 Aground with rigid lifeboats in foreground and inflatables hanging from the side of the ship | |
| Date | 13 January 2012 |
|---|---|
| Time | 9:45 p.m. |
| Location | Tyrrhenian Sea Off Isola del Giglio, Tuscany |
| Coordinates | 42°21′55″N 10°55′18″E / 42.36528°N 10.92167°E |
| Type | Ship grounding |
| Cause | Struck a rock while deviating from planned course |
| Participants | 4,252 (3,206 passengers; 1,023 crew and personnel) |
| Deaths | 33 (27 passengers, 5 crew, 1 salvage member) |
| Non-fatal injuries | 64 |
| Captain | Francesco Schettino |
| Operator | Costa Crociere |
| Salvage |
|
On 13 January 2012, the seven-year-old Costa Cruises vessel Costa Concordia was on the first leg of a cruise around the Mediterranean Sea when she deviated from her planned route at Isola del Giglio, Tuscany, sailed closer to the island, and struck a rock formation on the sea floor. This caused the ship to list and then to partially sink, landing unevenly on an underwater ledge. Although a six-hour rescue effort brought most of the passengers ashore, 33 people died: 27 passengers, five crew, and, later, a member of the salvage team.
An investigation focused on shortcomings in the procedures followed by Costa Concordia's crew and the actions of her captain, Francesco Schettino, who left the ship prematurely. He left about 300 passengers on board the sinking vessel, most of whom were rescued by helicopter or motorboats in the area. Schettino was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Despite receiving its own share of criticism, Costa Cruises and its parent company, Carnival Corporation, did not face criminal charges.
Costa Concordia was declared a "constructive total loss" by the cruise line's insurer, and her salvage was "one of the biggest maritime salvage operations". On 16 September 2013, the parbuckle salvage of the ship began, and by the early hours of 17 September, the ship was set upright on her underwater cradle. In July 2014, the ship was refloated using sponsons (flotation tanks) welded to her sides, and was towed 320 kilometres (200 mi) to her home port of Genoa for scrapping, which was completed in July 2017.
The total cost of the disaster, including victims' compensation, refloating, towing and scrapping costs, is estimated at $2 billion, more than three times the ship's $612 million construction cost. Costa Cruises offered compensation to passengers (to a limit of €11,000 per person) to pay for all damages, including the value of the cruise; one third of the survivors took the offer.