Captain responsible for Costa Concordia disaster appeals sentence

Francesco Schettino was found him guilty of manslaughter for causing a maritime accident and abandoning ship after his Costa Concordia ship capsized when it hit rocks close to Giglio Island, landing him 16 years in jail.

At the appeals trial in Florence, he is seeking to overturn the conviction, while the prosecution seeks a longer prison term.

Defence lawyers of the 55-year-old captain are expected to argue on Thursday that the disaster off Tuscany's coast was a collective failure of the ship's crew and others should shoulder the blame for the disaster alongside Schettino.

"We will ask that the responsibility of all the protagonists in this affair be redefined, not just that of our client," said lawyer Donato Laino.

Schettino also denies that he abandoned ship before passengers and crew had been evacuated.

Meanwhile, the prosecution is seeking a 26-year prison term.

If Schettino loses his appeal, he has one more shot at overturning the ruling at Italy's highest court - the Court of Cassation.

In February 2015, Schettino was sentenced to 10 years for multiple manslaughters, five years for causing the shipwreck and one year for abandoning his passengers. He has not yet begun to serve his sentence.

During the trial, in response to criticism that he had taken the ship too close the the islands, Schettino said he had taken the ship so close to land for "commercial reasons", in a bid to please his passengers and those ashore. He had also rejected rumours that he had wanted to impress his lover, Domnica Cemortan, who was with him at the helm.

Five other employees, including the helmsman, were handed prison sentences ranging from 18 months to two years and 10 months in plea bargains concluded early in the investigation.