It was a clear spring evening that of 30 years ago,
on 10 April 1991
, when in the Livorno harbor, at 22.25, the Navarma ferry Moby Prince collided with Agip Abruzzo, a Snam oil tanker, 2.7 miles from the it costs.
It was hell: 140 passengers and crew of the Moby died.
Only Alessio Bertrand survived, the driver of the ferry that left at 10 pm was headed for Olbia.
All saved on the Agip ship.
It was the greatest tragedy of the Italian navy, so far without guilty and with so many mysteries.
"On the responsibility of the accident and on the circumstances that led to it, every commitment aimed at shedding full light is mandatory. The commitment that has distinguished family associations over the years represents a civic value and contributes to pursuing a common good".
This was declared by the President of the Republic
Sergio Mattarella
recalling the thirtieth anniversary of the Moby Prince disaster.
The prow of the Moby penetrated tanker number 7 of the oil tanker: the crude oil spilled onto the ferry which turned into an immense torch with the ignition of the flames, perhaps caused by the friction of the sheets.
There are various hypotheses as to why it happened: fog, speeding, an explosion, a failure of the on-board equipment.
Even the distraction: it was thought that those who should have watched were watching Juventus-Barcelona on TV, the Uefa Cup semi-final.
Surely the rescue arrived late: the ferry was only identified at 11.35 pm.
A 'Ustica del mare' for the families of the victims who after decades of investigations, trials and distorted and demolished truths continue to ask that Parliament investigate again to clarify once and for all.
A parliamentary commission has already worked, whose conclusions, arrived in 2018, also led to the reopening of the investigation by the Livorno prosecutor's office.
The family members are now asking for a bicameral that can continue beyond the expiry of the legislature, "until its purpose is achieved".
Luchino and Angelo Chessa, children of Ugo, the commander of the Moby Prince who died on the bridge, who lead the association April 10-Family victims Moby Prince Onlus, and Nicola Rosetti, vice president of the association of 140 family victims Moby Prince, would like it.
In agreement with their request Silvio Lai, who as senator chaired the first commission whose final report ruled out that the tragedy is attributable "to the presence of the fog and the negligent conduct of the command of the ferry" and held that the at that time the judicial inquiry was "lacking and conditioned by various external factors", that the tanker was "in a no-anchor zone 'and that the Moby had an alteration in the navigation route. As for the rescues, some passengers - according to the commission - they could be saved but during the crucial hours "the Port Authority appeared completely unable to coordinate a rescue action."
Now the new commission could serve to reconstruct the context of that night. If the previous one only had time to unwind the conversations recorded on the rescue channel for Lai "it would also be interesting to listen to the reels of the other commercial channels that recorded conversations,
which may be useful in seeking new points of investigation, among the vessels present in the harbor at the time of the accident ".
For Lai then there are "other aspects to clarify, starting with that insurance agreement between Snam and Navarma aimed at closing any further investigation on the state of the two ships, both now demolished. Another starting point could be the search for any wrecks on the backdrop ".
"Much has been done - the two associations explain - and thanks to that work that was interrupted by the end of the legislature, the Livorno prosecutor's office is working on non-prescribed crimes".
The family members also filed a civil petition against the ministries of Transport and Defense "for failing to comply with the control of the port of Livorno and the lack of aid to the Moby Prince" but the Florentine court rejected it "with a reason that does not take into account consider the conclusions of the parliamentary commission, creating a short circuit between the powers of the state ".