The liner capsized after it struck rocks off Italy’s Giglio Island in the Tyrrhenian Sea in January 2012. No one died on impact but 32 lives were lost during the subsequent chaotic evacuation of the 4,200 people on board the ship.
The captain took the stand for the first time in court on December 2, 2014, combative and contradicting the testimony not just of his first mate but also what he himself had previously said about the deadly shipwreck.
Schettino, who has repeatedly presented a defiant face over the shipwreck, has been living under house arrest, unable to leave his seaside hometown of Meta di Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast without express permission. However, he was photographed on the tourist island of Ischia when the Concordia was towed away in July.
But before the hearing began on Tuesday, Schettino’s lawyer, Domenico Pepe, told CNN his client was ready to tell the truth. “We have waited a long time to set the record straight,” he said. “He is ready to defend his honor.”
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As the night unfolds, the coast guard commander repeatedly questions why Schettino, as captain, is not on the ship when passengers are still aboard.
But Schettino appears unwilling either to go back on board or to take charge of the desperate evacuation efforts, the transcripts reveal.
In addition to questions over how Schettino handled himself after the wreck, questions also lingered about whether the captain should have ordered an evacuation sooner and why no “mayday” distress signal was sent.
CNN’s Peter Wilkinson and Barbie Latza Nadeau contributed to this report.
