Planning your weekend? Look no further. Netflix's new documentary film – Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea – will keep you on the edge of your seat... and itching to go down a Wikipedia hole. Luckily, we've saved you the hassle of having to do just that, so you can spend more time focused on your TV snacks and less time scrolling online.
Here's what you need to know about Netflix's Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea, as well as all the details on where the captain of the Costa Concordia, Francesco Schettino, is now.
What is Netflix's Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea about?
According to the synopsis, Netflix's Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea is an "immersive documentary" that shares never-before-seen footage and survivor accounts from the Costa Concordia 2012 disaster.
To recap, the luxury cruise liner struck a reef and capsized off the Italian island of Giglio in January 2012. An evacuation of those onboard (which totalled more than 4,000 people) was heavily delayed, and sadly 32 people (made up of 27 passengers and five crew members) lost their lives.
What happened to Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino?
Francesco Schettino was the captain of the Costa Concordia when it capsized. At his trial (more details on that in a minute), he was accused of intentionally steering the cruise liner dangerously close to Giglio to "impress" passengers, which included his then-lover, Domnica Cemortan.
That said, Schettino denied this accusation and instead argued that the maneuver was encouraged by the Costa Cruises company for promotional purposes, per the BBC. Costa refuted this allegation and stated that the captain had made "serious errors of judgement" and carried out a manoeuvre "unauthorised, unapproved and unknown" to it. Ultimately, the cruise company was not found criminally guilty, but avoided a trial by paying a $1.1 million fine.
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Beyond the actions that led up to the Costa Concordia's sinking, Schettino was also heavily criticised for abandoning the ship before his passengers. As a result, he was nicknamed "Captain Coward" in the Italian media (via the BBC). With the captain no longer on board, stranded passengers were left to fend for themselves, but most were eventually rescued by the local Coast Guard.
Where is Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino now?
Following a lengthy trial, Costa Concordia Francesco Schettino was found guilty of manslaughter and was also convicted of causing the shipwreck and abandoning the cruise liner before his passengers. At the trial, the Italian prosecutor branded Schettino a "careless idiot," but the former captain maintained that he had been made out as a scapegoat for the disaster.
Upon being found guilty, in February 2015 (three years on from the cruise liner tragedy), Schettino was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Although he tried to appeal the ruling, Schettino exhausted the process in 2017 and was ordered to hand himself in for detention, per The Maritime Executive.
Schettino did not end his attempts for release there. In January 2018, he filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights against his conviction. Later, in 2025, he filed for early release, requesting to enter a "state of semi-liberty" which, by Italian law, allows prisoners who have served at least half of their sentence to serve the remainder outside of prison, such as on day release or under house arrest.
So far the former captain's requests for early release have been withdrawn or denied. Schettino — who is currently serving his sentence at Rebibbia Prison in Rome — is expected to remain in custody until his sentence concludes around 2032.
Stream Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea on Netflix from July 10.
