Website posts bugged chat with boat captain
- 12 years ago
Italian rescue divers approach the overturned hull of the Costa Concordia cruise ship.
Salvage teams are preparing to pump more than 2,300 tonnes of diesel fuel from the stricken ship to prevent it from spilling into the ocean.
(SOUNDBITE) (Italian) COORDINATOR OF SALVAGE COMPANY SMIT OPERATION MAX IGUERA SAYING:
"Yesterday we moved the barge alongside the ship and after we received the go-ahead from the authorities, they started the underwater markings of the tanks where they can install the instruments for an operation called 'hot tapping' which allows them to extract the fuel."
At least 16 people died when the ship hit rocks in shallow waters off the Tuscan coast.
Leaked conversations allegedly with Captain Francesco Schettino, who is under fire for abandoning the ship, show that he may have been ordered to head toward the island by a cruise manager.
The man identified as the captain also admits that he voluntarily left the ship, contradicting his original defence stating he fell into a life boat.
The transcript of the bugged conversation was posted on the website of an Italian daily.
The captain's lawyer says Schettino will accept full responsibility for his actions, but he that didn't abandon the ship deliberately and made sure to keep the company's owners were aware of the situation during the incident.
Jessica Gray, Reuters
Salvage teams are preparing to pump more than 2,300 tonnes of diesel fuel from the stricken ship to prevent it from spilling into the ocean.
(SOUNDBITE) (Italian) COORDINATOR OF SALVAGE COMPANY SMIT OPERATION MAX IGUERA SAYING:
"Yesterday we moved the barge alongside the ship and after we received the go-ahead from the authorities, they started the underwater markings of the tanks where they can install the instruments for an operation called 'hot tapping' which allows them to extract the fuel."
At least 16 people died when the ship hit rocks in shallow waters off the Tuscan coast.
Leaked conversations allegedly with Captain Francesco Schettino, who is under fire for abandoning the ship, show that he may have been ordered to head toward the island by a cruise manager.
The man identified as the captain also admits that he voluntarily left the ship, contradicting his original defence stating he fell into a life boat.
The transcript of the bugged conversation was posted on the website of an Italian daily.
The captain's lawyer says Schettino will accept full responsibility for his actions, but he that didn't abandon the ship deliberately and made sure to keep the company's owners were aware of the situation during the incident.
Jessica Gray, Reuters