The cruise captain... in his own words
This is a translation of the transcript of the conversation between Captain Francesco Schettino, commander of the sinking Costa Concordia, and Captain Gregorio De Falco of the Italian coast guard in Livorno.
Captain De Falco repeatedly orders Schettino to return to the ship to oversee the evacuation, while Schettino resists, making excuses that it is dark and that the ship is listing.
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De Falco: "This is De Falco speaking from Livorno. Am I speaking with the commander?"
Schettino: "Yes. Good evening, Cmdr. De Falco."
De Falco: "Please tell me your name."
Schettino: "I'm Cmdr. Schettino, commander."
De Falco: "Schettino? Listen Schettino. There are people trapped on board. Now you go with your boat under the prow on the starboard side. There is a pilot ladder. You will climb that ladder and go on board. You go on board and then you will tell me how many people there are. Is that clear? I'm recording this conversation, Cmdr. Schettino..."
Schettino: "Commander, let me tell you one thing..."
De Falco: "Speak up! Put your hand in front of the microphone and speak more loudly, is that clear?"
Schettino: "In this moment, the boat is tipping..."
De Falco: "I understand that, listen, there are people that are coming down the pilot ladder of the prow. You go up that pilot ladder, get on that ship and tell me how many people are still on board. And what they need. Is that clear? You need to tell me if there are children, women or people in need of assistance. And tell me the exact number of each of these categories. Is that clear? Listen Schettino, that you saved yourself from the sea, but I am going to... I'm going to make sure you get in trouble. ...I am going to make you pay for this. Go on board, (expletive)!"
Schettino: "Commander, please..."
De Falco: "No, please. You now get up and go on board. They are telling me that on board there are still..."
Schettino: "I am here with the rescue boats, I am here, I am not going anywhere, I am here..."
De Falco: "What are you doing, commander?"
Schettino: "I am here to co-ordinate the rescue..."
De Falco: "What are you co-ordinating there? Go on board! Co-ordinate the rescue from aboard the ship. Are you refusing?"
Schettino: "No, I am not refusing."
De Falco: "Are you refusing to go aboard commander? Can you tell me the reason why you are not going?"
Schettino: "I am not going because the other lifeboat is stopped."
De Falco: "You go aboard. It is an order. Don't make any more excuses. You have declared 'abandon ship.' Now I am in charge. You go on board! Is that clear? Do you hear me? Go, and call me when you are aboard. My air rescue crew is there."
Schettino: "Where are your rescuers?"
De Falco: "My air rescue is on the prow. Go. There are already bodies, Schettino."
Schettino: "How many bodies are there?"
De Falco: "I don't know. I have heard of one. You are the one who has to tell me how many there are. Christ."
Schettino: "But do you realise it is dark and here we can't see anything..."
De Falco: "And so what? You want to go home, Schettino? It is dark and you want to go home? Get on that prow of the boat using the pilot ladder and tell me what can be done, how many people there are and what their needs are. Now!"
Schettino: "...I am with my second in command."
De Falco: "So both of you go up then ... You and your second go on board now. Is that clear?"
Schettino: "Commander, I want to go on board, but it is simply that the other boat here ... there are other rescuers. It has stopped and is waiting..."
De Falco: "It has been an hour that you have been telling me the same thing. Now, go on board. Go on board! And then tell me immediately how many people there are there."
Schettino: "OK, commander"
De Falco: "Go, immediately!"
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N. Bill Camilleri
Jan 19th, 03:53
This is also how Italians behave in battle at war, which is why they always do a lot of talking and not much fighting. In fact I think Schettino is part of the group who is still talking about how to liberate Libya from Gaddafi - it is almost time for them to launch another resolution at Libya.
Robert Calafato
Jan 18th, 21:24
While addmittedly Captain Schettino will go down in Maritime History for all the wrong reasons, one cannot generalize and make such sweeping statements.... Christopher Colombus anyone?
carmel muscat
Jan 18th, 13:18
ma nafx aliex qedin tohduwa b kbira ax dak l kaptan ma kienx kapacci awn tant malta persuni imlahqijn u ma jifmu xejn miskien errangallu iz ziju jew il parrijnu kif jigri ezatt hawn malta ma fija xejn fix tistageb mux lollox ekk ijsir hawn malta min ghandu widnejn ha jifem u insejt najd wkoll li il verita twegga hafna hahahahahahaha
R. Balzan
Jan 18th, 12:08
I'm surprised that there are still people who don't realize that the Italians are renowned as one of the worst nations at seamanship and maritime navigation skills. Personally i would never dream of going on a cruise manned by an Italian crew.
Marco Lenzo
Jan 18th, 12:38
Worst nation at seamanship and maritime navigation skills? Bah!
Marco Lenzo
Jan 18th, 12:46
You can't stem a whole nation/category based on the error of a single one. This is not the only maritime disaster of modern history. There were also more tragic ones; ships with crews of countries you might consider of good seamanship and maritime navigation skills.
mark bonavia
Jan 18th, 12:47
can u give some proof of such a statement please? can u generalise as such when u say the italians are the worst seaman ? i think i am one of those then whom i didnt realised yet of such a news.Sorry but accidents mishaps errors and mistakes can happen to everybody then whatever you do you pay the consecquences whatever they may be.
mark bonavia
Jan 18th, 10:59
According to italian tv programs yesterday it was said that the captain after the first impact tried to make a drastic manouvre to make the ship shift in shallow waters and make it rest on the reef so that it would be much easier for the people onboard to be rescued altghough such news has to be verified from more investigation to be fair with him too. What is clear is that captain schettino was very unprofessional in many ways in retarding orders to his crew for the passengers to abandon ship and denying any wrongdoing when contacted by port authorities.It was after more then 1 hour and the ship started leaning aside that he called for assistance which was far too late then cause even life boats could'nt be laid down at sea since ship was leaned on one side.
C Bugeja
Jan 18th, 10:57
Every one that said that this event resembled the event of the Titanic, all those years ago, is WRONG! How could they be similar when this ship, along with all the passengers on board were abandoned by its own captain??
Poor excuse of a Captain if I may say so myself, first causing this incident which killed people and injuring many more, then abandoning the ship with all the people there.
C Vella
Jan 18th, 10:21
Well his attitude is certainly not that of a Captain who has full responsibility ... but a complete coward !
Joseph N. Attard
Jan 18th, 09:59
I know this may sound like hindsight. But the moment I set eyes on the captain during a cruise last October, he did not strike me as captain material. It was just a passing thought, but events unfortunately proved me right.
Alfred Caruana
Jan 18th, 09:25
'Coraggio Fuggiamo' !
Richard Gabriele
Jan 18th, 09:20
This was a disaster in open waters and not restricted waters. this should have never happened and one can attribute this to gross negligence by the master and his officers who were with him on the bridge at the time. it is clear to me as an experienced master mariner that at one point someone realised what was going to happen and a very large alteration of course was made to starboard (right). At that speed the vessel's stern will drift outwards and this is ehn the reef was hit. One can see that even the stabiliser is still intact and the impact was toweaqrds the vessel's stern. On much smaller ships we never calculated distancces in metres but in nautical miles especially in an area like thsi with enough searoom. when vessels are making a port approach the speed is much lower and the master is always assisted by a local pilot who has all he local knowledge of the area.
i still cannot accept that this happened; is this a dream or reality? Unfortunately it is the latter.
Let all those responsible pay for their wrongdoing.
Capt R Gabriele
Marsaxlokk
Alfred Tabone
Jan 18th, 09:07
There you go. You book an expensive cruise for yourself and your family, saving all year to go and not knowingly, you put your lives in the hands of such a 'persons'! Such irresponsibility passing so close to that island. And nobody from the command room took any actions to divert. Costa Crociere and all other cruise companies are not monitoring from where the ships pass? Should this be done? Airplanes are controlled by air traffic controllers. Apparently ships and all the like are not.
Rose Piccinino
Jan 18th, 09:44
Truly unbelievable!! I had the same thoughts. If anyone around the world can follow the routes of any of Costa cruise ships through the internet, could it be possible that the company does not have a central monitoring office which follows the routes of their ships and act upon any variances?!
John Micallef
Jan 18th, 08:37
What a different story from the Andrea Doria tragedy! Comander Calamai dragged off the boat as the last man standing on her at that time.
Perhaps it's true, people of a certain mettle are with us no more.
salvatore morgan
Jan 18th, 07:34
Such a Brave Man indeed!!
Ronald Bowman
Jan 18th, 00:23
I admire Ship Captains who are the last person to abandon ship after doing their utmost to ensure the safety and evacuation of all passangers and crew. Their courage and bravery is highly commendable. Unfotunately, prima face, in this case, the Captain did not live up to his duty and responsiblilities and abandoned ship when many passengers and crew were still on board. His motto seems to be "Coraggio! Fuggiamo!" Shame! Vergogna!
Mr Clive Aquilina Spagnol
Jan 17th, 23:17
A coward!
Louis Baldacchino
Jan 17th, 22:29
My concern is if the captain has been working for the company for 11 yrs and he is 52 years - What kind of evaluation does the company make of its employees. This captain in a few hours made two foolish mistakes - change the route without any approval and leaving the vessel in such a state with people still aboard. I bet Costa Crociere needs some revision in their HR department!
Franco Tabone
Jan 17th, 22:22
This is the link for the above translation of this captured radio exchange between Captain Gregorio De Falcon of the Italian Coast Guard pleading in vain with Capt. Francesco Schettino, captain of the capsized Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia to oversee evacuation of passengers.
http://video.corrierefiorentino.corriere.it/telefonate-il-comandante-capitaneria/cf-167017
Mr Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
Jan 17th, 22:08
This is great news for cruise tourism in Malta. It may yet dawn on Malta's authorities how fragile and foolish Malta's dependence on tourism really is. Imagine the same scene in the Grand Harbour.
Dennis Zammit
Jan 18th, 08:32
The ships in the Grand Harbour are commanded by the local Pilots and not their commanders.
Alan Cordina
Jan 18th, 09:03
Sur Chetcuti ...... INT BIS-SERJETA !!!??? Imma possibbli !!!??? ..... ghad fadal "kontibuturi" bhalek hemm barra !!???? foolish to depend on tourism eh !!?? ..... issa mela we start depending on refining diamonds that we may start digging out of Dingli Cliffs hux !!
Imma temmnuhom daw !!???
Michael Vella
Jan 18th, 09:12
@ Joseph Chetcuti
Shall we ban them from our ports and whilst we're at it, how about closing the runways too, to avoid the remote possibility of accidents happening in future? Thank God, today, Malta has other very important sectors other than tourism, but tourism remains an extrtemely important part of our econonmy.
However, i agree with you. We should shift focus from tourism to exportation of our endless supplies of raw materials...which include, crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, copper ore and vast quantities of uranium...i mean what have successive government been waiting for to make this highly intelligent move?
George Abela
Jan 18th, 09:25
Dear Mr.Chetcuti,
After reading your very wise and Intellectual comment I am pretty sure we will replace Cruise Liner income with Bestseller Books written by you.......
Joseph Grima
Jan 18th, 10:15
Sur Chetcuti. Jekk nisimghu minnek ikollna nibdlu d dipendenza taghna fuq it turizmu ghal wahda fuq l esportazzjoni tal basal ghax jidher li basal kbir ghandna kemm irridu.Qatt ma kont nimmagina li hawn min ghandu immaginazzjoni fertili daqshek
C Vella
Jan 18th, 10:18
Well said Mr George Abela !!! O M G !!!!.....what a mentality ... this is serious!!!
Mr Joseph Chetcuti, everyone has a right to an opinion but that statement ...NOooo... get a life!