Netflix’s ‘Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea’ takes a closer look at the sea emergency
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NEED TO KNOW
- The Costa Concordia disaster in January 2012 killed 32 people and led to major changes in cruise safety regulations
- Captain Francesco Schettino was sentenced to 16 years in prison for manslaughter and abandoning passengers
- The Netflix documentary, Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea, features survivor accounts and never-before-seen footage from the incident
On the night of Jan. 13, 2012, the Costa Concordia cruise ship was carrying around 3,200 passengers and more than 1,000 crew members on the Mediterranean Sea when it struck a reef near Giglio Island in Italy, and began to capsize.
The disaster killed 32 people and left dozens more injured. Shortly after the incident, Costa Cruises blamed the captain, Francesco Schettino, who was accused of altering the ship’s course and steering it too close to shore, causing it to crash.
Schettino came under fire for “navigating by sight” rather than using readily available GPS and radar technology, underestimating the damage, failing to alert authorities, and leaving the ship when countless were still on board.
“We believe it has been a human error here,” Pier Luigi Foschi, then-Costa Cruises CEO, said, according to Netflix’s documentary, Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea. “The captain did not follow the authorized route.”
Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea, which premieres on July 10, features never-before-seen footage and survivor accounts from the at-sea emergency, which drastically altered international maritime regulations and global cruise policies.
So, where is Francesco Schettino now? Here’s everything to know about what happened to him after the deadly crash.
Schettino became a ship captain in 2006
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Schettino was hired by Costa Crociere, part of the Carnival Corporation, in 2002, according to BBC News.
After starting on the security team, the Italian native made his way up the rank. In 2006, Schettino was promoted from second-in-command to captain.
Over the years, Schettino allegedly became known for reckless behavior, per Business Insider.
He allegedly deviated Costa Concordia from its route for a ‘sail-by salute’
Manrico Giampedroni, the Costa Concordia hotel cabin services manager, told Shipwrecked that around 9 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2012, Schettino had called him to say that a head waiter had asked him to do a ‘sail-by salute’ near Giglio Island because his mother and sister lived there.
“He asked me if I would like to join him on the bridge for the sail-by,” Giampedroni said. “To me, it sounded a bit unusual, because, as it was night, all dark, there wasn’t much to see. But, as this was the captain’s decision, we complied.”
The Costa Concordia allegedly deviated from its planned route around the Mediterranean Sea to do this. According to Giampedroni, he noticed that the ship was getting close to the island, but wasn’t slowing down.
Suddenly, ship guests who spoke to Shipwrecked said they heard a loud screeching sound and a scraping noise, and then felt the dining room and the vessel start to shift. Footage from the dining room featured in Shipwrecked showed guests panicking as they tried to figure out what was happening.
“God, what have I done?” Schettino is recorded asking the bridge crew.
The ship’s port side — its left — had struck a reef called the Scole Rocks, flooding the hull and causing it to tilt. The ship lost power and lacked emergency electrical power, causing it to continue to sink and drift.
Initially, crew members spoke over the intercom, saying there was an electrical blackout, that the situation was under control, and that guests should return to their rooms. According to call recordings from the night, the bridge crew relayed a similar message to the nearby Livorno Coast Guard.
“They weren’t telling them the reality of the situation,” Giampedroni claimed. “The captain probably wanted to exonerate himself from what was happening.”
About 70 minutes after the collision, the abandon-ship order was issued, allowing the life rafts to be launched. But because the ship had tipped so significantly to the starboard side, it created problems for some of the lifeboats as they deployed.
He abandoned the sinking ship while passengers and crew members needed help
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After Costa Concordia began to sink, Schettino was reportedly seen on a lifeboat, while many people were still stuck on board, according to Shipwrecked.
According to a transcript of the conversation between Schettino and Captain Gregorio De Falco of the Livorno Coast Guard, translated by The Telegraph, De Falco ordered Schettino to return to the ship and help with the rescue operation rather than get on a lifeboat himself.
“Get back on the ship, and tell me how many people are there,” De Falco said. “Schettino, perhaps you have saved yourself from the sea, but I will make you look very bad. I will make you pay for this. Get on board, dammit!”
(The latter quote has also been previously translated as, “Get back on board, for f–k’s sake,” per The Guardian.)
Another recorded conversation played in court showed Schettino, who was aboard a lifeboat, saying there were “at most about 10 people” still on the ship, while the coast guard argued they had heard there were as many as 300 people left on board, according to The Independent.
Schettino claimed that he had not abandoned the ship and instead saved many lives, The Guardian reported.
Schettino was sentenced to 16 years
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Schettino was detained on suspicion of manslaughter, of causing a shipwreck “owing to … negligence and incompetence” resulting in death, of abandoning about 300 people “unable to fend for themselves,” and of “not having been the last to leave” the shipwreck, per The Guardian and court documents.
After a 19-month trial, on Feb. 11, 2015, he was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment — 10 years for manslaughter, five years for causing the shipwreck and one year for abandoning passengers — plus five years of interdiction, according to BBC News and ABC News.
The Martitime Executive reported that Schettino tried to appeal his case for two years, but was unsuccessful. He eventually turned himself into authorities in May 2017, and began serving his sentence.
Five other people were also convicted in the case, BBC News reported.
Where Is Francesco Schettino Now?
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Since May 2017, Schettino has been serving his 16-year sentence at Rebibbia Prison in Rome.
In January 2025, he tried to petition the courts for “semi-liberty,” or day release for inmates with good behavior, according to The Maritime Executive, but withdrew his request in April 2025.
His lawyer noted that Schettino had been unable to secure a “suitable work placement” and would consider filing a new request in the future if a job opportunity arose.
The Costa Concordia no longer exists as a vessel; it was dismantled for scrap in 2014, according to Britannica. That same year, the ship was replaced in the Costa fleet by Costa Diadema, Travel Weekly reported.
Since the disaster, significant changes have been implemented for international cruises, according to CNN and Travel Weekly.
Each boat is legally required to have passengers participate in safety and evacuation drills before departure; unauthorized personnel are not allowed in the ship’s bridge; extra life jackets must be available near muster stations and on open decks so passengers do not have to return to their rooms; and escape routes and equipment must be clearly marked for passengers in emergencies.
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