Princess Chatter

"Appearing to duck responsibility, Schettino says that he was not in command when the ship struck the reef but the ship was in the hands of an officer.   But after evidence has surfaced showing the captain was in command at least 6 minutes before the ship struck the reef, the captain explains that he was on the phone and was distracted.

So is this book deal all about the money for Schettino?  We were wondering the same thing and found that the group that is leading a class action suit against the owners of the Concordia is vowing to make sure all of the money that Schettino earns off the book goes to the survivors of the wreck and to the families who have lost loved ones.   But to be sure, Schettino will make a pretty penny off the sales of this book as well."

http://cruisefever.net/1117-captain-of-costa-concordia-to-reveal-his-story-in-new-book/

The Parbuckling Project

Concordia wreck removal project informative website

http://www.theparbucklingproject.com/aziende.php

The Captain's defense claim is on this link:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/12/06/captain-fifth-estate.html?cmp=rss

"I'm writing a book and I will reveal what people don't want to come to light," Schettino said, according to The Telegraph." "For example, Schettino claims he only left the ship when he began to fear for his life.

"I found myself standing on a deck which was tilted at a 90 degree angle. We could no longer walk, we had no grip, and people less agile than me ended up falling overboard. But notwithstanding the water that was flooding into the bridge, I still continued to help passengers get on board the lifeboats that were shuttling to and from the shore."

"At that point I could have chosen to die by being crushed by the ship 20 metres from the shore," Schettino continued, "or take command of the lifeboat and attempt to get dozens of people to safety. I chose the second option. There are dozens of witnesses who will confirm this."  

Schettino's interview comes after reports the former captain was in negotiations for two €50,000 interviews (about $63,600), as well as unconfirmed rumors that he had brokered a book deal with a U.S. publisher, The Independent writes.

Carlo Rienzi, the president of the Codacons consumer group that is leading a class action against the owners of the Concordia, told the newspaper that any money Schettino does earn will be fair game in the suit.

"Every euro Mr Schettino earns, we'll try take off him and give it to the survivors and families of those who've lost loved ones," Rienzi said."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/16/costa-concordia-captain-francesco-schettino-shocking-truth-book_n_2146806.html

"The water was rising fast, it was terrible," Mr Iaccarino said. "I called the bridge to make them aware of the seriousness of the situation and they responded in an incredibly calm way.

"I was desperate because no one was giving any orders and the water was already up to the stern's elevators."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9625515/Costa-Concordia-captain-failed-to-understand-scale-of-disaster.html

Officers were also heard shouting contradictory instructions as the disaster unfolded.  The black box identified him shouting 'hard  to port!’ just before the liner struck a rock in calm waters close to the Italian island of Giglio.  At the same time his second in command yells ‘hard to starboard!’.  Moments before the disaster Schettino is also heard saying: ‘Let’s go and do a salute (to Giglio).’  But as the ship, carrying more than 4,000 passengers and crew, goes close to the shore, he shouts at a helmsman to go to starboard to avoid catastrophe.  After hitting the rocks, Schettino orders watertight compartments in the ship to be closed. He is heard asking: ‘So are we really going down? I don’t understand.’

Another officers is heard saying: 'Our ass is dragging along the seabed.' Schettino asked: 'What did we hit?' On being told that the Concordia had hit the reef, Schettino says: 'Are we really going down? I don't understand.' An officer is heard saying: 'It's the salute he wanted.'  The recording concluded with an officer telling everyone to ‘abandon the ship’.

Marine experts have already said that a crowd-pleasing but risky manoeuvre in which the huge vessel passed close to Giglio was to blame for the collision on January 13.  The experts - two admirals and two engineers - lay most of the blame for the collision and botched evacuation on Schettino. But they also noted that not all crew members understood Italian, not all had current certification, and not all passengers had had the chance to participate in evacuation drills.

Passengers described a confused and delayed evacuation, with many of the lifeboats unable to be lowered because the boat was listing too far to one side.  Some jumped into the Mediterranean and swam to Giglio, while others had to be plucked from the vessel by rescue helicopters hours after the collision.

Schettino has insisted that by guiding the stricken ship to shallower waters near Giglio's port instead of immediately ordering an evacuation he potentially saved lives. He has claimed that another official, and not he, was at the helm when the ship struck.  The timeline in the expert report, however, makes clear that he had assumed command six minutes before the ship struck the reef.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2217900/Black-box-recording-doomed-Costa-Concordia-reveals-chaos-ship-hit-rock.html