AP/ January 30, 2013, 10:43 AM

Francesco Schettino, Costa Concordia capt., says he'll "certainly" command a ship again, contests his firing

Francesco Schettino, the captain of the luxury cruiser Costa Concordia.

Francesco Schettino, the captain of the luxury cruiser Costa Concordia. / AP

Rome The captain of the shipwrecked Costa Concordia has returned to court to contest his firing, and says he'll "certainly" take command of a ship again.

Francesco Schettino is challenging Costa Crociere SpA's decision to fire him after the Concordia ran aground off Tuscany Jan. 13, 2012, and capsized, killing 32 people. Court-appointed experts have blamed Schettino for the disaster, saying he took the ship off course in a stunt.

34 Photos

Inside the Costa Concordia wreck

Schettino insists his deft steering saved lives and that the reef the ship hit wasn't on his charts.

As he arrived Wednesday for the closed-door hearing in Torre Annunziata, near Naples, Schettino was asked if he thought he'd command a ship again. He replied: "Yes, certainly."

A separate court is deciding whether to indict Schettino on manslaughter and other charges.

© 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
  • Tucker Reals

    Tucker Reals is the CBSNews.com foreign editor, based at the CBS News London bureau.

Popular on CBSNews.com

4 Comments Add a Comment
linkicon reporticon emailicon
srenna94 says:
Agreeing with what "jmcjmcjmc" just implied. Anyone in a state of normalcy would never get on a ship with him. I don't want a 'coward' for a captain...

If he 'regrets nothing' then I won't think twice about getting on a ship with him!
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
Mathion says:
I believe there are garbage scows in need of someone to pilot them around... But then, no one wants a heap of garbage piled up on the rocks because a captain can't read the depth meter.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
jmcjmcjmc says:
In the highly unlikely event that he winds up in command of another ship, who is stupid enough to get on board with him? He has amply demonstrated that he is unfit to command a toy rowboat in his bathtub!
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
tinaw5218 says:
Francesco Schettino is NO ship captain - not only did he take the ship off course - he abandoned the vessel to save himself! He should be charged with negligence and manslaughter - and for having no conscience or character!
reply