Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Concordia Disaster


You wont have failed to have seen pics and reports about the Italian Liner "The Concordia" sinking off the coast of Italy.

Some of the images have been amazing, sadly the price paid looks like around 30 people have lost their lives.

The reason appears to be that Captain Schettino was impressing a lady friend with his handling of the 60000 tonne super liner and hit a massive rock, The ship soon took on water and listed to where it settled.

By all accounts, it was absolute chaos! All semblance of civilty dissappeared and panic took over.

Below is the conversation btween the Italian Coastguard and the feckless Capt. Schettino. This conversation is not painting the Capt in very good light. He is currently under house arrest and is facing severe charges.

Coastguard official, Captain Gregorio De Falco (CG): “Hello. This is De Falco from Livorno, am I speaking with the captain?”


Captain Francesco Schettino (FS): “Yes, good evening Captain De Falco.”

CG: “Am I speaking with the captain? Please tell me your name.”

FS: “This is captain Schettino.”

CG: “Schettino? Listen Schettino, there are people trapped on board. Now you need to go on your lifeboat, under the bow of the ship on the side. There is a ladder. You need to climb up the ladder and board the ship. Get on board and report to me how many people there are. Is that clear? I am recording this conversation, captain Schettino.”

FS: “Captain, let me tell you one thing...”

CG: “Speak up!”

FS: “The ship, at this moment...”

CG: “Captain, speak up! Shield the microphone with your hand and speak louder, clear?”

FS: “At this moment the ship is tilted.”

CG: “I understand. Listen, there are people who are coming down the ladder on the bow. Go back in the opposite direction, get back on the ship, and tell me how many people there are and what they have on board. Clear? Tell me if there are children, women and what kind of help they need. And you tell me the number of each of these categories. Is that clear? Look, Schettino, perhaps you have saved yourself from the sea but I will make you look very bad. I will make you pay for this. Dammit!”

FS: “Captain, please...”

CG: “There is no 'please’ about it. Go back on board. Assure me you are going back on board!”

FS: “I am in the lifeboat, under the ship, I haven’t gone anywhere, I’m here.”

CG: “What are you doing?”

FS: “I am coordinating...”

CG: “What are you coordinating there? Get on board the ship and coordinate the rescue on board. Are you refusing?”

FS: “No, no I am not refusing.”

CG: “Are you refusing to go on board? Tell me the reason why you are not going.”

FS: “I am not going because there is another lifeboat that has stopped.”

CG: “You get on board. This is an order. You need to continue the rescue. You called the evacuation, now I am in charge. You need to go on board the ship, is that clear?”

FS: “Captain.”

CG: “Can you hear me?”

FS: “I am going.”

CG: “Go. Call me when you are on board. My air rescue team is there. He is at
the bow. Get going. There are already corpses Schettino. Move!”

FS: “How many dead are there?”

CG: “I don’t know. One I am aware of. One I’ve heard of. You need to be telling me this. Christ!”

FS: “But you are aware it is dark and we can’t see anything?”

CG: “And what do you want? To go back home, Schettino? It’s dark and you want to go back home? Get on the bow of the ship and tell me what can be done, how many people there are and what do they need. Now!”

FS: “I am here with the second commander.”

CG: “Excuse me?”

FS: “I am here with the second commander his name is...”

CG: “So both of you, get on board, both of you. What is the name of the second?”

FS: “Dimitry.”

CG: “Dimitry who?”

FS: “Dimitry... “ (Unclear)

CG: “You and your second commander, go and get on board now. Is that clear?”

FS: “I want to get on board the ship but the other lifeboat has stopped its engine and it is drifting and I called other rescuers.”

CG: “It’s already one hour you are telling me this. Now, get on board. Get on board! And you tell me how many people there are.”

FS: “OK, Captain.”

CG: “Go, right now!”

After a short break and with rescue workers struggling to evacuate the remaining passengers and crew from the ship, the exchange between Capt De Falco and Capt Schettino continues:

CG: “Captain, I am De Falco from Livorno.”

FS: “I have called the company and they told me there are hundreds of people on board the ship. I think.”

CG: “Captain can you not give me an exact number?”

FS: “It seems like it’s 100. Captain, I am not able to give you the exact number. Earlier we were carrying out the evacuation of all the passengers and now all of us officers are here.”

CG: “Where are you? You and your officers are all on the lifeboat?”

FS: “Yes, me and the second commander...”

CG: “Excuse me but earlier it was just you and your sailor and now you are telling me that you are there with the officers. So you could have continued the evacuation? Why don’t you go back on board and see what is happening and then tell us?

FS: “At the moment...”

CG: “Get back on board! Send someone back on board to coordinate.”

FS: “I am coordinating at the moment.”

CG: “I am giving you an order captain. You must send someone on board.”

FS: “We are going on board to coordinate.”

CG: “Exactly, you have to go back on board to coordinate the evacuation. Is that clear?”

FS: “But we can’t go back on board now.”

CG: “Why did you get them off Captain?

FS: “They abandoned the ship.”

CG: “One hundred people still on board and you abandoned the ship?

FS: “I didn’t abandon any ship because the ship turned on its side quickly and we were catapulted into the water.”

CG: “We will see later what happened. OK. But from now you let me know everything that is happening. You stay on the life boat and don’t you go away. Is that clear?”

FS: “We are here, we are here.”


The feckless Capt. Schettino


1 comment:

Travel in Thailand said...

One of my friend was on the boat that day. I told me how unorganized the evacuation was, it is amazing that nowadays something like that can happen !