What Happened to the Captain of the Italian Cruise Ship?

By Michael Ferguson

On January 13th, 2012, the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground off the coast of Italy after being steered too close to the shore. The incident resulted in the death of 32 people and was one of the worst maritime disasters in recent history. The captain of the Costa Concordia, Francesco Schettino, was a veteran sailor and had been at the helm for more than a decade prior to this accident.

In the aftermath of the disaster, Schettino quickly became one of the main figures in the story. He was heavily criticized for his role in bringing about such a tragedy and was ultimately charged with multiple counts of manslaughter and causing a shipwreck. After being arrested and held in pre-trial detention for several months, he was released on bail in October 2013 as his trial began.

The trial proved to be long and complicated, with testimony from multiple witnesses over several years. In February 2015, Schettino was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to sixteen years in prison. He was also banned from ever serving as captain on an Italian vessel again.

Schettino has since filed an appeal against his conviction but is still currently serving his sentence at a prison near Rome. Despite his appeals, it is unlikely that he will ever be reinstated as a captain on an Italian vessel again due to his conviction and sentence.

The Costa Concordia disaster remains one of Italy’s worst maritime tragedies in recent memory and has left many scars that are still healing today. Although Schettino may never be able to serve as captain again, it is hoped that lessons can be learned from this incident so that similar tragedies may be avoided in future.

What Happened to the Captain of the Italian Cruise Ship?
Francesco Schettino, captain of the ill-fated Costa Concordia cruise ship which ran aground off Italy’s coast in 2012 resulting in 32 deaths, was found guilty on all counts by an Italian court in 2015 and sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment for manslaughter and causing a shipwreck. He has since filed an appeal against his conviction but is still currently serving his sentence at a prison near Rome with no prospect of ever serving as captain on an Italian vessel again due to his conviction and sentence.