Disgraced Costa Concordia Captain Francesco Schettino is staring down the barrel of 26 years in prison for his role in the 2012 shipwreck, if Italian prosecutors are given their way. According to summaries tabled in an Italian court, prosecutors said Schettino should receive 14 years for manslaughter, nine for causing a shipwreck, three for abandoning the vessel and three months for lying in his testimony. The Costa Concordia shipwreck off the coast of Giglio in Jan 2012 caused the deaths of 32 pax and crew after Schettino is alleged to have navigated too close to shore, hitting rocks and capsizing. Prosecutors have also called for Schettino to be jailed immediately if convicted, to curtail any chance that he may flee the country. The beleaguered former captain has been under house arrest near Naples during the trial so far. An Associated Press report said chief prosecutor Maria Navarro accused Schettino of ensuring his own safety “without even getting his shoes wet”. In addition to criminal proceedings against Schettino, damages of €220 million are being sought by local authorities for environmental damage and the negative impact on tourism. Salvage crews worked for more than two years to stabilise and parbuckle the vessel, eventually towing it to nearby Genoa where it is being scrapped (CW 24 Jul).
