Tag: Costa Concordia

Risk still remains It is difficult to think of a worse nightmare than the pictures of the 114,000 GT Costa Concordia lying on her side as the sun came up over the coast of Tuscany last Saturday morning. All our sympathy must go to those caught up in this tragedy. We can, however, be thankful that so many people managed to evacuate the steeply listing vessel and made it to the safety of dry land.It is perhaps a terrible irony that this disaster has happened just at a time when the world was expecting to commemorate the centenary of the best known of all sea disasters, that of the Titanic in which 1,589 passengers and crew lost their lives. At least one of the objectives of this commemoration by the International Maritime Organization was to demonstrate the tremendous progress in maritime safety that has been registered during the hundred years since this notable casualty.The reality, however, is that while there have indeed been huge advances in maritime safety, and the enormously expanded global marine transport system we depend upon today has never been safer, risk still remains. Just as technical and regulatory progress has been steadily made over the years, ...

Costa Concordia Cruise Ship Tragedy Divers are hurrying as quickly as possible to rescue any possible remaining survivors from the Coasta Concordia cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Tuscany, Italy on Saturday and keeled over.On Monday, the head of the Italian Coast Guard said there were at least 29 people still unaccounted for -- a sharp increase from previous estimates -- according to CNN. Among the missing are two Americans.Three survivors were pulled from the vessel on Sunday, and cave divers are continuing to search for anyone still inside.But according to Reuters the mission isn't simple by any means. Due to a massive amount of debris, the ship is a maze of dead ends and winding hallways.Speleologists, as they are known, are used to diving in dark and enclosed spaces. The ship's hallways, cabins and dining rooms are similar to caves -- but caves do not have floating furniture or doors that may be jammed shut.Some have drawn comparisons to the infamous Titanic disaster and this crash off the coast of Italy, as many of the survivors described their ordeal, having to crawl through long almost vertical hallways and stairwells, the AP writes. Whether that comparison is ...

Nautilus International says The grounding of a cruiseship carrying more than 4,000 passengers and crew two weeks into the Titanic centenary year should serve as a wake-up call to the shipping industry and those who regulate it, says the maritime professionals' union Nautilus International.The union says the incident involving the Italian-flagged cruiseship Costa Concordia is the latest in a series that have highlighted its long-standing concerns over safety.'In this, the centenary of the loss of the Titanic, major nostalgia industry is already in full flow - but it is essential that everyone recognises that the Titanic offers lessons for today and that there are contemporary resonances that should not be lost,' said general secretary Mark Dickinson.In particular, Nautilus is concerned about the rapid recent increases in the size of passenger ships - with the average tonnage doubling over the past decade.'Many ships are now effectively small towns at sea, and the sheer number of people onboard raises serious questions about evacuation,' Mr Dickinson pointed out.'Nautilus is by no means alone in voicing concern at underlying safety issues arising from the new generation of "mega-ships" - whether they be passenger vessels carrying the equivalent of a small town or containerships with ...

Environmentalists push for preventive measures The 17-deck cruise ship that capsized smack in the middle of a marine nature reserve off Tuscany shows these ocean giants threaten the coastline and should be banned, Italian environmentalists said Monday.The Costa Concordia remains on its side less than 50 metres (55 yards) from the island of Giglio with more than 2,000 tonnes of diesel oil and slowly releasing objects ranging from refrigerators to cabin furniture and carpeting.Worried about the impact on the environment, some are calling for banning these colossal ships -- as big as a 10-storey buildings -- from sailing into these sensitive zones."That's enough, we have to stop treating these ships like they were simple vaporetti," said Italy's Environment Minister Corrado Clini, referring to the boats that ply the canals of Venice.He promised to act "to prevent these giant ships from getting close to sensitive zones" to protect the environment in an interview published Monday in La Stampa newspaper.Three senators from the leftist Democrat Party also demanded that the government issue an emergency decree to ban cruise ships and oil tankers from passing near sensitive areas, including the lagoon of Venice, protected marine zones and the waters around small islands.Italian environmental ...

Insurers suggert that it could end up shouldering $1 billion in losses The wrecked cruiseliner Costa Concordia could turn out to be the biggest insured loss in maritime history, analysts and industry experts said on Monday, with some suggesting insurers and mutual societies could end up shouldering $1 billion in losses.The Costa, a multistory liner carrying over 4,000 passengers and crew, ran aground and capsized off Italy's west coast at the weekend, killing at least five and injuring dozens.In the complex world of maritime insurance, there will be two issues to contend with: the clubs of cruise ship companies that insure each other for personal injuries, shipwrecks and environmental damage; and the consortium of insurers who underwrite the ship itself.The ship is insured for 405 million euros ($513 million) by insurers including XL, RSA and Generali, industry sources said.An RSA spokesperson said the company's exposure to the disaster was below 10 million euros, while a spokesperson for Generali said the impact on the company would be small.XL's team at the Lloyd's of London insurance market has been working on the disaster since the weekend but has yet to come to any firm conclusions on cost or liability issues, according to ...

29 people are missing Rescue crews have blasted holes in a stricken cruise ship in order to gain easier access as hopes fade of finding survivors among the 29 people missing.Six people are known to have died after the Costa Concordia crashed into rocks off Italy's west coast on Friday night.The ship's owners have blamed the captain for Friday's crash, saying he changed course towards an island.Capt Francesco Schettino has been detained on suspicion of manslaughter and is due to appear shortly in court.Capt Schettino, 52, has also been accused of abandoning his vessel before all the passengers had been evacuated.He is to answer questions from a magistrate who will decide if he is to remain in custody.Italy says it will declare a state of emergency over the incident, and provide funding to help avert any environmental disaster.The Italian environment minister said liquid was leaking from the ship, but it was unclear if it was fuel.Meanwhile, Italian officials have denied a newspaper report that a seventh body had been found overnight on the vessel. Captain 'in difficult position' Shortly after daybreak on Tuesday rescue crews blasted several holes in the ship, now lying on its side metres from Giglio island, ...

Analyst says long-term impact on industry could be significant The cruise ship industry faces an uphill task to restore confidence among customers spooked by spectacular images of the stricken Costa Concordia flipped on its side and could suffer a major hit to sales in a key booking period.Carnival, the owner of the cruise ship that capsized off Italy's west coast, said it alone expected to take a hit of around $90 million from Friday's accident just as a result of the boat being out of use for the rest of the year."The long-term consequences for the cruise industry could be significant. This accident could have a significant impact in terms of trading because we're in the peak-season for reservations," said Natixis analyst Geoffrey d'Halluin.The first quarter is a critical booking period across the tourism industry and the images are unlikely to encourage holidaymakers already facing tough economic headwinds to opt for a cruise."I think it's going to be horrid, short term," Numis analyst Wyn Ellis told Reuters. "There will be a definite short-term impact because it's a key booking period and many people will be put off cruising in the short term."However, Ellis believes the industry will recover in the ...

Death toll rises to 11 Divers searching for survivors inside a stricken cruise ship off the Italian coast found five more bodies on Tuesday, as prosecutors grilled the arrested captain over his role.The bodies were discovered after the Italian navy used explosives to blow holes in the wreck of the Costa Concordia to help in the hunt for those still missing after Friday's disaster off the Tuscan island of Giglio."Scuba divers found five more bodies in the stern of the ship," Cristiano Pellegrini, a Giglio official, told AFP, but said their identities were not yet known.The death toll has now risen to 11, leaving about two dozen still missing of the 4,200 people on board when the ship went down on Friday,Earlier, officials had said that 12 Germans, six Italians, four French, two Americans, one Hungarian, one Indian and one Peruvian were still unaccounted for. There were also reports of a missing five-year-old Italian girl.The huge Costa Concordia cruise liner hit rocks and pitched over off the picturesque Tuscan island of Giglio on Friday, and survivors have recounted scenes of chaos after the disaster struck.A black box transcript showed Francesco Schettino -- who is reported to have sailed so close ...

Capt Francesco Schettino is suspected of manslaughter The captain of the cruise ship which capsized off the Italian coast chose to change its course, the owners Costa Cruises have said.Speaking at a news conference, the company's Chief Executive Officer, Pier Luigi Foschi, said the captain decided to change the course of the boat to get close to the island of Giglio.Capt Francesco Schettino is suspected of manslaughter, but denies wrongdoing.

Incident investigation