multiple manslaughter, Schettino started a debate with an Italian navy admiral who co-wrote a damning report detailing how Schettino crashed the 114,500-tonne ship on rocks on 13 January.

According to reports from the closed hearing, the heated discussion with Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone carried on during a pause in the hearing, as Schettino claimed his steering after the impact grounded the vessel in shallow water, allowing passengers to reach the shore more easily.

Schettino's version had been contradicted on Wednesday by the prosecutor, Francesco Verusio, who said the ship's steering and propulsion jammed after the collision and passengers were saved by the "hand of God" as the wind blew the ship on to the rocks. "If there had been no wind that night, the ship would have capsized and sunk in a minute," he said.
 ::snipping2::Schettino's lawyers submitted 200 challenges to the experts' report and took the battle to the ship's operator, Costa Crociere, alleging delays by the firm's crisis unit in warning the coastguard. The company's lawyer, Marco de Luca responded that communicating with the coastguard that night was "a duty of the captain of the ship and not of the crisis unit or the company as a whole".

Cavo Dragone, a former head of Italy's navy seal divers, dismissed Schettino's claim that the collision could be blamed on a helmsman who had misunderstood his orders. Experts told the court the 13 seconds wasted by the helmsman were irrelevant and that the vessel, which was moving at 16 knots, would have struck rock regardless.

On Wednesday experts said Schettino had violated company policy by bringing on to the bridge a Moldovan member of the crew, Domnica Cermotan, as he attemped a closeup inchino, which translates literally as "bowing before", at Giglio.
 ::snipping2::

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« Reply #418 on: October 20, 2012, 01:36:30 PM »

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gtBV1tlay-_XiubBu7D9zqFRORrA?docId=CNG.a0afd96f2aa3c0d49952def3ccba2468.231
Italy court hearings set scene for Concordia shipwreck trial
October 19, 2012

GROSSETO, Italy — A series of pre-trial hearings into the Costa Concordia shipwreck with captain Francesco Schettino wrapped up on Friday, paving the way for a trial on a tragedy in which 32 people died.
The hearing brought to an end a week of heated debates between lawyers and technical experts on the details of what happened that night of January 13 when the luxury liner smashed into an offshore reef near the shores of Tuscany.
 ::snipping2::
Italy court hearings set scene for Concordia shipwreck trial
By by Ella Ide (AFP) – 19 hours ago  
GROSSETO, Italy — A series of pre-trial hearings into the Costa Concordia shipwreck with captain Francesco Schettino wrapped up on Friday, paving the way for a trial on a tragedy in which 32 people died.
The hearing brought to an end a week of heated debates between lawyers and technical experts on the details of what happened that night of January 13 when the luxury liner smashed into an offshore reef near the shores of Tuscany.
The Tuscan town of Grosseto had been overrun all week with journalists who hounded Schettino, taunting him and snapping paparazzi photographs of the captain with his slicked-back hair, flashy suits and trademark sunglasses.
"Captain Coward", as he became known after he abandoned the ship before it was evacuated, was clearly frustrated by how the hearings were going and was reportedly told by his lawyer to calm down or he would have to leave the court.
The giant luxury cruise ship -- more than twice as big as the Titanic -- had 4,229 people on board when it struck an offshore reef near the Italian island of Giglio on the evening of January 13, tearing a massive gash in its hull.
"These technical hearings have put the nail in the coffin as far as the captain's responsibilities are concerned," prosecutor Francesco Verusio said Friday, though Schettino's lawyer Bruno Leporatti insisted "we've come out of this better than we went in."
The vessel quickly took on water, veered sharply and keeled over just a few dozen metres from the shore, sparking a panicky night-time evacuation.
The disaster left 32 people dead and led to accusations of safety breaches, cowardice and fatal delays, many of which have been debated over the past week as technical experts presented findings from the ship's data and black-box.
A total of 10 people are being investigated including Schettino and six other crew members, as well as three managers from ship owner Costa Crociere, which is part of the world's biggest cruise operator, US-based Carnival.
The captain has not been charged. He could end up being accused of multiple manslaughter and abandoning the ship before all the passengers were safely ashore.
No date has been set for the trial but it is expected to begin in spring.
 ::snipping2::
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« Reply #419 on: October 20, 2012, 01:39:31 PM »

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-10-19/news/sns-rt-us-concordia-hearingbre89i181-20121019_1_bruno-leporatti-francesco-verusio-ship-disaster
Hearing shows captain to blame for Italy ship disaster: prosecutor
October 19, 2012

GROSSETO, Italy (Reuters) - A pre-trial hearing in Italy this week on the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that cost 32 lives has put the responsibility for the disaster squarely on the shoulders of Captain Francesco Schettino, prosecutors said on Friday.

Schettino is accused of manslaughter, causing the shipwreck and abandoning ship before the evacuation of more than 4,000 passengers and crew was complete. He has admitted making mistakes but says he should not be the only person blamed.

"The pre-trial hearing has confirmed the responsibilities that we identified, above all with regards to Schettino," chief prosecutor Francesco Verusio said on the last day of the closed-door hearing in Grosseto, referring to the accusations leveled against the captain.
 ::snipping2::
Following the pre-trial hearing, a judge will now decide if there is enough evidence to warrant a trial. Prosecutors said on Friday they hoped to wrap up their investigations by the end of this year.
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  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
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