THE captain who fled after capsizing the Costa Concordia cruise ship has begged to be freed just halfway through his time behind bars.

Francesco Schettino – dubbed “Captain Coward” – was at the helm of the £400million vessel which claimed 32 lives when it sank 13 years ago.

Schettino, 64, had reportedly been drinking with a dancer on the ship before the disaster struck in 2012.

The former captain was sentenced to 16 years behind bars in February 2015 for multiple counts of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck, abandoning his passengers, and dereliction of duty.

Schettino has reportedly now petitioned the Italian courts to let him out of jail early, per ANSA.

The disgraced captain has reached the time limit that would allow him to seek an alternative to prison – as he has served half his sentence.

Under Italian law, the captain could enter into “semi-liberty” which would mean he could serve the rest of his sentence outside of jail.

Schettino will face a court hearing on 4 March to decide if he can leave prison.

The former captain’s initial trial revealed shocking details about potential drinking and dancing while on duty.

A Moldovan dancer and tour rep on the ship, Domnica Cemortan, had been accused of distracting the captain before the disaster.

Cemortan admitted that she had been in a romantic relationship with Schettino and was on board the ship before it sank, but denied distracting him.

Unconfirmed reports from the time alleged the pair had been drinking together.

Cemortan admitted she had been alone with the captain in his cabin, earlier on the doomed evening, and added that the pair kissed passionately, telling the MailOnline at the time.

The tour rep had previously worked on the ship for three weeks as a translator for Russian passengers, but later returned as a paying customer.

Her luggage and underwear were found submerged in Schettino’s cabin, but the tour rep claimed it was just a temporary arrangement.

HORROR HOLIDAY

In 2012, the Concordia accidentally took a detour during a voyage and steered straight into underwater rocks.

Schettino was found responsible for a 230-foot gash along the side of the ship that flooded the engine room and caused the Costa Concordia to capsize and sink.

As the water filled inside, the ship started to list on one side – and drift back towards the island despite the captain’s futile attempts to regain control.

Eventually, the ship toppled sideways in an unsteady position on a rocky underwater ledge – and started to sink.

The incident caused a scandal at the time, not least because the captain abandoned his crew and left them to fend for themselves.

Soon after the incident, coastguards flocked to the horror scene to rescue all 4,252 people onboard – which included 1,023 crew members and personnel.

After a six-hour rescue operation, most of the people were brought ashore without severe injuries.

Of the 32 people who died in the disaster, 12 were German.

A survivor of the sinking, Sandra Birnstiel, 51, from the northern German city of Luebeck, told German media: “I think Schettino has to serve his sentence, if only for the families of the victims.

“I don’t think it would be fair if he is allowed to go on day release all the time.”