CEO says captain of wrecked cruise ship misled execs, crew, passengers

The cruise captain who grounded the Costa Concordia off the Tuscan coast with 4,200 people on board did not relay correct information to the company and crew after the ship hit rocks, the cruise-ship owner’s chief executive said Friday as the search resumed for 21 missing passengers.

CEO Pierluigi Foschi told Italian state TV that the company spoke to the captain at 10:05 p.m., about 20 minutes after the ship ran aground Jan. 13, but could not offer proper assistance because the captain’s description “did not correspond to the truth.”

Captain Francesco Schettino said only that he had “problems” on board but did not mention hitting a reef. Likewise, Foschi said crew members were not informed of the gravity of the situation.

Passenger video shown on Italian TV indicates crew members telling passengers to go to their cabins as late as 10:25 p.m. The abandon-ship alarm sounded just before 11:00 p.m.

“That’s because they also did not receive correct information on the gravity of the situation,” Foschi said.

The $450 million Costa Concordia was carrying more than 4,200 passengers and crew when it slammed into well-charted rocks off the island of Giglio a week ago. Eleven people have been confirmed dead.

The Concordia shifted again on its rocky perch Friday, forcing the suspension of diving search operations for the 21 people still missing and raising concerns about the stability of the ship’s resting place. But the search in areas above the waterline resumed in the evening after the ship was deemed stable.

Coast guard spokesman Cmdr. Cosimo Nicastro said crews will evaluate the ship’s stability this morning to see whether the diving operation can resume, focusing on an area where passengers would have sought lifeboats.

It was not clear whether the slight movements registered by sensors placed on board the ship were just vibrations as the ship settles on the rocks off the Tuscan island or if the massive ocean liner is slowly slipping off the reef. Salvage experts suggest it could be because of pockets of air gradually escaping.

The Concordia’s movements are being watched because any significant shift could be dangerous for divers trying to locate those missing. An additional fear is that movement could damage tanks holding 500,000 gallons of fuel oil and lead to leaks.

Source: http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_19787264