Princess Chatter

"Giglio, Italy (CNN) -- A boat's horn bellowed 32 times off the coast of Italy on Sunday, honoring each of the victims who died a year ago when a luxury cruise liner ran aground.

Family members of those who perished tossed wreaths, lilies and notes into icy waters at a ceremony marking the anniversary of the Costa Concordia crash. And a large boulder bearing a plaque with victims' names was lowered into the same sea that claimed their lives.

The somber memorial was a sharp contrast to the chaos of a year ago, when the massive ship ran aground with 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members on board.

According to passengers' accounts, pandemonium erupted as guests rushed to fill the lifeboats and escape the ship. Some crew members helped passengers and then jumped overboard; remaining members seemed helpless to handle the melee."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/13/world/europe/italy-cruise-ship-anniversary/index.html

"Francesco Schettino, who is accused by prosecutors of causing the shipwreck with reckless seamanship and then abandoning the ship before all the 4229 passengers and crew had evacuated, defended himself in the interview shown on Raiuno public television.

"If we had not turned, we would not have hit anything," Schettino said, repeating a previous accusation made against the ship's Indonesian helmsman Jacob Rusli Bin, who he said had misunderstood his steering orders given in English.

"If the helmsman had understood correctly, the ship would have sailed past and nothing would have happened," Schettino said in the interview."

"The infamous captain - who has been dubbed "Captain Coward" by the tabloids - also remembered the moment he realized his ship was about to crash.

"When I went to the large window on the deck, I saw the mountain in front of me. We were going directly into the mountain!" he said.

"The person in charge of the radar was supposed to say that we had land in front of us. I was told that we were fine," he said.

"I took the blame because I followed the indications I was given."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/captains-condolences-on-italy-shipwreck/story-fn3dxix6-1226553193398

Mr Schettino, for whom prosecutors are likely to demand criminal indictments within weeks, made the comments to La Stampa in the run-up to the anniversary of the tragedy on 13 January.

“I’ve been painted as worse than Bin Laden, while my regret for what happened is enormous,” he said. He also complained that his professional achievements and the image of Italy had been “ridiculed” by the coverage of the disaster.

This coming Sunday on the island of Giglio off the Tuscan coast, where the vessel struck rocks before partially capsizing, a special mass will be held at the island’s port to mark the anniversary of the accident. A bronze commemorative plaque will then be placed in the harbour in memory of the 32 victims.

Mr Schettino was in charge of the 290-metre vessel, carrying over 4,000 passengers and crew, when in a deviation from its standard route, it passed close to the shore of Giglio to perform a crowd-pleasing sail-by manoeuvre. A collision with rocks tore a 50-metre hole in the vessel’s side. Senior lifeguard officials have said that the delayed call to evacuate the doomed vessel was to blame for most of the fatalities.

Prosecutors will ask a judge to indict Mr Schettino by the first week in February on charges including abandoning ship before his passengers and of manslaughter. Five other crew members and three senior Costa Cruises officials may also be sent to trial.

It has emerged that the vessel will not now be removed from its resting place outside Giglio port before the autumn. The legion of engineers working to return the vessel to an upright position and attach buoyancy devices had hoped to be able to tow it to the mainland to be dismantled before the start of this year’s summer season.

Meanwhile, the wreck’s appeal to sightseers was underlined after five German tourists had to be rescued after getting up close to the Concordia, only for their tiny boat to be inundated by large waves.

“It was a pretty stupid thing to do. They were lucky that it ended as it did – they could have quite easily sunk,” according to a coastguard spokesman.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/costa-concordia-captain-francesco-schettino-im-not-as-bad-as-osama-bin-laden-8441768.html

"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