In 2026, Francesco Schettino, the former captain of the Costa Concordia, remains incarcerated in Rome’s Rebibbia Prison. He began serving his 16-year sentence in May 2017 after Italy's highest court upheld his convictions for multiple counts of manslaughter, causing a maritime disaster, and abandoning ship. While he has reportedly been a "model prisoner" and has even engaged in academic pursuits and legal appeals from within, he is not scheduled for release until approximately 2033, though he may become eligible for certain work-release or "good behavior" programs as he enters the final third of his sentence. The 2012 shipwreck, which claimed 32 lives, remains one of the most infamous maritime disasters in modern history, and Schettino’s continued imprisonment serves as a high-profile reminder of the strict legal accountability for shipmasters in the 2026 era.