17 JAN: Costa Cruises has blamed the captain of Costa Concordia for Friday’s grounding.

"It is human error here," Costa chairman and CEO Pier Luigi Foschi told reporters in a conference call yesterday morning.

"The captain (Francesco Schettino) did not follow the authorized route that is used by Costa ships very frequently", he said.

Mr Foschi said Costa ships travel the passage near where the ship hit rocks more than 100 times a year, but always stay farther out to sea.

Asked if he knew why the captain had changed course, Mr Foschi suggested that the 10-year veteran of the company wanted to show off the ship to the port area of Giglio that it was passing.

"He decided to change the course of the ship to go closer to the island and pass in front of the little city that sits on that island," he said. "This is what he wanted to do."

The chief executive suggested other officers and crew members of the ship didn’t interfere with the captain’s decision because it was not their place.

Italian media are claiming that Captain Schettino brought the liner close to shore so that he could wave to a friend.

Italian prosecutor Francesco Verusio has told reporters: "We are struck by the unscrupulousness of the reckless manoeuvre that the commander of the Costa Concordia made near the island of Giglio.

"It was inexcusable."