Giglio, Italy (dailynewyorknews) – In their responses to the prosecutors, defense lawyers and the judge, the captain of the ill-fated cruise ship Costa Concordia admitted that it made a “mistake” in a collision with the rocks on the Italian island of Giglio.

However, statements made during a telephone conversation with a friend earlier this month, the captain Francesco Schettino said managers pressured him to steer the boat to where the collision occurred, two Italian newspapers reported Wednesday.

Both Costa Cruises and the authorities have criticized the behavior of Schettino. He is under house arrest and faces charges of murder is possible, and leave the sinking ship when the ship struck rocks and rolled on its side in the waters of the island on January 13.

A body was found Tuesday 16 in the boat. Another sixteen were lack of some 4,200 people on board the ship – 3200 passengers and 1000 crew – at the time of the collision.

“I hit the projection of the rock, which seems almost stuck on the ship, but it was my mistake,” Schettino said in the transcript of 126 pages “. … There is nothing I can say, I was convinced that the transition 0.28 a mile, there would be no problem.

The captain also dismissed the idea that at 15 knots, it went too fast, as prosecutors allege.

“There is no speed limit,” he said. “… We had more or less the speed necessary to achieve a time of Savona.”

According to the transcript, ran aground Schettino maintained to prevent sinking. “That’s what allowed me to limit the tilt,” he said.

Maritime attorney Jim Allsworth told CNN the operation is “fairly common” in the case of a vessel taking on water and in danger of sinking or capsizing. “The best thing to do is leave stranded.”

Italian newspapers La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera on Wednesday extracts Schettino had a telephone conversation with a friend after his arrest Jan. 14.

The captain called his friend of the prosecutor’s office, and officials touched the phone, the newspaper said. Antichi lawyer Alessandro Schettino wiretaps confirmed, but declined to comment on the conversation. Information should not have been published, he says, because it is part of the investigation.

“In my place, someone else would not have been so kind to have gone right under there, because it bothers me, come on,” said Schettino, in an apparent reference to approach the island, according to the newspapers. “The lowlands were there, but not reported by the instruments he had and I have been … to control what managers want.”

The man behind the wheel, Jacob Rusli Bin, told investigators that after the ship hit the rocks, cursed and Schettino said he had not seen, La Repubblica.

Speaking on Wednesday before the Senate of Italy, Costa CEO Pier Luigi Foschi has realized what happened as documented by Roberto Ferrarini, director of maritime operations of the company.

The first contact between Ferrarini Schettino and occurred about 15 minutes after the collision at 9:57 pm in the call, Schettino said Ferrarini the accident and said the ship had lost power, but assured him that the ship could sail and situation was under investigation. In subsequent calls, Ferrarini said Schettino Foschi update on the ship taking on water, but insisted he could still navigate.

Foschi told MPs that Schettino Ferrarini reported calm during calls. The last call in which the captain reported the situation was under control at 22:33 increases, he said. Two minutes later, Schettino Ferrarini called to say that the vessel was evacuated, Foschi said, adding that Ferrarini was surprised by the sudden change.

Ferrarini Schettino and continued talking during the evacuation, Foschi said, but provided no details.

Costa can not perform an independent investigation because prosecutors have seized the ship data recorder or “black box”. The recorder had trouble connecting, but it works, Foschi said. Contains recordings of conversations and navigation system data, he said.

Defense attorney Schettino, Bruno Leporatti, Wednesday filed an appeal against the decision of a judge instead of a captain in office Leporatti arrest in a statement. Both the prosecution and defense appealed the decision – Schettino tax, believing it should be in prison, and the defense because he thought he should have been released without restrictions on their movements.

In his statement, Schettino defended his decision not to evacuate the ship immediately.

“It’s not like I can have a blackout and immediately say,” Let’s all get out of here, “he said.” Where I can send? I need to have certainty and reaching my decision on the fact that the boat is like this (no longer able to float). I will not endanger the lives of 4,000 people. ”

Cruise passengers described a scene of panic and confusion, as they rushed to the lifeboats. Some have said that the crew seemed overwhelmed and do not have accurate information about what was happening.

In the transcript, Schettino also described the chaos, saying he helped the passengers in the lifeboats and some were trapped due to the angle of the call of the ship. He said he was trying to launch a lifeboat when he realized he was no longer aboard.

“Then I was in the lifeboat. Not that I had gone up,” he said. “Look, I fell on the roof.”

However, in listening to the conversation, Schettino said the friend, “When I heard that the boat heeled, I decided to leave, and left” the Corriere della Sera.

A captain left the ship passengers still on board is difficult to defend, said defense lawyer Ugo Italian Meucci, which is not Schettino.

“It’s a very difficult situation, because our law is very strong, and the risk is too high for the captain,” who could face a prison term of 15 years, Meucci said.

Schettino has strongly defended his actions after the ship hit the rocks, insisting on keeping their heads in Costa fully informed of the seriousness of the accident.

“The first class (the boat) was huge,” said the captain of the conversation turned. “There was a projection of the rock, and then all I did after I did with my career, and this may help alleviate or at least gives me the illusion of being at peace with my conscience.”

He says the friend. “I am proud that we have saved almost all (passengers). … I turned to pick up people at sea and I am at peace.”

Schettino also tells his friend: “I do not want to go back to the boat.”

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/25/world/europe/italy-cruise-ship/index.html?hpt=ieu_c2