Costa Concordia Captain Returns To The Ship, Claims ‘I’ve Taken Responsibility For My Actions’

Costa Concordia’s former captain Francesco Schettino returned to the damaged vessel Thursday for the first time since he allegedly abandoned ship while it sunk back in January of 2012.

According to CNN, returning to the ship was a part of Schettino’s trial. He went back to the vessel, at the request of his lawyers, with an expert team that was appointed by the court, and toured the ship for nearly four hours. The team went aboard the ship to examine the emergency generators and to see whether or not any other human error could have contributed to the accident.

In an earlier report by The Inquisitr, it was on January 13, 2012 that the ship ended up lodged on a coral reef after Schettino allegedly made the decision to sail off course in order to approach Isola del Giglio. Schettino faces multiple charges including manslaughter and abandoning ship.

“Schettino planned to salute a dear friend and former colleague, who resides on the island. As Costa Concordia approached the shore, it became hopelessly lodged on a coral reef. Although the captain attempted to correct his error, it was simply too late. The enormous ship began to fill with water.”

Schettino has repeatedly denied abandoning ship and putting his crew and passengers in danger. According to The New York Times, his lawyers have argued that the Costa Concordia experienced technical failures during the evacuation of the ships passengers.

After his tour of the ship, Schettino reportedly avoided the media saying that he could not comment on the survey aboard the wreak. “I have taken responsibilities for my actions and am undergoing a trial,” he said.

“One thing is the accident, and one thing are its tragic consequences,” said Francesco Pepe, one of Mr. Schettino’s defense lawyers. “We can discuss whether the captain is mainly responsible for the accident, but it’s the ship who killed the people.”

Francesco Schettino says that he’s taken responsibility for taking the ship off course, but still denies the fact that he allegedly abandoned ship claiming that “he was pushed into the lifeboat by falling debris.”

The wreckage of the ship reportedly stayed put in the waters where it sunk for some 20 months before it was successfully up-righted. In an earlier report by The Inquisitr, it reportedly took a total of 19 hours to get the ship upright from its side where it had been left for nearly two years. Many were shocked that the crew was able to upright the ship, but once they accomplished the task, many were overjoyed. From there the ship has been inspected further and Schettino’s trail is still ongoing.

Image via Wikimedia]