Five Sentenced in Costa Concordia Shipwreck

Plea Bargains Accepted

Five defendants: Roberto Ferrarini, director of Costa Cruises' crisis unit, cabin service director Manrico Giampedroni, first officer Ciro Ambrosio, Indonesian helmsman Jacob Rusli Bin and third officer Silvia Coronica had their day in court.

Sentences ranged from 18 - 34 months.   It is unlikely that any of them will actually have to serve jail time as sentences less that 2 years are suspended in Italy and longer sentences can be appealed.

Costa Concordia jail sentences

• Roberto Ferrarini - two years and 10 months
• Manrico Giampedroni - two years and six months
• Ciro Ambrosio - one year and 11 months
• Jacob Rusli Bin - one year and eight months
• Silvia Coronica - one year and six months

These proceedings were separate from the main trial for Captain Schettino, which began this week as well.  Unlike this trial, which was short due to the acceptance of the plea bargain agreements, we expect a lengthy trial for him, given the amount of testimony and complexity of the case.

Ongoing Coverage

Watch Concordia Captain's Trial Finally Underway for updates on the legal proceedings.

We have been covering the entire Costa Concordia accident, including the cleanup and legal proceedings.   For complete details, see our anchor article:  Costa Concordia Listing after Deadly Accident

Meanwhile, salvage operations continue.  It is now expected that the parbuckling project can be completed by early September, 2013.   See our article:  Costa Concordia Salvage Begins

Concordia Captain's Trial Finally Underway

 Captain Francesco Schettino's

Trial Finally Begins

Eighteen months following the deadly accident off the coast of the Island of Giglio in Italy, the trial of  Captain Francesco Schettino has finally begun in the tiny Italian village of Grosseto.  The courtroom is in the local theater since the normal facilities would be too small.

Last week, the trial was delayed due to a nationwide strike by lawyers: Captain Schettino Gets Day in Court or Not

The entire world is watching as this trial continues.  Schettino is accused of three criminal charges: involuntary manslaughter for the deaths; causing a maritime disaster; and causing personal injury to 150 people who were badly hurt in the accident.

If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.  It is expected that if that does occur, his lawyers would request that be served under house arrest arrangements since there would be no risk of him repeating the offense (his captain days are over).

In addition to the criminal charges, there are 250 civil actions filed against the captain, all of which will be represented at the hearing.  Among the actions is one by Costa Crociere, the owner of the Concordia, which is suing the captain for causing the accident and destroying the Concordia.  Immediately after the accident, the cruise line distanced themselves from the captain, clearly indicating that they would take these actions against him.

29 October 13 Summary


Moldovan dancer, Domnica Cemortan, who was on the bridge when the Costa Concordia cruise ship crashed into a reef near Italy, killing 32 people, has testified at the captain's manslaughter trial that the two were lovers.

20 July 13 Summary

Four other officers and the crisis coordinator for the line will also be on trial this week.  They filed similar plea bargains in May and their hearing is to  begin this Saturday.

A court in Italy has convicted five people of manslaughter over the Costa Concordia shipwreck off Giglio island which killed 32 people in January 2012.  The plea bargains were accepted by the court.
Prison sentences ranged from 18 months to 34 months.  Five Sentenced in Costa Concordia Shipwreck

19 July 13 Summary

Just two days after the trial of Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino opened, it was adjourned until September 23 for the Italian court system's summer break.

17 July 13 Summary

Yesterday, defense lawyers for Schettino entered a plea bargain request where he would plead guilty in exchange for a 3 year 5 months sentence.  The prosecution voiced  opposition to the request, which is likely to be turned down by the court in a few days.

Names of the victims and how they died were read into the court's record as the trial began.

Ongoing Coverage

Watch this post for updates on the legal proceedings.

We have been covering the entire Costa Concordia accident, including the cleanup and legal proceedings.   For complete details, see our anchor article:  Costa Concordia Listing after Deadly Accident

Meanwhile, salvage operations continue.  It is now expected that the parbuckling project can be completed by early September, 2013.   See our article:  Costa Concordia Salvage Begins

Prosecutors Request Indictments

Seeking 

Manslaughter Indictment

Italian prosecutors involved in the Costa Concordia shipwreck case have made a formal request for a manslaughter indictment against Captain Francesco Schettino.

Prosecutors also requested the indictment of five others including the two deck officers, the helmsman, and Costa Crociere cruise line Marine Operations Director Roberto Ferrarini.

Schettino, dubbed 'captain coward' in the press, has already been found guilty in the public's eyes. He faces possible charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship. He does acknowledge he was distracted and claims that he wasn't in command of the vessel at the time of the incident.

Schettino has consistently denied all charges of wrongdoing. He further says that the actions he took on that fateful night in January, 2012, actually saved lives as he steered the ship closer to shore. He has his own lawsuit pending against Costa Crociere for alleged unfair dismissal and is writing a book about explaining how an even bigger disaster was averted.

Costa Crociere, the Italian subsidiary of Carnival Corporation and owner of Concordia, has asked for a plea bargain agreement in the case. If accepted, the plea bargain could see Costa pay a 1 million euro ($1.35 million) fine, according to the AP.

Triumph Fire Investigation

Photo courtesy U.S. Coast Guard

Carnival Triumph

Fire Investigtion

Launched

Coast Guard investigators from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center and the Investigations Center of Expertise examine the cruise ship Carnival Triumph's engine room, Feb. 14, 2013, to determine the cause of a fire that broke out Feb. 10 and stranded the ship with its passengers for days in the Gulf of Mexico. The results of the joint international investigation may take months, but could possibly help prevent the same type of incident from happening in the future. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Jerry Federer)

The U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding a fire aboard the Carnival Triumph, that ocurred Sunday, February 10, 2013. Because the Carnival Triumph is a Bahamian flagged vessel, the Bahamas Maritime Authority is the primary investigative agency. In accordance with international guidelines, the U.S. will participate in this investigation as a Marine Safety Investigative State.

Preliminary Results 

In a statement released to the media on Monday by the U.S. Coast Guard, the fire on the Carnival Triumph cruise ship was caused by a leak in a fuel oil return line. The complete investigation will last approximately six months according to the USCG.

The leak appears to have been in an oil return line that stretches from the ship's No. 6 engine to the fuel tank. Based on the ignition marks on the wall, the fire broke out in front of one of three generators in the engine room. It will take at least a week before determining if this was the same generator that had mechanical issues in January.

Legal Proceedings

As the investigation continues, so too begins legal proceedings that seem to follow incidents like this. To date there have been two lawsuits filed by passengers on the Carnival Triumph. We will follow both of these developing stories and update you periodically as information is released to the public.

Expert Findings Released on Costa Concordia

Costa Concordia & Lifeboats    Courtesy Wikipedia Commons

Expert Panel

Reports Findings

Concordia Tragedy

The panel of experts, that were appointed by the Italian courts to review evidence in the events of the January 14th tragedy which took the lives of 32 people, have released their findings to the court.   A 270 page document was filed with the court on Tuesday and published by Italian media on Thursday.

Captain, Crew, & Costa Cruises to Blame

As expected, the primary blame for the tragic accident falls on Captain Schettino, who has already been condemned in the media as "Captain Coward" and other names. He is charged with several counts including negligent homicide, causing a shipwreck, and abandoning ship before the complete evacuation of the 4,200 passengers and crew. He claims he was commanding the situation from the life boats and denies any wrongdoing.

In the report, the panel also puts blame on the crew for "blunders, delays and security breaches that contributed to the disaster". Early reports from passengers had indicated that the crew was disorganized during the evacuation, which seems to validate the findings.

Costa Crociere, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation plc, is accused of "delaying the emergency alert sent to coastal authorities". In a statement, Costa placed the blame on Francesco Schettino, the ship’s captain: "It is also clear from the records that the communication made by the Master to the crisis department were on the whole not timely, partial and confused, not allowing it to scale a clear perception of the seriousness of what was actually happening."

In response to allegations that the crew was inadequately trained, Costa said: “The alleged defects in the certifications of some of the crew concern only a few individuals who are not key to emergency management”.

A court hearing is scheduled for October 15th to determine if the captain and any of the co-defendants should be put on trial. 

Continuing Coverage

Salvage operations are underway to remove the ship from the coastline of Giglio, Italy.  That operation, which began in June, will last about a year according to current estimates.

We continue to follow all the events around this tragic accident in our anchor article:

Costa Concordia Listing after Deadly Accident