Prosecutors in hot pursuit of Costa Concordia officers

An Italian judge began hearing a request Monday to send the former captain of the Costa Concordia and five other ship’s officers to trial over the accident which sank the liner with the loss of 32 lives in January 2012. Prosecutors are seeking to have the 52-year-old captain, Francesco Schettino, tried on charges including manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship.Both Schettino and the ship’s owners Costa Cruises were heavily criticised over both the accident and the chaotic night-time evacuation of more than 4,000 passengers and crew. Costa paid 1 million euros ($1.31 million) to settle potential criminal charges although the payment did not affect civil lawsuits.

Prosecutors pursue trial for Costa Concordia officers Chicago Tribune
Italy court decides who should stand trial BBC News
owner asks court in Italy to consider it a victim of tragedy South China Morning Post
Costa Concordia wreck removal AFP
Costa Concordia indictment hearings open/a> Euronews
 Italy court weighs Costa request to join case as injured party Washington Post

Hearing shows captain to blame for Italy ship disaster: prosecutor

Chicago Tribune
GROSSETO, Italy A pre-trial hearing in Italy this week on the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that cost 32 lives has put the responsibility for the disaster squarely on the shoulders of Captain Francesco Schettino, prosecutors said on Friday. Schettino is accused of manslaughter, causing the shipwreck and abandoning ship before the evacuation of more than 4,000 passengers and crew was complete. He has admitted making mistakes but says he should not be the only person blamed.
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Sightseeing vessel runs aground in Alaskan bay, 76 rescued

Chicago Tribune
Seventy-six people were rescued on Sunday after a sightseeing vessel ran aground in Alaska’s Glacier Bay and began filling with water.None of the passengers and crew members aboard the 79-foot Baranof Wind was seriously hurt, though some minor injuries were reported. It was stabilized after the accident, and there were no immediate signs of spills or other pollution, Mosley said. The boat’s owner was arranging to tow the vessel into port, he said. The accident was reported to the Coast Guard a
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Costa Concordia tragedy: Cruise ship’s salvage a wreck for Italian island

89.3 KPCC
Last January, the captain of the Italian mega-cruise ship Costa Concordia committed an apparent act of maritime bravado a few yards from the shore of a Tuscan island. Thirty people were killed, and two are still missing. Six months after one of the biggest passenger shipwrecks in recent history, relatives of the dead attended a memorial service near the site of the disaster.
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Cruise officials tout overall safety, resiliency at industry convention

Sun-Sentinel
That reassurance comes at a time when some operators are seeing weaker demand for cruises due to consumer pullback following the Costa Concordia accident. For some it’s a big reversal for a year that started with strong demand for cruises at higher prices than a year ago.
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Victims’ families want truth at Italy shipwreck hearing

Chicago Tribune
GROSSETO, Italy (Reuters) – Survivors and relatives of victims of the Costa Concordia shipwreck clamoured for truth at a pre-trial hearing in Italy on Saturday, with some still waiting for identification of the remains of their loved ones 1-1/2 monthsafter the disaster. The giant cruise liner capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio after hitting a rock on January 13, killing at least 25 people. Seven people are still unaccounted for, and eight of the bodies found have yet to be identified.
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