What Happened to Costa Concordia?

The Costa Concordia, a 114,137-ton luxury cruise ship, embarked on its ill-fated voyage on January 13, 2012, with 4,252 people on board, including 3,206 passengers and 1,023 crew members. While on a planned seven-day cruise, Captain Francesco Schettino deviated from the approved route near Isola del Giglio, Italy, to perform an unauthorized 'sail-by salute'. At approximately 9:45 p.m. local time, the ship struck a charted rock formation known as Le Scole, tearing a 53-meter (174-foot) gash in its port side below the waterline. This collision caused rapid flooding of the engine room, leading to a loss of power and propulsion, and the ship began to list severely before partially capsizing onto an underwater ledge.

The disaster resulted in the deaths of 32 people, including 27 passengers and five crew members, with an additional salvage team member dying later due to injuries sustained during recovery operations. Captain Schettino was heavily criticized for his actions, including delaying the evacuation order for over an hour and abandoning the ship prematurely while passengers and crew were still on board. He famously refused a Coast Guard captain's order to return to the vessel.

The salvage operation for the Costa Concordia was one of the largest and most complex in maritime history. Initial efforts focused on removing the 2,380 tonnes of fuel to prevent an environmental disaster in the protected marine park surrounding Giglio Island, which was completed by March 2012. In September 2013, the monumental 'parbuckling' operation successfully rotated the 114,000-ton ship upright onto an underwater platform. The vessel was then refloated in July 2014 using sponsons (flotation tanks) and towed 170 nautical miles to Genoa, Italy, where it had been built.

The dismantling and recycling process in Genoa began in July 2014 and was officially completed on July 7, 2017. Approximately 53,000 tons of materials were recycled, with 82% of the ship's components being reused. The total cost for the salvage and scrapping operation was estimated to be around €1.5 billion (approximately $2 billion USD), significantly exceeding the ship's original construction cost of €450 million.

Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty in February 2015 of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck, and abandoning ship. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. After exhausting all appeals, Schettino began serving his sentence in May 2017 at Rebibbia Prison in Rome. As of July 2026, he remains incarcerated, with requests for early release in 2025 being denied, and is expected to remain in custody until around 2032. Costa Cruises paid an €1.1 million fine to avoid a criminal trial and paid out approximately €84 million in compensation to 3,586 individuals, including passengers, crew, and families of 29 of the deceased. Some passengers pursued individual lawsuits, with one being awarded over $100,000 for post-traumatic stress in December 2021.