Costa Concordia Cruise ship

May 31, 2026
Costa Concordia cruise ship

Thirty-two people died after the Costa Concordia cruis ship ran aground with more than 4, 000 passengers and crew on 13 January 2012, only hours after leaving the Italian port of Civitavecchia. The graphics and maps below reveal more about what happened.

The Costa Concordia left the Italian port of Civitavecchia at 19:18 local time (18:18 GMT).

The ship was heading out on a week-long cruise around the Mediterranean with 3, 206 passengers and 1, 023 crew onboard.

As it made its way north-west along the Italian coastline, Captain Francesco Schettino ordered the ship to be steered close to the island of Giglio as a "salute".

QPS reconstruction of the Concordia's final minutes

Other details emerged at pre-trial hearings, including excerpts of the frantic conversations between the Captain and his crew in the aftermath of the accident, captured by the ship's "black box" voice recorder.

Nearing Giglio just after 21.30, the captain gave the helmsman coordinates, followed by the warning "otherwise we go on the rocks".

Minutes later, at 21:45, the Costa Concordia hit a rocky outcrop while travelling at around 16 knots.

How the Costa Concordia capsized

The ship was holed on the left-hand side, started taking on water and began to tilt. Engine rooms were flooded and power was lost.

The crew struggled to assess the situation and relayed incomplete information to the Italian authorities.

Concordia reconstructionAt 21:52 the chief engineer and electrical officer tried and failed to start the ship's emergency diesel generator.

Shortly afterwards, passengers were told that the ship was suffering a "blackout", but that the situation was under control. The same information was given to the harbour master at Civitavecchia.

Costa Concordia crew member tells coastguard "we have a blackout"

Positioning data shows that the Costa Concordia turned and began to drift back towards the island's port soon after 22:00 due to, investigators say, a combination of the wind and the rudder positioned to starboard (right).

As it drifted, the ship then began to list in the opposite direction, possibly caused by water in the damaged hull rushing to the far side during the turn.

At 22:12, the coastguard called the ship to say passengers were reporting problems to the local police, but the captain replied: "We have a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board."

Costa Concordia graphic Costa Concordia Captain Francesco Schettino Position of Costa Concordia on seabed and 3D image of seafloor
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
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