Francesco Schettino, captain of the Costa Concordia, which sank off Italy in 2012, has blamed his Indonesian helmsman for the accident.

Schettino claims the helmsman failed to obey orders to slow down and steered the ship onto rocks.

The captain is presently fighting charges of causing the shipwreck and abandoning ship.

Thirty-two people died when the cruise ship capsized in January 2012.

Helmsman Jacob Rusli Bin has already been convicted of manslaughter in a separate trial.

He was one of five Costa employees who were granted plea bargains in return for mild sentences in a separate proceeding.

He was given a sentence of one year and eight months.

Investigators have said previously language problems between the captain and the helmsman might have played a role in crash.

Schettino claimed if the helmsman had quickly executed the correct manoeuvre, the Concordia would have steered away from the jagged reef that sliced a hole in its side.