Cruise disaster could have larger lessons
Posted on | January 27, 2012 | 1 Comment
I noticed an article from Melissa Bert, a USCG captain, that asks some interesting questions about Costa Concordia, current safety regs and training procedures.
The Costa Concordia grounding is a stark reminder that sea travel remains dangerous. A modern cruise ship sailing a routine route in beautiful weather ran
aground in a matter of minutes, leaving at least 15 people dead.
About 15 million people took a cruise last year, and they are asking tough questions. Are the massive
passenger vessels stable enough to withstand a grounding or collision? Are their international crews capable of
coordinating rapid evacuations of thousands of people? Who oversees the operations of these vessels?
To read the remainder of this articles please visit http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20120124_Cruise_disaster_could _have_larger_lessons.html
or the Baltimore Sun/The Philadelphia Inquirer, 24th Jan.
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One Response to “Cruise disaster could have larger lessons”
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January 27th, 2012 @ 2:26 pm
Clay,Melissa Bert makes some very relevant points in her excellent article, however the existing regulatory systems clearly and disastorously failed.A reckless Captain was not the only cause. Any enquiry needs to determine the root cause. Why was the deviation in course to pass Giglio at a clearly unsafey distance not challenged by the bridge team? Why didn’t Costa challenge this distance off after the earlier “showboating” episode in August 2011? Were formal navigational risk assessments carried out by Costa or onboard to determine the hazards associated with passing this rocky island at such close proximity? Why didn’t RINA pick up these weaknesses in their annual ISM internal audits? How was it that the Costa Concordia has an clean port state inspection record since 2006? There are so many questions to be addressed by the “official” investigation, even before they get to the loss of intact stabilty, evacuation and LSA equipment adequacy.For the safety of cruise ship passengers in the future this enquiry must promptly consider all these issues to avoid another disaster of this magnitude, possibly in worse weather and in open waters remote from rescue services. The maritime fraternity has a duty to ensure that this matter is not closed until all these questions have been adequately addressed and effective corrective actions implemented.