The former captain of the ship Costa Concordia, which was wrecked off the coast of the Italian island of Giglio, presumably due to his fault, gives a lecture course at the University of Rome on “problem solving”.
It is unlikely that the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship embodied composure and tranquility when his ship literally sank off the coast of the island of Giglio in December 2012. However, this did not stop him from finding a teacher at one of the universities in Rome and teaching a course on solving problematic situations. It is worth noting that at the moment, Francesco Schettino is the main suspect in the case of the collapse of a huge cruise ship. The ex-captain, who claims to be "accidentally in a lifeboat" and not trying to leave the boat after a reef collision, gave a series of lectures on overcoming crisis situations at La Sapienza University earlier this month.
The wreck's captain, who is due to appear in court this fall for further hearings on the case, used in his lectures a 3D-formulated model of events that took place on the night of the tragedy to clearly demonstrate his actions in a critical situation, namely, the evacuation of ship passengers, twice as large as the Titanic. However, Skettino was charged with negligence. Investigators also claim that the ex-captain urgently left the ship, while the ship's crew tried to help the wounded.
“I was invited because I am an expert,” the newly-made lecturer proudly announced. “I demonstrated how to cope with crisis situations, and also paid attention to the role of the human factor in such cases. In the end, I stood at the helm while traveling across different seas. And I know how to behave in emergency situations, how to manage staff composed of representatives of different nationalities. "
Captain Skettino repeatedly noted that it was thanks to his sensitive leadership and quick reaction that the tragedy did not entail more serious consequences. He is sure that if the ship was even closer to the coast, a huge number of victims would not be impossible to avoid. "How did it happen that during a terrorist attack in America in 2001, people jumped out of the windows of the twin towers, and during the crash of Costa Concordia no one did anything like this?" - asks the defendant.
Skettino's lawyer explained his client’s behavior: “He is a very capable person who can fully cope with overcoming problematic situations, which he demonstrated on the night of the tragedy.”
The news of the new status of the captain of Costa Concordia literally shocked the inhabitants of the country, many of whom spoke very sharply towards the lecturer. A group of senators said in a statement that Skettino’s participation in student education “offends the memory of the victims and also spoils the country's positive reputation in the eyes of the world.” Italian Education Minister Stefania Gianini has also condemned the university’s decision to hire a criminal, claiming that a wound called Costa Concordia will continue to bleed in the hearts of Italians.
Vincenzo Mastronardi, an employee of La Sapienza, who is involved in scheduling, assured that he did not invite Skettino to give a course of lectures. Therefore, he was surprised when he appeared in the audience and delivered a speech for ten minutes. “It's terribly embarrassing and shameful,” said Luigi Frati, university rector.
