The captain of the Costa Concordia, Francesco Schettino, who was accused of abandoning thousands of passengers when the cruise ship capsized is about to publish a book.
He was sentenced 16-years in jail after the tragedy in January 2012, which killed 32 passengers, including a 5-year old girl.
The ship’s captain has been released while he appeals his manslaughter conviction. According to him, there were failures in the original investigation and he has been unfairly scapegoated because of the disaster.
Schettino has written about the disaster and called the 600-page book 'The Truth Submerged'. He promises it will give his version of events, when the massive cruise liner rammed into rocks off the Italian Giglio Island.
Francesco Schettino was nicknamed as Captain Coward in Italy after he claimed that he accidentally jump into a lifeboat that then took him ashore.
In February, the last court trial found the captain guilty of abandoning ship, multiple counts of manslaughter, causing a maritime disaster and sentenced him to 16 years in prison.
The conviction was appealed by Schettino attorneys and according to the Italian legal system, he remains free until the appeals process finishes.
An Italian television journalist, Vittoriana Abate, is co-author of the book. She will seek to expose what the captain alleges are failings in the investigation into the disaster. In the book will be included testimonies given by passengers and crew members at the trial.
Schettino said: “The book retraces, through my own account and evidence from the trial, the Concordia accident minute by minute. I have written in these pages my reflections, my judgments and emotional aspects that up until now have never been recounted. The book is a response to the many questions that remain unanswered.”
In July, Costa Concordia’s captain, who has always claimed to have been unfairly blamed for the ship accident, will hold a press conference in Rome.
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