So is the captain legally bound to stay on the ship untill it has been evacuted?

[RATTER15]

or is it just a term in his contract or just expected of him. I'm sure in times past it could well have been law but is that still the case?

Is he expected to jeopardise his own life to save others?

[stokemaveric]

he was italian wasnt he??? so there is no way he would be the last off the ship!!

[daisya]

Guess we will have to wait and see the outcome of the enquiry, so many rumours going about we don't know the truth. I don't know if they are legally bound to stay on the ship but I guess most people would expect the captain and crew would be there till probably the last to aid evacuation. Difficult under the circumstances and who knows what anyone would do under those conditions, captain or not.

[starone]

He is going to be charged with manslaughter I think. And so he should be, even if it isn't law it is still very morally wrong to leave all those people who trusted his expertise to fend for themselves when he is supposed to be in charge.

[RATTER15]

It is certainly starting to sound like he has committed a string of offences and one hopes he will be suitably punished.

[elliemay1]

Just wonder did he never travel this route before. Difficult to understand how this could happen.

[grasscarp]

I couldnt believe it when I was watching a news programme tonight that he was claiming that the charting of the rocks was 150 metres out. Who in their right mind would take a ship that size within a short distance of known rocks. Sounds like he is desperately trying to get out of deep trouble.

[daisya]

Saw an item on the news where it was alleged he brought the ship in that close to "greet" a former colleague who was on the island....erm how true that is is open to question of course, rumours of all sorts abound at times like these.

[paddywak]

Legal or not the captain of a ship has a duty of care to his passengers and crew and it is a tradition that has been honorably upheld many times by men of many different nationalities. Like it or not it goes with the job and if a person is not prepared to accept this they shouldn't be in the job.

[humbersloop]

OP, technically, probably not, but (takes a deep breath)under the International Maritime Organisation's 1974 Survival of Life at Sea Convention and subsequent SOLAS Regs, the buck for just about everything stops with the ship's Captain, especially if things go wrong.

If you recall the Navy vessel that went aground off Australia a couple of years ago? The skipper still got the shove for that although he was ashore at the time and it wasn't just because it was the Navy.

Agree with Daisya ^^ though, only the IMO investigation will start to get to the truth.

[jno]

the law where? It's possible that, since the ship bumped into Italy, Italian law may apply ("Leaving the scene of an accident") but usually the captain's own word is law aboard ship. Failing that, the country where the ship was registered may have some legal liability - for instance, one cop from the Bahamas was called in to investigate this disappearance:

http://www.guardian.c...ca-coriam-lost-at-sea