Costa Concordia

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

On 13 January 2012, Costa Concordia ran aground off Isola del Giglio in Tuscany. The ship capsized and partially sank, killing 32 people. The captain at the helm during the sinking, Francesco Schettino, was found guilty by an Italian court on multiple counts of manslaughter, causing the shipwreck, and abandoning his passengers. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. An Italian appeals court on 31 May 2016 upheld the 16-year prison sentence. In 2014, the ship was parbuckled and refloated with caissons, and in July 2014, she was towed to the Port of Genoa over a period of five days, where it was dismantled and eventually scrapped. The total cost of the disaster was estimated to be over $2 billion.

Reader's Guide

The Costa Concordia disaster is significant for the grounding and capsizing off Isola del Giglio on 13 January 2012, which resulted in 32 deaths. The ship was parbuckled and refloated with caissons in 2014, then towed to the Port of Genoa over five days for scrapping. The total cost of the disaster was estimated to be over $2 billion. Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty of multiple counts of manslaughter, causing the shipwreck, and abandoning his passengers, receiving a 16-year prison sentence, which was upheld by an appeals court on 31 May 2016. The incident drew international attention to Costa Cruises, which had been a wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc since 2000.

Did You Know?

• Costa Concordia ran aground off Isola del Giglio in Tuscany on 13 January 2012, capsizing and partially sinking, killing 32 people.
• The ship was parbuckled and refloated with caissons in 2014, then towed to the Port of Genoa over five days for scrapping.
• The total cost of the disaster was estimated to be over $2 billion.
• Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty of multiple counts of manslaughter, causing the shipwreck, and abandoning his passengers, and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
• An Italian appeals court on 31 May 2016 upheld the 16-year prison sentence for Captain Schettino.

The Company Behind the Vessel

Costa Crociere S.p.A., operating as Costa Cruises, is an Italian cruise line founded in 1948 and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc since 2000. Based in Genoa, Italy, the cruise line primarily caters to the European cruise market, but the company's 10 ships, which all sail under the Italian flag, provide itineraries sailing to countries globally. The company attracted international attention when Costa Concordia ran aground and capsized off the coast of Italy on 13 January 2012. Thirty-two people died in the disaster. Six weeks later, the company made headlines again when a fire on Costa Allegra left it drifting without power for 13 hours in waters near Somalia frequented by pirates, before the ship was taken under tow.

The Catastrophe

On 13 January 2012, Costa Concordia ran aground off Isola del Giglio in Tuscany. The ship capsized and partially sank, killing 32 people. In 2014, the ship was parbuckled and refloated with caissons, and in July 2014, she was towed to the Port of Genoa over a period of five days, where it was dismantled and eventually scrapped. The total cost of the disaster was estimated to be over $2 billion. On 11 February 2015, the captain at the helm during the sinking, Francesco Schettino, was found guilty by an Italian court on multiple counts of manslaughter, causing the shipwreck, and abandoning his passengers. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. An Italian appeals court on 31 May 2016 upheld the 16-year prison sentence.

Corporate Architecture and Fleet Identity

Costa Crociere S.p.A. has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc since 2000. Based in Genoa, Italy, the cruise line primarily caters to the European cruise market, but the company's 10 ships, which all sail under the Italian flag, provide itineraries sailing to countries globally. In 2000, Carnival Corporation took full control of Costa Crociere after buying out Airtours' 50% interest for $525 million. As of 2018, Costa accounted for approximately 12% of Carnival Corporation & plc's revenue. The fleet of ten Italian-flagged ships, home-ported in Genoa, gave Costa a distinct Mediterranean identity.

Aftermath and the Long Road Forward

The Costa Concordia disaster was not the final chapter in Costa Cruises' turbulent period. In February 2018, Costa announced its partnership with the Italian football club, Juventus. In December 2019, Costa debuted Costa Smeralda and became the second cruise line to operate a cruise ship fully powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), following AIDA's AIDAnova one year earlier. Costa Smeralda was joined by her sister LNG ship, Costa Toscana, in 2021. Owing to the Covid pandemic of 2020, Costa sold some of its ships, including the Costa Victoria and Costa neoRomantica to help cut costs. It also led to the continued long term layup of the Costa Magica and Costa Serena. In February 2023, it was announced that Costa Magica had been sold to Seajets, a Greek/Cypriot ferry company. On 31 March 2023, Costa Cruises celebrated its 75th anniversary.

Common Misconceptions (Editorial)

1. Some people believe the *Costa Concordia* disaster was a simple accident, but court rulings found Captain Francesco Schettino guilty of multiple counts of manslaughter, causing the shipwreck, and abandoning his passengers — resulting in a 16-year prison sentence upheld on appeal. 2. Another misconception is that the ship was simply left at the wreck site; in fact, it was parbuckled and refloated with caissons in 2014, then towed to the Port of Genoa over five days for dismantling and scrapping.

Why It Matters (Editorial)

The *Costa Concordia* disaster endures as a stark reminder of how individual negligence in a position of command can lead to catastrophic loss of life, with 32 people killed. It also stands as a monumental feat of maritime salvage engineering, as the unprecedented parbuckling and removal of the wreck cost over $2 billion — underscoring both the human and financial toll of such a tragedy.