Costa Concordia

Latest is the search is suspended after the ship slipped 9cms and 1.5cm vertically nearer a 100mtr drop in the ocean

http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16150043

The bashing of the captain is a bit premature l think we should wait and see what really happened* - reminds me of another foreign subject who is lambasted in the English media.

*Though lying about what happened and not being the last one off is disgusting.

--------

1:33pm UK, Monday January 16, 2012
The search for 16 people still missing after the capsizing of the cruise liner Costa Concordia has been suspended after the ship began to move, according to a fire brigade spokesman.

The vessel hit an underwater reef off the coast of Tuscany on Friday, tearing a 70-metre hole in the hull and causing it to tip onto its side.

The Costa Concordia has been balanced on the rocks since the accident but with the weather worsening and the seas becoming rougher it has started to slip, fire brigade officials said.

Spokesman Luca Cari said: "There was a slippage of nine centimetres vertically and 1.5 centimetres horizontally. We evacuated immediately. This is something we have been worried about.

"Operations are suspended. We will have to monitor the stability of the ship and we don't know when we will resume operations."

There is maximum attention on the environmental problem. We are all working together to resolve this as soon as possible.

Filippo Marini, head of the local coastguard press office

Reporting for Sky News from Giglio, Nick Pisa said: If it slips off the ledge it is 100 metres to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea and there are dive teams in the there.

"They can't take any chance of that happening because it would result in fatal consequences for those involved."

There were also growing fears that fuel would leak from the ruptured hull of the stricken vessel, polluting the popular summer tourist destination.

Giglio mayor Sergio Ortelli said: "This is an ecological timebomb.

"I hope that the fuel can be taken off the ship soon and maybe the ship can be removed too because it is hampering navigation.

"We are monitoring constantly but there has been no spill so far."

Anti-spill booms were being deployed to minimise the risk if there were a leak.

Filippo Marini, head of the local coastguard press office, said: "We are putting in place booms right now but so far there hasn't been any leak.

"There is maximum attention on the environmental problem. We are all working together to resolve this as soon as possible."

In a news conference, the boss of the company which owns the liner said its main focus now is the environmental concerns, as well as the welfare of the passengers and crew.

Costa Cruises chairman and chief executive Pier Luigi Foschi said there were 500,000 gallons of fuel on board, in 17 separate tanks.

Earlier, search teams found a sixth body inside the Costa Concordia.

The male passenger was found wearing an orange life jacket, of the type given to passengers rather than crew.

Fire official Cari told state radio that the victim was a man, found in a corridor in the part of the ship that was still above water.

Two 29-year-old South Korean honeymooners and a third survivor - believed to be crew member Marrico Giampetroni - were pulled alive from the semi-submerged vessel on Sunday.

What a terrible accident this was and seemingly could have been avoided!

Have you seen who is representing Costa Cruises....Clarence Mitchell!

OMG Angelina you're right!! And he's already dropped a clanger....

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/costa-concordia-cruise-tragedy-officer-was-warned-of-danger-just-before-impact-16104526.html

Costa Concordia cruise tragedy: Officer was warned of danger just before impact

By Jonathan Brown and Michael Day in Giglio
Tuesday, 17 January 2012


The captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, Francesco Schettino - under arrest on suspicion of multiple manslaughter and abandoning his ship, is reported to have summoned the ship's head waiter to the bridge just before it struck a reef, resulting in the deaths of up to 22 people.

Witnesses said Antonello Tievoli told the captain to be careful and warned him that he was "extremely close to the shore" of his native Giglio where the vessel has previously performed a spectacular sail-past with its horn blasting and lights blazing.

The ship's owners, Costa Cruises, blamed "human error" for Friday night's disaster involving 4,200 passengers, which is set to become the biggest insurance loss in maritime history.

Clarence Mitchell, who is representing Costa Cruises, confirmed that the captain had been approaching the island to "make a salute".

He said: "The company says this (incident) was caused by an attempt by the captain to show the ship to the port. But there's a criminal investigation and we're not going to say anything that's going to compromise that or the captain's case."


---

Erm... you just dropped him right in it you numpty, dear God, and people pay for this shite!!

margaret, Clarence is representing the Company so Clarence knew what he was saying. This vessel is worth millions and I just wonder whether if the Captain made a mistake , does the Insurance cover human Error.?

This headline sounds terrible

http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16151520


Cruise Ship Captain: I Fell Into Lifeboat
12:11pm UK, Wednesday January 18, 2012

Nick Pisa, on the Italian island of Giglio
The captain of the stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia has told investigators he "fell into a lifeboat" during the evacuation and could not get out again.

Francesco Schettino gave the excuse during three hours of questioning with an investigating magistrate before he was released from custody and given house arrest.

The skipper, 52, was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of manslaughter and abandoning the cruise liner while passengers were still onboard.

The death toll from Friday night's disaster now stands at 11, while 28 others including 24 passengers and four crew are still missing.

Rescue teams work on the stricken Costa Concordia cruise ship

Rescue teams pictured working on the Costa Concordia

Schettino's behaviour has been further called into question after dramatic audio tapes revealed he was ordered back onto the ship to oversee the rescue.

A furious coastguard was shocked to learn he had already left the Concordia despite dozens of passengers still needing help.

During his hearing with investigating magistrate Valeria Montesarchio at a court in Grosseto, Schettino again insisted that he had "not abandoned ship".

He said: "The passengers were rushing all over the decks trying to scramble into the lifeboats. I didn't even have a lifejacket because I had given it to one of the passengers.

"I was trying to get them into the lifeboats in an orderly fashion. All of a sudden the boat listed between 60-70 degrees, I got trapped and ended up in one of the lifeboats. That's why I was in there.

"Once it was over the side, the boat wouldn't lower down into the water because it was blocked by one underneath."

Hole in hull of Costa Concordia

A large hole is clearly visible in the ship's hull

He also claimed he had "saved thousands of lives," although he admitted making a mistake by sailing so close to the island of Giglio which led to a 70m gash being ripped in the ship's hull.

Prosecutors said his explanation was "curious to say the least" and added that he would also be subjected to drug and alcohol tests as part of the investigation.

Schettino, who has been labelled the "most hated man in Italy", is now back at his home in Meta di Sorrento near Naples after being released from Grosseto jail.

He was driven there through the night with a police escort and accompanied by his wife Fabiola and other family members.

When the group arrived, he entered the house through a side gate and refused to speak to a crowd of waiting journalists.

Prosecutors said they were "surprised" the captain had been allowed out on house arrest but his lawyer Bruno Leporatti said: "You cannot send a man to jail just because the public want it."

I was trying to get them into the lifeboats in an orderly fashion. All of a sudden the boat listed between 60-70 degrees, I got trapped and ended up in one of the lifeboats. That's why I was in there.

Captain Francesco Schettino

Another captain, Roberto Bosio, who was off duty when disaster struck, has been hailed a hero after giving the order to abandon ship.

Capt Bosio, 45, who was seen helping dozens of women and children into lifeboats, has broken his silence, saying: "Only a disgraceful man would have left all those passengers on board."

He added: "It was the most horrible experience of my life. A tragedy, a heartache that I will carry with me forever.

"We managed to avoid the worse and have the world crash down around us. I just want to rest and forget.

"Don't call me a hero. I just did my duty, the duty of a sea captain - actually the duty of a normal man. I and the others with me just did our duty. We looked each other in the eyes for a second and then we just got on with it."

Back at the wreck site, rescuers have had to suspend their search again after the Costa Concordia shifted slightly in rough seas.

The teams are racing against time as the weather is set to turn stormy on Thursday with waves of up to two metres forecast as well as storm force winds.

They had been set to continue using more explosive charges around the superstructure to make it easier for diving teams to reach other areas.

Attention will focus mainly on the restaurant on deck four at the back of the Concordia where five more bodies were found on Tuesday.

Once the search winds down, salvage teams are also expected to begin pumping off 2,280 tons of heavy duty diesel that is still in the ship's tanks.

Have I missed something here, who exactly is he representing.....the cruise company or the people on the ship and WHY would a company need a spokesperson?

kitti wrote:Have I missed something here, who exactly is he representing.....the cruise company or the people on the ship and WHY would a company need a spokesperson?

On the News last night it was said that the cost of Insurance to the Ship owners will be astronomical with the claims for deaths of passengers and the
belongings of the survivors.

I think they will go into administration, for a start.... will their insurance pay out for human error?? If there wasn't an electrical fault which wiped out the navigation stuff the captain is solely to blame for sailing too close to rocky shores.

Also l was talking to my mum today her and dad love cruising but this has put her right off, she cannot swim! and it's never put her off before but since this captain fled the ship she's lost all faith. It's not as if any captain would personally rescue her but that's how much trust she put into the captain, if she feels like that so must others.

margaret wrote:I think they will go into administration, for a start.... will their insurance pay out for human error?? If there wasn't an electrical fault which wiped out the navigation stuff the captain is solely to blame for sailing too close to rocky shores.

Also l was talking to my mum today her and dad love cruising but this has put her right off, she cannot swim! and it's never put her off before but since this captain fled the ship she's lost all faith. It's not as if any captain would personally rescue her but that's how much trust she put into the captain, if she feels like that so must others.

I heard on Radio 4 this evening that the captain has stated that he decided to navigate by eye rather than by the ship's instruments. The reporter who was speaking mentioned the story about the captain falling into the lifeboat and then, quite unusually I think, for BBC reporters, said, "If you can believe it."

Oh, dear.....
http://timespentatsea.blogspot.com/2012/01/costa-toxic-cruise-line.html#!/2012/01/costa-toxic-cruise-line.html

Thanks Iris,
Jan 18
Costa The Toxic Cruise Line It has to be said. Someone has to get angry about this. And something needs to be done, not just about Captain Gutless, Francesco Schettino, the skipper of the ship he drove onto an Italian island, but also about the cruise line that allowed him to perpetrate this brand of arrogant stupidity.

Because, the more that comes out of the tragic case of the Costa Concordia, the more it is clear this was NOT the first time the ship had 'buzzed' the island of Giglio. And someone back at Costa HQ in Genoa knew about it, and did nothing.

Capt Gutless was given a tacit green light for his little manoeuvre on Friday night that has so far cost 11 innocent people their lives, with another 24 still missing.

And with the tenacity and courage the Italian authorities are so far showing in tackling this utter tragedy, I doubt they will stop at indicting just the captain (and his senior officer). The sad fact is, Costa is the toxic cruise line, a pariah in sea-going circles, who allowed criminal behaviour to carry on under their very noses; if not encouraged then certainly tolerated.
Represented it seems by our very own Pinko Mitchell..... Ex Ambulance Chaser now progressed to Cruise Liners...

And that, in today's international age, will not go unnoticed.

There is still a lot more to come out about the sad circumstances of the Concordia. The whole nature of the evacuation needs to be investigated and detailed. There are sure to be stories of great heroism among many of the Costa crew, as well as the passengers.

There is no stain of moral bankruptcy to be levelled at the vast majority of the 1,000 crew members, who had to operate in the most extreme of circumstances. And the vast number of Costa staff worldwide will be equally appalled at the behaviour of Capt Gutless.

No, this level of sheer, dumbfounding stupidity occurs only at the top, with those who knew and allowed the rogue captain to operate with impunity.

And the forthcoming enquiry should have them in the dock as well as so-called 'Captain' Schettino.

Posted 5 hours ago by World of Cruising Editor
Labels: Costa Cruises Giglio Costa Concordia Captain Francesco Schettino

A GERMAN LADY ,BELIEVED TO HAVE DIED ON THE CRUISER HAS TURNED UP ALIVE IN GERMANY.

Wednesday, 18 January 2012







Concordia - Condolences





I
would like to express my sincerest condolences to all those who have
lost family members and friends on the Costa Cordonia. Whilst the
survivors have suffered unimaginable terror, hope remains that those
still missing will be found quickly.


Costa
Cruises were quick to lay blame solely on the rogue master of the ship -
suggesting that he'd taken a bad decision by steering the vessel many
nautical miles off course, sailing too close to the island and
abandoning ship. Something which was "unauthorised, unapproved and
unknown to Costa".


However,
Lloyd's Lists tracking information shows that in August 2011 the
Cordonia sailed even closer to the island of Giglio to mark the night of
the Shooting Stars Festival, without incident. The route deviation was
apparently authorised by Costa Cruises.


Italian
Costa Cruises have surprisingly chosen Clarence Mitchell as their
official spokesperson which, depending on his role, may pose a problem
considering the many differing nationalities of passengers. Unless Mr
Mitchell happens to be multi-lingual.


I
am not defending the captain in any shape or form - after seeing and
hearing the news over the last few days, I am appalled. However, with
headlines such as 'Captain 'fell' into lifeboat', in depth detail and
the coastguard recording freely and quickly available to the media, it
could be construed that Mr Mitchell is already on the job... and not
simply in his capacity as spokesperson? Deja vu? Mr Mitchell
said "...there is a criminal investigation going on and we're not going
to say anything that's going to compromise that or the captain's case."
Too late - Costa Cruises had already publicly washed their hands of the captain, and laid the blame firmly on his shoulders.


Clearly he is representing Costa Cruises alone and not the captain.


Is
there a case for corporate manslaughter? I'm not sure if even Michael
Clayton could 'fix' this one, although I know who I'd rather be seeing
on the news...




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Wednesday, 11 January 2012

Italian
Costa Cruises have surprisingly chosen Clarence Mitchell as their
official spokesperson which, depending on his role, may pose a problem
considering the many differing nationalities of passengers. Unless Mr
Mitchell happens to be multi-lingual. "

What do you make of this then???? One of the comments suggests it is because the Company want a cover up.

Panda wrote:Italian
Costa Cruises have surprisingly chosen Clarence Mitchell as their
official spokesperson which, depending on his role, may pose a problem
considering the many differing nationalities of passengers. Unless Mr
Mitchell happens to be multi-lingual. "

What do you make of this then???? One of the comments suggests it is because the Company want a cover up.

Well, there has been talk of questionable practices by Costa Cruises, so Clarence is a good choice as he'll have previously used scripts handy: there are reasonable explanations for any allegedly dodgy dealings the investigators may or may not uncover; my client's practices are well within the bounds of normal cruising.

AnnaEsse wrote:

Panda wrote:Italian
Costa Cruises have surprisingly chosen Clarence Mitchell as their
official spokesperson which, depending on his role, may pose a problem
considering the many differing nationalities of passengers. Unless Mr
Mitchell happens to be multi-lingual. "

What do you make of this then???? One of the comments suggests it is because the Company want a cover up.

Well, there has been talk of questionable practices by Costa Cruises, so Clarence is a good choice as he'll have previously used scripts handy: there are reasonable explanations for any allegedly dodgy dealings the investigators may or may not uncover; my client's practices are well within the bounds of normal cruising.

One of the comments on the blog suggested Mitchell has been taken on for a cover-up

Panda wrote:

AnnaEsse wrote:

Panda wrote:Italian
Costa Cruises have surprisingly chosen Clarence Mitchell as their
official spokesperson which, depending on his role, may pose a problem
considering the many differing nationalities of passengers. Unless Mr
Mitchell happens to be multi-lingual. "

What do you make of this then???? One of the comments suggests it is because the Company want a cover up.

Well, there has been talk of questionable practices by Costa Cruises, so Clarence is a good choice as he'll have previously used scripts handy: there are reasonable explanations for any allegedly dodgy dealings the investigators may or may not uncover; my client's practices are well within the bounds of normal cruising.

One of the comments on the blog suggested Mitchell has been taken on for a cover-up

Yep! A reasonable suggestion, I reckon.

It was on the BBC this morning that Captain Calamity has now admitted that he "buzzed" the island on a regular basis, the excuse being that he was paying a salute to another, retired Captain who lived there. If it can be proved that Costa were aware of this, but did nothing, then no amount of Clarence Mitchell will save their sorry arses.

Panda wrote:Italian
Costa Cruises have surprisingly chosen Clarence Mitchell as their
official spokesperson which, depending on his role, may pose a problem
considering the many differing nationalities of passengers. Unless Mr
Mitchell happens to be multi-lingual. "

What do you make of this then???? One of the comments suggests it is because the Company want a cover up.

They want the captain to be the main can carrier for this disaster, rumours are circulating that he had made similar changes to his prearranged course in the past which had shown up on the ships log and for which he had not been reprimanded by the company, but these are only only rumours.

Oh yes, Mr Mitchell is bilingual as we are all aware here..... Gibberish and Rubbish are his chosen tongues of expertise.

malena stool wrote:

Panda wrote:Italian
Costa Cruises have surprisingly chosen Clarence Mitchell as their
official spokesperson which, depending on his role, may pose a problem
considering the many differing nationalities of passengers. Unless Mr
Mitchell happens to be multi-lingual. "

What do you make of this then???? One of the comments suggests it is because the Company want a cover up.

They want the captain to be the main can carrier for this disaster, rumours are circulating that he had made similar changes to his prearranged course in the past which had shown up on the ships log and for which he had not been reprimanded by the company, but these are only only rumours.

Oh yes, Mr Mitchell is bilingual as we are all aware here..... Gibberish and Rubbish are his chosen tongues of expertise.

Morning malena..... You must admit though he shows up in all the right places!!! I wonder who recommended him, probably the McCanns.

Panda wrote:

malena stool wrote:

Panda wrote:Italian
Costa Cruises have surprisingly chosen Clarence Mitchell as their
official spokesperson which, depending on his role, may pose a problem
considering the many differing nationalities of passengers. Unless Mr
Mitchell happens to be multi-lingual. "

What do you make of this then???? One of the comments suggests it is because the Company want a cover up.

They want the captain to be the main can carrier for this disaster, rumours are circulating that he had made similar changes to his prearranged course in the past which had shown up on the ships log and for which he had not been reprimanded by the company, but these are only only rumours.

Oh yes, Mr Mitchell is bilingual as we are all aware here..... Gibberish and Rubbish are his chosen tongues of expertise.

Morning malena..... You must admit though he shows up in all the right places!!! I wonder who recommended him, probably the McCanns.

He might have even been on board, taking a well earned winter break....we all know how hard he works...

Cruise ship's cook says captain ordered dinner after crash



By the CNN Wire Staff
January 19, 2012 -- Updated 2243 GMT (0643 HKT)






Francesco Schettino, captain of the Costa Concordia, could face charges for his actions after the ship ran aground off Italy.


STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Cook: "We really felt something was wrong"
  
• The ship's captain ordered dinner after the collision, the cook claims
  
• "I wasn't that scared, but I did wonder ... what the captain was doing," the cook says
  

(CNN) -- The captain of the Costa Concordia ordered
dinner for himself and a woman after the ship struck rocks off Italy's
coast, a cook from the ship told a Filipino television station.

In an interview with GMA Network, cook Rogelio Barista said Capt.
Francesco Schettino ordered dinner less than an hour after the accident.

"We wondered what was going on. ... At that time, we really felt
something was wrong. ... The stuff in the kitchen was falling off
shelves and we realized how grave the situation was," Barista told GMA.

Schettino ordered dinner around 10:30 p.m. Friday, Barista said. Authorities say the ship struck the rocks at 9:41 p.m.

"I have had 12 years of experience as a cook on a cruise ship. ... I
have even witnessed fires, so I wasn't that scared," Barista said. "But I
did wonder, though, what the captain was doing ... why was he still
there."




Cruise ship port logs released





Cruise ship survivors describe chaos





Limited legal options for cruise victims


The ship hit rocks off the coast of the Italian island of Giglio on Friday night.

At least 11 people are known to have died in the disaster, and 21 are still missing, according to the Italian Crisis Unit.

Criticism from both Costa Cruises and the authorities has focused so
far on Schettino, who is under house arrest and facing possible charges
of manslaughter, shipwreck and abandoning ship.

Coast guard records published Thursday by an Italian newspaper pile
further pressure on the captain of the Concordia and his officers,
suggesting that the authorities first became aware of the crash from a
friend of the mother of a passenger about 15 minutes after the ship hit
rocks.

Schettino's brother-in-law defended him in an Italian newspaper Thursday.

Schettino "managed to avoid a tragedy -- it could have been worse," Maurilio Russo said in Corriere della Sera.

And he denied that the captain had abandoned ship.

"He was not running away, he came down (from the ship) to survey the damage," Russo said.


CNN's Armie Jarin-Bennett and Hada Messia contributed to this report.

He did manage to avoid a Huge tragedy but it was the captain Who got them into this tragedy in the first place

kitti wrote:He did manage to avoid a Huge tragedy but it was the captain Who got them into this tragedy in the first place

Police want to interview a Woman the Captain was with hours before the capsize.