Admission from Costa Concordia owner appears to confirm captain was making unofficial 'sail-by' of Giglio island
The cruise company running the stricken Costa Concordia has said its captain made an "unapproved, unauthorised manoeuvre" prior to the tragedy, but defended its safety record as the liner apparently began slipping off the rocks on the Italian island of Giglio.
Search-and-rescue attempts were suspended amid a worsening swell near the island, with fears growing that an environmental disaster could follow the human one. Sixteen people remain unaccounted for.
Earlier on Monday, a sixth body was found on the ship, which crashed into rocks off the Tuscan coast on Friday night. The latest body was believed to be that of an Italian, rescue services said.
Costa Cruises' chairman and chief executive, Pier Luigi Foschi, apologised for the disaster at a press conference in Genoa, expressing his "pain" before saying the captain, Francesco Schettino, had acted without permission.
Foschi said Costa's ships had their routes programmed, with alarms sounding when they went off course. "This route was put in correctly," he said. "The fact that it left from this course is due solely to a manoeuvre by the commander that was unapproved, unauthorised and unknown to Costa.''
Though the company would provide Schettino with all necessary assistance, he said: "We need to acknowledge the facts, and we cannot deny human error."
Foschi said Schettino was highly skilled, with all relevant qualifications, and that the liner had passed recent safety checks. But his remarks will be seen as confirmation of reports that the ship was making an unofficial sail-by of the island.
The Italian environment minister, Corrado Clini, warned: "The environmental risk for the island of Giglio is extremely high.
"The goal is to avoid that the fuel leaks from the ship. We are working on this. The intervention is urgent."
There is a marine nature reserve off the island.
The sixth victim was a man found wearing a lifejacket in a corridor still above water in the ship early on Monday.
The discovery came as Schettino faced further questioning by prosecutors. Survivors among the 4,200 passengers and crew have given their accounts of the disaster, and divers continued to search submerged areas of the vessel until conditions worsened. Rescue leaders had already begun to consider when they might have to wind down their efforts and concentrate on removing fuel from the liner.
Prosecutors have said the crew mishandled the emergency, delaying the start of the evacuation until an hour after the accident. There have also been reports that the captain was already ashore just after midnight, well before the last passengers were evacuated.
Schettino, who is reportedly being held on suspicion of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship, told Italian television he was not to blame, claiming nautical charts did not show the rocks that ripped a 50-metre (160ft) gash in the ship's hull. Claims have also been made that the captain was seen saluting a colleague or former colleague on shore.
The confirmed dead include two French people, a Peruvian, a Spaniard and an Italian. All 23 British passengers and 12 crew members on board the Costa Concordia survived.
The cruise giant Carnival, which owns Costa Cruises, said the loss of the ship would wipe up to £62m from its profits this year. The ship would be out of service until at the least the end of its financial year, on 30 November. It was too early to calculate the full costs, but the company was insured up to $40m (£26.1m) for the vessel.
Micky Arison, the chairman and chief executive of Carnival, said: "At this time, our priority is the safety of our passengers and crew.
"We are deeply saddened by this tragic event and our hearts go out to everyone affected by the grounding of the Costa Concordia, and especially to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives. They will remain in our thoughts and prayers."
Shares in Carnival are down 21%, wiping nearly £1bn from its market value. Its stock had already fallen about 30% over the previous year as the weak economic climate hit demand for cruises. Carnival owns 11 brands, including P&O, Cunard and Princess Cruises.