oh i was waiting for that argument to come by! (i'm from savona btw, where the ship was supposed to dock).
it's actually quite worse than what the translation to english actually made it seem.
(seems difficult, but it is).
he moved the boat near the coast to say "hello there" and have passenger wave.
hit a rock.
obviously.
not only but the guy which was meant to look out for stuff like that wasn't there.
the captain was elsewhere, and basically the ship was on autopilot.
yeah, i'm not sounding strange. He moved the boat near coast for "let's wave" and left the ship on autopilot.
and, to break a lance: no, the guys on board, and i mean the crew members, did their jobs. The tv show clearly recordings of those poor folks getting addressed, and helped in line, and moved carefully to the lifeboats.
The captain decided not to warn the passengers because he thought they could hold up till port.
that's the stalling of two hours.
and furthermore, to become a ship captain you need to have gone through the nautical school. (which is, mind you, high school. aka from 13 to 18) then you become 3rd degree officer.
then you work on board and after 24 months you get the possibility to do an exam to become 2nd degree officer.
from there onwards, you can "mark" yourself as "yes, if there is a captain job i'd gladly take it!".
in the end though the one who decides is the "ARMATORE" (the guy who finances the ship). so...not on merit, but on luck or favours.