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Costa Concordia captain appears in court Costa Concordia captain faces survivors in court
(about 9 hours later)
Nine months after he steered the Costa Concordia cruise ship on to rocks in an accident which caused the death of 32 passengers, a defiant captain Francesco Schettino has attended a preliminary court hearing into the disaster. Sporting a suntan and dark sunglasses, the former cruise ship captain Francesco Schettino slipped through a back door into a Tuscany court yesterday for a pre-trial hearing that will determine whether he stands trial for manslaughter and abandoning ship.
As he slipped into the hearing in Grossetto by a back door, survivors of the capsizing of the 114,500-tonne vessel and their lawyers condemned the captain. Nine months after the Costa Concordia smashed on to rocks off the coast of Italy on 13 January, killing 32, Schettino appeared calm during the hearing in Grosseto, even rising to shake hands with a survivor of the disaster and stating: "The truth must come out."
"I have waited nine months for him to say sorry, but he has not realised there was a tragedy," said one survivor, Patrizia Perilli. "I am really angry." "I just wanted to look him in the eye," said the passenger, Luciano Castro, adding that Schettino had displayed astounding arrogance since the disaster.
Schettino, who last week sued to get his job back, said he was attending court "to show my face to my accusers". "I have waited nine months for him to say sorry, but he has not realised there was a tragedy," said another survivor, Patrizia Perilli. "I am really angry."
Another passenger, Luciano Castro, said he was astounded by Schettino's "arrogance". Schettino, who is suing for unfair dismissal, despite abandoning ship amid chaotic evacuation scenes, said he was attending court "to show my face to my accusers".
The pre-trial hearingcould result in Schettino sent to trial next year for manslaughter and abandoning ship. It was held in a theatre to accommodate around 500 lawyers and experts, and is due to review the ship's black box data. "In his black suit and tie, he looked like he had walked out of GQ," said John Arthur Eaves, the American lawyer who represents 150 passengers – including Britons — seeking to sue Carnival, the US owner of Costa Crociere, the Italian operator of the Costa Concordia.
Schettino's claim that he saved lives by steering the holed vessel on to the rocky shore of the Tuscan island of Giglio has already been disputed by the data analysed. The hearings, which will continue this week in a theatre booked to give as many of the 4,200 passengers and crew as possible the chance to attend, will review a 270-page experts' report on the incident based on black box data. Six members of the ship's crew, including Schettino, are under investigation, as are three members of Costa Crociere's crisis unit.
The 114,500-tonne luxury cruise ship capsized after approaching the island of Giglio to perform a manoeuvre close to the shore known as a salute. After striking a rock, the ship listed first one way and then another before capsizing on a rocky ledge.
Schettino's lawyer began by demanding that the ship's Indonesian helmsman be included in the inquiry, claiming that he delayed carrying out navigation orders by crucial seconds as Schettino was attempting the manoeuvre.
"It is absurd to think Schettino is the only one responsible – the report shows the helmsman mistook the order," said lawyer Francesco Pepe.
"It was not a sensible thing to do, but Schettino gave an order that was not followed. He has told me he would have had a near-miss otherwise," said Fredrik van Wijnen, the Dutch general secretary of the Confederation of European Shipmasters' Associations. "He is very capable. The problem is his personality – he looks like a playboy," he added.
Schettino has admitted that he made mistakes but has accused the company of mishandling the response. He said last week he was suing Costa Cruises for unfair dismissal following the accident.
The judge threw out the request, while lawyers representing passengers pointed out that the report contradicts Schettino's claim that he expertly helmed the holed ship into shallow water after the crash, aiding the evacuation.
"He lost control of the steering and the propeller 90 seconds after the impact. The grounding was due to wind and current," said Bruno Pisa, an electronics expert acting for two survivors."He lost control of the steering and the propeller 90 seconds after the impact. The grounding was due to wind and current," said Bruno Pisa, an electronics expert acting for two survivors.
Laywers said phone calls between Schettino and the members of the crisis unit of the ship's operator Costa Crociere – three of whom are under investigation – showed the firm was partly responsible for his decision to delay giving the order to abandon ship until an hour after the collision. "You understand Costa knew something serious was going on," said Pisa. Laywers said phone calls between Schettino and crisis unit member Roberto Ferrarini minutes after the impact suggested the firm knew the ship was sinking and was partly responsible for the delay in giving the order to abandon ship until an hour after the collision.
"The blame starts with the firm hiring Schettino as well as building ships which are too tall and tip over," said the American lawyer Peter Ronai, who is representing 10 Hungarian passengers. "We understand there are problems with machinery – my car's GPS is better than their radar." Schettino's voice can be heard on the black box recording on the bridge, but not Ferrarini's.
The American lawyer John Arthur Eaves, who is preparing to take Costa's US parent Carnival to court on behalf of 150 passengers, including Britons, said the €11,000 compensation offered by Costa Crociere was "disrespectful peanuts" compared with the maximum of $5m he would consider. "When the case starts in the US I will be asking Ferrarini under deposition what he said," said Eaves.
"The report in court reveals a lack of discipline, training, design and communications in Carnival's set-up," he said. "The blame starts with the firm hiring Schettino as well as building ships which are too tall and tip over," said another American lawyer, Peter Ronai, who is representing 10 Hungarian passengers. "We understand there are problems with machinery – my car's GPS is better than their radar."
Eaves said the €11,000 compensation offered by Costa Crociere was "disrespectful peanuts," compared to the settlements from $200,000 to $5m he said he would aim for.
The Costa Concordia is still half-submerged. Two bodies have still not been recovered.
The hearing continues.