The captain of the stricken Costa Concordia ship has admitted to making a navigation mistake when he ran aground off the coast of Tuscany last Friday.

Captain Francesco Schettino said during a three hour hearing on Tuesday “I made a mistake on the approach.”

He also added that he has done the same manouvre before, but that this time he became a victim of his insincts and misjudged the depths of the water.

The cruise ship that was carrying 4,200 people, crashed into rocks which ripped a hole into the side of ship when it became grounded off the island of Giglio.

Schettino also claimed that he found himself in a lifeboat by accident when he fell out of the ship, which is why he said he had been unable to assist with the evacuation, according to reports.

“I was trying to get people to get into the boats in an orderly fashion. Suddenly, since the ship was at a 60-70° angle, I tripped and I ended up in one of the boats. That’s how I found myself in the lifeboat.”

The death toll has now reached 11, with at least 20 people still missing.

Meanwhile the search has now resumed aboard the Italian ship after operations were temporarily suspended on Wednesday. There is a 12 to 24 hour window for the rescue team to complete the search.