Costa Concordia captain denied plea bargain in deadly shipwreck

GROSSETO, Italy – Italian prosecutors on Tuesday rejected a plea bargain bid by the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground off Italy last year, killing 32 people, defense lawyers said. Capt. Francesco Schettino is accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship before all 4,200 passengers and crew were evacuated.Defense lawyer Francesco Pepe said Schettino had wanted to defend himself at a trial but when the five other defendants in the shipwreck off the Tuscan coast all sought plea bargains during a closed-door hearing Tuesday, his defense team decided to change strategy.

Costa Concordia captain denied plea bargain in deadly shipwreck Fox News
Costa Concordia captain back in court Reuters
Costa Concordia hearing re-opens Euronews
Francesco Schettino’s offer to plead guilty in return for a sentence of three years and four months is rejected by prosecutors. Skynews
Costa Concordia suspects want plea bargains Newstalk JB
Costa Concordia captain back in court Brisbane Times
Costa Concordia Captain Schettino sought a plea bargain, rejectedDigitalJournal.com
Plea deal for Costa Concordia captain rejected Telegraph

8 Missing After Cargo Ships Collide

A cargo ship sank off southern Greece after colliding with another freighter Monday, leaving two Syrian seamen dead and eight others missing and spurring a large rescue operation, officials said. The accident between the Consouth and the Piri Reis occurred before 7 a.m. The Antigua-flagged Consouth was Antigua-flagged and the Piri Reis was Cook Islands-flagged .

2 Syrian seamen killed, 8 missing after cargo ships collide off southern Greece Fox News

Second Carnival Cruise Ship Having Trouble at Sea

ABC News ‎-
Another day, another Carnival cruise ship is having issues. The company announced late Thursday night that the Carnival Legend, currently off the coast of Honduras, is unable to sail at its optimal speed because of a technical problem, forcing the ship to cut short passengers’ vacation. The Carnival Legend has canceled its visit to Grand Cayman today so it can immediately return to its homeport in Tampa Bay, Fla., according to a news release. The Legend is on the last leg of a seven-day Caribbean cruise that departed Tampa March 10.

Second Carnival Cruise Ship Having Trouble at Sea ABC News
Carnival cruise line in more troubled waters CNN
Another problem cruise: Second Carnival ship in less than a week experiences trouble at sea Fox News
Another Carnival Cruise ship malfunctions at sea, the second time this week. Passengers on The Carnival Legend won’t be able to stop at the Grand Cayman Islands, due to technical issues with the ship’s thrusters. The beleaguered cruise company’s Carnival Dream was also plagued with troubles earlier this week. NY Daily News
Carnival nightmare: Another cruise ship reports trouble at sea WGN tv
Carnival Legend Cruise Ship Has Mechanical Problem Near Florida Huffington Post
More Trouble At Sea For Carnival Cruise Lines CBS Miami

Carnival cruise ship to be towed after fire


CNN
(CNN) — A Carnival cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico with more than 4,200 passengers and crew will be towed to port after a weekend engine fire left it dead in the water, a cruise line official said. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Vigorous arrived to aid the stranded ship early Monday, the Coast Guard said.

Carnival cruise ship to be towed after fire strands it in Gulf of Mexico CNN Travel
Carnival cruise ship in Gulf of Mexico to be towed after engine fire Miami Herald
Carnival cruise ship adrift off of Mexico after fire in engine room Fox News
Carnival cruise ship on emergency power after fire USA today
Carnival Cruise Ship Adrift Following Fire ABC News
Carnival cruise ship floats in Gulf of Mexico after engine fire, will be towed CNN

Captain of shipwrecked Costa Concordia says he was ‘distracted’

Fox News
The captain of the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia, which ran aground killing 32 people, said he was distracted shortly before the collision. In a TV interview with Italy’s Canale 5, Francesco Schettino described the accident and said he was distracted by a phone conversation just before the ship crashed into a reef off an Italian island and capsized.
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Covering a cruise ship disaster

CNN
I first saw the Costa Concordia glinting in the winter sun from 20,000 feet as my flight from London made a slow descent on its way to Rome’s Fiumicino airport. It seemed a distant blade of light lying next to a speck of an island. A surge of gasps and chatter reverberated around the cabin as Italian passengers craned their necks to see it. As I later approached the island on a ferry, the ship again came into view almost as soon as the ferry left the mainland.
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Cruise industry expands safety rules in wake of Costa Concordia …

CNN International
Two of the largest cruise ship industry organizations announce new safety policies aimed at helping during an emergency at sea. Under two new rules, a record of the nationality of all passengers aboard vessels will be kept on land and made readily available to search-and-rescue teams in an emergency, and passengers will be given a specific set of safety instructions during “musters,” or safety drills.

 
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Performers suing for $200M following Costa Concordia wreck

Fox News
Four performers who entertained passengers on the doomed Costa Concordia are suing the luxury liner’s owners and operators for $200 million. The musicians and dancers — all from Hungary — accuse Carnival Corp. and the Italian Costa Crociere SpA cruise line of “gross negligence” in the deadly Jan. 13 crash off the coast of Italy.
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Costa Concordia to be salvaged in 1 piece

Fox News
MILAN – Salvage work to remove the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship from its rocky perch off Tuscany, where 32 people died, will begin early next month and is expected to take a year, the Italian owner announced Saturday. The U.S.-owned company Titan Salvage won the bid to remove the ship.

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Divers recovering 5 bodies from Italy cruise wreck

USA TODAY
GIGLIO, Italy (AP) – Divers have recovered nearly all of the bodies from the wreck of the Costa Concordia, two months after the cruise ship struck a reef and capsized off Italy’s Tuscan coast. Italy’s Civil Protection Agency said that by late afternoon divers had brought up all five bodies located by search crews last week in the wreck off Giglio island.

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