PHOTO: The captain of the capsized Costa Concordia testified about the events that day in January 2012. (Courtesy of The Parbuckling Project)
Francesco Schettino, captain of the ill-fated Costa Concordia, was "combative" and "tense" as he testified in Italy on Dec. 2, almost three years after the ship capsized near the island of Giglio, according to CNN and local news reports.
Schettino, who faces charges of causing a shipwreck, manslaughter and abandoning ship, arrived 45 minutes late and then under questioning by prosecutors disputed testimony previously given by his fellow officers.
But he did admit that the ship moved to sail closely past Giglio as a salute to a former Costa captain and to delight passengers and visitors on the bridge. "It was favorable from a commercial aspect," he said, according to CNN.
Schettino testified that he surveyed the waters with binoculars before ordering a helmsman to move off course, closer to the island.
The disgraced captain previously blamed the Indonesian helmsman for being too slow in following directions because he didn't speak English or Italian well enough to understand his orders. On Dec. 2, however, Schettino said: "I'm not trying to blame anyone. I'm just trying to explain the circumstances."
Thirty-two people died Jan. 13, 2012, in the chaotic attempt to flee the slowly capsizing ship, with the final victim's remains just being found last month.
The rusting wreck of the ship remained in the waters off Giglio for 2½ years until a successful parbuckling operation set it upright and then towed it to Genoa in July.
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