Costa Says Concordia Captain Strayed from Approved Route

Costa Crociere has issued a strong denial that it knew in advance that Capt. Francesco Schettino, master of the ill-fated Costa Concordia, would veer from a company-approved routing to sail closer to the Italian island of Giglio. The statement was issued in response to Italian newspaper articles reporting on supposed findings of the ship’s black box. The Concordia keeled over Jan. 13 after rocks sliced through its hull; thirty-two people died.
"In response to what has been reported by La Stampa and reprinted by other media outlets, Costa Crociere has stated that it is clear from the surveys carried out from the black box [that] it is a completely inaccurate hypothesis that the company was aware of the route followed by Captain Schettino. What has been reported in the media is not only wrong, but also harmful to the image of the company with the potential to cause economic damage."
Costa said the black box shows that the route approved the afternoon of Jan. 13 in Civitavecchia was "a routine and secure route approved by the company (five miles away from the island). Later Captain Schettino took it upon himself to modify the route but neglected to inform the company." Furthermore, Costa said, a few minutes before the accident Schettino personally took over the operation and took authority by giving orders to the helmsman, which resulted in a further change of direction (of which the company was unaware) that led the vessel to an unsafe route closer to Giglio Island, which then led to the accident."  For more information contact TheCruiseOutlet.com at 203-288-1884