RSS Feed
January 22nd, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda
• A separate voice recording showed Capt Schettino pledging to be the last man
on the ship, suggesting erratic behaviour and that he lied to the
authorities.
• Divers recovered the ship’s safe from the captain’s cabin along with the
body of a woman they found in a submerged corridor
The offer for future discounts is being made by Costa Cruises, which operated
the Concordia and whose parent company is Carnival, the world’s largest
cruise operator.
Passengers were also being sent letters by Costa detailing how to claim for
lost valuables and offering a full refund on the voyage.
Lawyers plan to sue both in the US and in Italy, with more than 100 passengers
already reported to have joined a class action that is to be lodged in Miami
this week.
Each is reported to be demanding between £100,000 and £1 million in
compensation.
A spokesman for Costa Cruises said: “The company is trying to do
everything they can for those passengers directly affected.
“The company is not only going to refund everybody but they will offer a
30 per cent discount on future cruises if they want to stay loyal to the
company.”
Costa’s chief executive, Pier Luigi Foschi, who estimated that the impact of
the disaster on his firm was £60 million, had expressed confidence that the
group would be able to “find a solution that, in the material sense,
would satisfy” the passengers.
However, Brian Page, 63, a retired accountant from Southampton, who survived
by sliding from one side of the deck to another to find a lifeboat, said: “It
is a ridiculous and insulting offer. I’m very disappointed in them.
“They are not accepting their responsibilities at all. Our only back-up is
separate legal action.”
Costa Cruises has laid the blame on Capt Schettino, who steered the liner on
to rocks and then abandoned ship before all the passengers got off.
But lawyers for the passengers will claim that Costa Cruise ships had “regularly”
deviated from the correct route.
The ongoing civil legal battle is complicated by the criminal case against
Capt Schettino and the specific contracts signed by passengers.
Last week, Carnival began phoning British passengers asking if they were
suffering nightmares, sleepless nights and needed counselling.
Mr Page and other passengers, including Janice and Ian Donoff, from north
London, and Edwin and Liz Gurd, from Hampshire, received calls.
Lawyers, however, have questioned the company’s motives.
Clive Garner, head of the travel law team at Irwin Mitchell, who represents at
least one British passenger, said: “I would advise Carnival to desist
from doing this.
“In other large-scale incidents, defendants have been very keen to liaise with
victims early on with a view to making low offers of settlement.”
Jill Greenfield, a personal injury partner at Field Fisher Waterhouse who has
successfully sued Carnival in the past, said: “The poor people on this
ship will still be in shock and not yet realise what they have been through.
“It may be that Carnival are genuinely trying to help but what they should be
doing is telling these people to get some legal advice.”
Jennifer Wild, a consultant clinical psychologist at Oxford University and
King’s College London, said repeatedly asking victims if they were having
nightmares breached guidelines on treating people after disasters.
The questions are likely to feed anxiety and possibly even lead to
post-traumatic stress, she said.
“They may be doing it because they just want to monitor people but this
is not helpful,” she said.
Further details of Capt Schettino’s erratic behaviour were disclosed with the
publication of the official log kept by the harbour master’s office, which
coordinated the rescue.
The log shows how the captain, who is under house arrest, first played down
the crisis and then abandoned ship more than four hours before the last
passenger.
Further voice recordings add to the confusion, with Capt Schettino claiming to
coastguards that he will remain on ship as the last man.
“I’m the only one who will stay here,” he told the coastguards in a
tape that will be used by prosecutors to support their contention that he
lied to port authorities on the night of the disaster and that he abandoned
his post in contravention of the naval code.
Divers exploring the cruise ship recovered a safe from the captain’s cabin on
the instructions of the prosecutors. They believe it may contain documents
or other evidence that could help their investigation.
The body of a 12th victim was found inside the hull of the £370 million,
1,000ft vessel. The victim, a woman, was found wearing a life jacket on the
fourth deck, close to a muster station.
Related posts:
Views: 0
Posted in 
Tags: 
