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October 11, 2012 16:43
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Costa Concordia captain claims he was unfairly dismissed after deadly cruise ship accident

Francesco Schettino, captain of the Costa Concordia ship which ran aground in an incident that killed 32, claims he was wrongfully dismissed by cruise company

Costaconcordia2012124Enlarge
Technicians work near the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia, seen lying aground yesterday in front of the Isola del Giglio, or “Giglio island” after hitting underwater rocks on Jan 13. (FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)
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Former Costa Concordia captain is suing his former employers for wrongful dismissal—and it looks like he wants his old job back, too.

Francesco Schettino gained international infamy when his ship, the Costa Concordia, plowed into rocks off the Tuscan coast, in an accident that killed 32 people.

Images of the hulking ship, lying on her side tantalizingly close to land, horrified and amazed the world—and Schettino's swift scurry off the sinking ship was greeted with special derision, after he ignored a coast guard officers agitated demand that he "Get back on board, dammit!"

The Italian, it was quite evident, was not going to go down with his ship. (Although he claims he merely "tripped" into a lifeboat, according to the Telegraph—what a lucky turn of events!) And he appears to be unwilling to allow his career to capsize either, despite all arguments against the attempt.

Read more from GlobalPost: Costa Concordia: Robots called in to retrieve remaining bodies

Schettino claims that his efforts helped to save lives that January 13 night, and that without his quick thinking, many more would have died, says the Telegraph. He's asking for both backpay and reinstatement as a captain at the Costa Cruises company. Good luck with that!

A court hearing will take place in Grosseto, Tuscany, the Telegraph added, and the case is expected to go to trial.

Of course, Schettino is not going to get off scot-free, and he faces charges of abandoning ship and multiple manslaughter, reports Reuters.

Efforts to raise the 290-meter cruise ship from the watery depths are still underway, in what Canadian Business.com called "the largest and most complex recovery ever attempted." Oh, and it's costing in the region of $300 million. No big.

Read more from GlobalPost: Costa Concordia Captain apologizes for "banal" accident

Schettino is requesting that he get his job back—an essential element of which requires avoiding directing massive, pricy cruise ships into rocks. Considering that Schettino has become something of a synonym in Italy for gross, possibly deadly incompetence, this seem a bit unlikely.

Now, don't sign up all at once for a delightfully appointed luxury berth on Schettino's Cruiseship of Doom! There's plenty of space for everyone!

Some thoughts from the international peanut gallery regarding Schettino's indisputably bold move:

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/italy/121011/costa-concordia-captain-claims-he-was-unfairly-dismissed-a

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