Cruise Ship Runs Aground in Freak Accident

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright January 21, 2012

All Rights Reserved.                                         

    When the 950-foot, 114.5-ton luxury Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia ran around Jan. 13 off the Tuscan Mediterranean coast’s Giglio Island, few could fathom the colossal miscalculation by 52-year-old Capt. Francesco Schettino.  Getting too close to shore, Schettino tore a 160 foot gash in the ship’s hull, taking on so much water the vessel toppled over to one side.  With 12 people already dead and more than 20 missing, Schettino was placed under house arrest.  Arrested Jan. 14 for hopping into a life-boat and abandoning ship, Schettino broke basic maritime rules.  Carrying more than 4,200 passengers and crew, the luxury ocean-liner owned by Ft. Lauderdale-based Carnival Cruises lost as much as 32 passengers, though the official toll remains at 12.  Italian authorities charged Schettino with manslaughter jumping ship before securing his passengers and crew.

             Sitting down to a candlelight dinner, the Concordia’s guests heard the screeching sound of crashing metal when the ship hit a low-lying reef close to Giglio’s rocky shore.  It didn’t take long before some 4,200 guests and crew tipped over as the vessel flipped on its side after taking on massive amounts of seawater.  “They were at dinner at the time, and they just heard a bang and felt a jolt and all of a sudden the ship tilted,” said Phyllis Papa of Wallingford, Conn, whose sister and niece were among the 126 Americans on the ill-fated craft.  Screaming and chaos broke out as panic-stricken guests climbed over each other to flee to safety.  Among the first off the boat while taking on water was Capt. Schettino, safely aboard one of the lifeboats ferrying him to safety.  When speaking via mobile phone to Coast Guard authorities, Schettino was admonished to return to his ship to protect his passengers and crew.

             Trying to get a “salute,” a close pass-by to land, Schettino hit a rock only 150 meters from Giglio Island, sending 3,206 passengers and 1,023 crew in a Titanic-like panic, scrambling for their survival.  Italian authorities insist Schettino didn’t follow correct procedures of immediately notifying authorities to conduct a timely rescue operation.  Schettino insisted he sent two ship’s officers to the engine room to survey the extent of the ship’s damage, meanwhile the boat took on more water and eventually capsized, leaving some passengers trapped below in a watery grave.  “There was a lot of chaos, no one knew what to do or where to go, and they couldn’t walk because it was titling so bad,” said Papa.  “Everyone was screaming.  They thought they were going to die,” attesting to the free-for-all that prompted Schettino to jump into a lifeboat to save his own hide.

             Schettino blamed factors beyond his control, including the failure of maps to identify the submerged rock that tore a 160-foot hole in the ship’s hull.  “They had nothing but their clothes on, they lost everything,” said Papa, who spoke directly with her sister Marian and niece Melissa Goduti, who saw the ocean-liner sink.  Prosecutors know that Schettino violated every maritime rule, jumping ship before assuring safety of his passengers.  “I told him, I’ve got myself into a mess, there was contact with the seabed.  I am telling you the truth, we passed under Giglio and there was an impact,” said Schettino, denying that the accident was his fault.  Regardless of what or who ultimately caused the accident, the captain always must take responsibility.  Jumping ship before his passengers and crew demonstrated Schettino’s mindset:  Protecting his own survival before anyone else.

             Cruise operator Costa Cruises Chief Executive Pier Luigi Foschi said Schettino delayed the SOS and evacuation order, waiting over 20 minutes after the Concordia hit the rock.  Schettino told authorities he responded immediately.  “I can’t remember how many times I called him in the following hour and 15 minutes.  In any case, I am certain that I informed Ferrarini about everything in real time,” said Schettino, insisting he notified authorities about his ship’s distress immediately after impact.  Schettino told Costa Cruises to send tug boats and helicopters.  “Personally, I think he wasn’t honest with us,” Foschi told the Corriere Della Sera newspaper Friday, confirming the first contact with Schettino and Ferrarini occurred over 20 minutes after the ship hit the rock.  Italian authorities are trying ascertain whether or not Schettino met his legal duties of protecting his passengers and crew.

            Italian authorities have convincing proof that Capt. Francesco Schettino breached his duties, failing to urgently notify proper authorities to manage a rapidly developing disaster at sea.  Accidents do happen but there was simply no excuse for hugging the coastline so closely to endanger his passengers and crew.  Once disaster struck, Schettino was too busy tending to his own survival to urgently notify authorities to send disaster relief.  Whether any one else could have been saved is anyone’s guess.  “That is too late,” said Foschi, confirming that he learned of the evacuation order over one hour after Schettino’s first conversation with Ferrarini.  All things point to Schettino saving himself before considering his passengers and crew.  Disasters or not, the captain of the ship must not panic or act selfishly before he knows that every last passenger or crew has been accounted for.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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