Costa Concordia’s back-up generator failed
(ANSA) – Grosseto, November 18 – A local court on Monday heard testimony on how the Costa Concordia’s back-up generator failed just moments after the 290-metre, 450-million-euro cruise ship crashed into rocks off the Island of Giglio on January 13, 2012, taking 32 lives.
The ex-captain of the cruiser, Francesco Schettino, is on trial for multiple manslaughter and dereliction of duty for his role in that sea disaster. ”The emergency generator didn’t work. We used a screwdriver to try to flip the switch on, but we only got it to work for a few minutes”, chief electrician Antonio Muscas told the court.
The diesel-fueled back-up generator operates the lifeboat pulleys among other things, but the main electrical board got flooded moments after impact, Muscas testified.
Unlike other cruise ships, the Costa Concordia did not have double electrical systems spread out over different locations on the ship as a security measure, he pointed out.
Muscas said he couldn’t go to the phone to tell the command deck what was going on, because the phone was at the other end of the room from where he working.
”After a while, I heard the order to abandon the central machine room and to abandon ship”, he told the court. Also testifying on Monday was radio dispatcher Flavio Spadavecchia, who said he was ready to send the pan-pan signal – meaning there is a non-life threatening emergency on board – but Schettino declined to give the order.
”The pan-pan signal was not sent because I did not get the order from Captain Schettino”, Spadavecchia said. ”I asked him at least once if I should send it, and Schettino said no”. Later the captain gave the order to send a Mayday, or distress, call.
Also on Monday, the court heard a recorded conversation that took place at 21:51 the night of the crash between the captain and chief engineer Giuseppe Pilon, which proves that Schettino knew the ship was lost just six minutes after impact.
”So we’re sinking, is that it? I’m not clear on what’s going on”, said Schettino.
”Yes, the water has come up to the central machine room”, Pilon answered.