Costa Concordia captain blames helmsman

Tuesday, 24 Sep, 2013 0

The captain of the Costa Concordia has blamed the disaster on his helmsman, saying the officer did not understand his orders.

Francesco Schettino, speaking for the first time in court, accused Jacob Rusli Bin, his Indonesian helmsmen, of turning the ship into the rocks rather than away from them.

This was in the crucial moments before the cruise liner smashed into rocks off the island of Giglio.

Schettino said that after spotting that the ship was heading towards a rocky reef close to the shore of Giglio on the night of January 13, 2012, he gave frantic orders to turn the ship to the left.

"When I asked the helmsman to turn the rudders to the left, his error was to not do that – instead at that moment the ship turned to the right," he told a court in Grosseto in Tuscany, where his trial on Monday resumed after a long summer break.

But a panel of independent experts said that the apparent confusion would not have prevented the cruise ship, which was travelling at 14.2 knots, from hitting the rocks, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The helmsman is one of five officers involved in the disaster who struck plea bargains in return for lighter sentences earlier this year.

Despite being convicted of manslaughter and getting a prison sentence of 20 months, he is unlikely to serve any time in jail because of an Italian law that reduces sentences in order to avoid prison overcrowding.

Schettino’s defence team has requested permission to carry out a fresh inspection of the Concordia now that the ship has been raised, alleging that after the initial impact, there were a number of mechanical malfunctions, with the emergency generators and watertight compartments failing to work properly.

But prosecutors, and Costa Cruises, the company that operated the ship, maintain that the initial inspection of the wreck was exhaustive.

below social share icons

Diane

Consisting of the three Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island as well as Newfoundland and...

To say Sweden is fit for a fairy tale is not overstating it—the palaces dazzle, the boreal forests are brimming...

In 2019, Buffalo Tours and Olympus Tours joined the Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) family and formed Discova. With the...

Here at Elegant Resorts, luxury travel is in our DNA. True pioneers in the industry, we were the first specialist...

Hilton is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 22 world-class brands comprising nearly 7,300 properties and more than 1.1 million rooms, in...

Take your clients’ vacation to the next level at Universal Orlando Resort™. With three amazing theme parks – Universal Studios...

From the beginning, ATI’s philosophy has been “innovation, not duplication.“ Developing specialized technology solutions to connect over 30,000 accommodation, attracti...

Arival advances the business of creating amazing in-destination experiences. We provide events, insights, and community for creators and sellers of...

Central Florida’s Polk County is conveniently located between Orlando and Tampa, and an easy drive to Central Florida attractions and...

Queensland – where it’s rude not to stare Here in Queensland, there’s plenty to do. But there’s even more to...

Discover Sarawak Revealing a side of Asia unlike anywhere else, Sarawak offers an alternative for those seeking humble authenticity far...

Virtuoso is the leading global network of agencies specializing in luxury and experiential travel, with more than 20,000 advisors. We...

Blue Diamond Resorts consistently goes above and beyond guest expectations by delivering groundbreaking vacation experiences through our exceptional collection of...