The captain goes down with their ship.
That’s a maritime tradition that means that when something goes wrong at sea, the captain stays at their post until as many people as possible get saved. When Costa Concordia Captain Francesco Schettino’s ship capsized, however, that’s not what happened.
“As they sailed close to the island and the cruise ship sounded its horn, it struck an underwater rock outcropping that fatally ruptured the hull and flooded the electrical controls rendering the ship immediately powerless and drifting. There were 3,200 passengers aboard and over 1,000 crew. A total of 32 people would die as the vessel foundered and during a botched evacuation,” Maritime Executive reported.
Schettino was accused at the time of abandoning the bridge along with his officers,
He claimed that he had fallen from the bridge as the ship listed and also, at times, claimed that he was leading rescue efforts from shore.
“A famous recording surfaced of the Coast Guard screaming and cursing at him, and ordering him back aboard the vessel. The cruise ship capsized, leaving passengers to fend for themselves and climb over the hull and down ladders in a rescue organized by the Coast Guard,” according to the website.
Now, Schettino is back in the news as he asks to be released from prison and Doug Parker of Cruise News Today has the full story.
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Costa Concordia captain asks to be released
Transcript:
This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker.
Good morning, here’s your cruise news for Friday, January 24.
Francesco Schettino, captain of the Costa Concordia ship, is seeking early release from his 16-year prison sentence.
Now, the Concordia capsized near Italy’s Giglio Island in January of 2012 after Schettino deviated from its planned course, resulting in 32 lives lost and dozens of injuries.
Schettino was convicted of manslaughter, dereliction of duty, and abandoning ship, a charge he infamously defended by claiming he accidentally fell into a lifeboat.
Under Italian law, prisoners who demonstrate good behavior may apply for semi-liberty after serving half their sentence.
Of course, the survivors and victims’ families strongly oppose his release.
Schettino’s petition will be reviewed on March 4.
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Nice, France wants to ban large cruise ships; MSC set Super Bowl ad
And the mayor of Nice, France, is proposing a ban on large cruise ships docking in the city, citing concerns about pollution, overtourism, and the low economic impact of cruise passengers.
The mayor criticized cruisers as, quote, “low-cost customers.”
He plans to sign a bylaw next summer to ban ships over 570 foot long or carrying more than 900 passengers from docking in Nice, potentially reducing arrivals by 70 percent.
This plan mirrors Venice’s 2019 ban on large ships and similar measures in other European cities like Ibiza, where new restrictions limit dockings to only two ships at a time.
And MSC Cruises is debuting its first-ever Super Bowl commercial starring Drew Barrymore and Orlando Bloom as part of a new national campaign highlighting the cruise line’s expansion in North America.
The 60-second ad spotlights MSC World America and features Barrymore and Bloom on a playful cruise adventure. World America debuts from Port Miami in April.
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)
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And the photo of the week comes from Mark, Adventure of the Seas in Nassau, Bahamas. Beautiful morning, beautiful photo. Thank you so much for sending this one in, Mark.
Send yours in [email protected]. All pictures are subject to broadcast.
If you have a lead on a story, let us know. [email protected].
Have yourself a great weekend. I’m Doug Parker with Cruise News Today.
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