Where is Francesco Schettino now? The Costa Concordia captain at the middle of Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea

Francesco Schettino, the former captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, is gaining attention again following the release of Netflix's new documentary Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea. The Italian sailor is currently behind bars in Rome after being found guilty of manslaughter and abandoning the ship.

Netflix's documentary Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea tells the story of the 2012 incident when over four thousand people boarded the Costa Concordia, a cruise ship, expecting a relaxing luxury vacation. It considered over a hundred chefs and multiple activities for the passengers, including theaters, shows, and casinos.

However, the cruise trip soon turned into a nightmare when the ship hit a rock and began to sink. This created panic among the passengers, with many rushing toward the lifeboats. In the meantime, the crew asked the passengers to return to their cabins, saying the situation was under control, as confirmed by the captain.

In Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea, chef Manoj Singh said he saw Captain Francesco Schettino on a lifeboat before all the passengers were evacuated. Francesco Schettino was sentenced to sixteen years in prison by an Italian court after the investigation.

Why was Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino convicted in Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea?

Netflix's Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea, released on July 10, followed the story of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that went off its planned route in January 2012, causing the deaths of thirty-two people. The ship hit the rock after the instructions given by the captain of the ship, Francesco Schettino, who was later investigated for abandoning the ship and manslaughter.

As the investigation continued, the shipowner declared the captain at fault, calling it a "human error" as the captain didn't follow the "authorized route." A USB key was also found in a journalist's car, as shown in the documentary, which contained the conversation between the captain and the coast guard, with the captain being asked to board the ship again after the captain was said to leave the ship.

While the captain faced multiple charges of manslaughter, causing a maritime disaster, and personal injury to people, he rejected the allegations against him.

After investigators examined the ship's black box, they found that the cruise ship's emergency generator had failed, and because of this, the elevators stopped working. As revealed in the documentary, there was also a miscommunication between the captain and the helmsman, with the captain giving different instructions and the helmsman doing the opposite.

Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea also mentioned an independent study by professors Bruno Neri and Paolo Neri from the University of Pisa. The study found that if the captain's order had been followed correctly, the ship would have suffered little or no damage.

On February 11, 2015, Francesco Schettino was found guilty in the Costa Concordia disaster and received a sixteen-year prison sentence along with a month of arrest. Along with Schettino, five more cruise ship employees were also found guilty. However, they did not receive prison sentences.

Schettino appealed the decision, but his appeals were rejected by 2017. He is currently in prison in Rome. Costa Cruises paid a fine, but no criminal case was brought against the company.

Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea is streaming on Netflix.