Costa Concordia SINKING

[bigwalt0176]

From a purely economic point of view, and not to diminish the pain, suffering or deaths that have occurred, unless this was a willful act - Costa will be made whole monetarily except for whatever insurance deductible they have which is probably in the range of $1 to $10MM.

 

On the other hand, just like post 9/11 when people refused to fly, the industry as a whole will see reduced bookings and a reduction/elimination in profits. I would suspect we will see less profitable ships being taken out of service and over the next year or two some turmoil in the industry overall.

 

Carnival and RCI stock will take a pounding on Tuesday but on the bright side, if you can consider it to be one, cruise fares may decrease over the next year as the industry tries to fill up ships.

[CruiseBoyzGermany]

Works for me.

 

I wonder why she keeps pissing then? I have found all your posts, as well as many other professional sailors here to be very informative. Thanks!

[Zeta3]

Reading the various posts about the crew maybe not being as prepared as they should have been has made me wonder how long the majority of crew had been on board. If it's true as passengers have said they are not doing frequent enough life boat drills for the passengers how often were the crew participating in their drills? It seems like there are some policies and procedures that need to be examined at the very least.

[Red Mini Stapler]

Reading the various posts about the crew maybe not being as prepared as they should have been has made me wonder how long the majority of crew had been on board. If it's true as passengers have said they are not doing frequent enough life boat drills for the passengers how often were the crew participating in their drills? It seems like there are some policies and procedures that need to be examined at the very least.

 

during last year's rccl cruise, my hubby asked employees how long is their contracts are, and i think it's 6 to 9 months. not sure is they're on board that long or they go home in between.

[CruiseAdict218]

so there are still no news whether the ship will be salvaged or not?

 

http://translate.google.com/translate?act=url&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://www3.lastampa.it/cronache/sezioni/articolo/lstp/438346/

[glrounds]

I agree, I like the Spirit class layout very much. It is much more flowing.

 

And yes there is much difference between the size of the Destiny and the Splendor no doubt about that - we can see that from their stats. When I say they are cousins I say this because they share almost the same architectural layout as you can see from the deck plans I have attached. I attached deck 5 deck plans of the Carnival Destiny, Costa Concordia, Carnival Splendor and the Carnival Dream. Here you can see simalarities between these 4 ships. They clearly share the same architectural layout with some tweaking - especially as in the case of the Carnival Dream.

 

The Concordia and Splendor are more like sisters, you are correct however the Carnival Destiny and the Splendor are cousins.

 

Think about your own cousins. Cousins are not identicle instead they share the same lineage as you do. Same goes for the Destiny she is not identicle to the Splendour/Concordia however she does share many of the same architectural features as you can see from the deck plan. Carnival Corp. tweaked the ships to fit the brand and changes within the cruise industry.

 

In reference to the lifeboats "swinging down" to the deck below to board passengers, I WAS TOTALLY WRONG. I'm sorry. Sometimes my cruising experience plays games with my memory and my ego.:D I APOLOGIZE. I can now picture standing in muster on the SPLENDOR looking DIRECTLY at the lifeboats.

 

I had to be thinking of the SPIRIT class ships (have been on all four) where the lifeboats are stowed just outside the "french door cabins" with no balcony, directly above the embarkation deck. Then they swing down to the embarkation deck below where the passengers board them.

 

I detest misinformation being posted on cruise threads and I've been guilty of it. I'm so very sorry. :o

 

[seeh2o]

 

For people saying that the captain should have stayed, I'm not certain I agree. If there were a bunch of people who were in no immediate danger being airlifted off, would it have made sense for him to make his way to them and add to the helicopter burden, rather than just accept assurances from whoever was on the scene that it was being dealt with?

 

We do have a recent modern day example/role model of this and what the Captain should do. In 2009 Captain Chesley Sullenberger was the last person off of the sinking airliner he successfully landed in the Hudson River.

 

Unless this captain was forced off of the ship by the police or military, it seems deeply unethical and immoral for the captain to leave the ship while the passengers and crew. All persons on that ship were 100% in his care for the duration of time that they were on the ship. All of these people had to be terrified that the ship could go out from under them as they waited their turn to be rescued. And-he-left-them-alone.

[QM1]

So glad to hear this great news! My friends are also safe, we have been emailing back and forth and they are tired, sad and empty however, they are alive which is the most important thing.

 

Thank god that in an accident like this, where 4000 people were involved, all but about 20 (worst case) have survived and that only a very minor number was injured. Taking the frequent reports of crew members acting badly or boarding boats first I think that the saving of more than 99% is quite an achievement. Therefore I for myself do not condemn the crew at this moment. I explicitly do exclude the captain and the responsible officer on the bridge (likely the first officer) though who are very likely guilty of gross negligence.

 

Sidenote: as the parents of my friend arrived at home without nothing but their pyjamas they had to call the emergency service to break into their house!

[CruiseBoyzGermany]

One survivor said the water filled in in about half an hour and people were stealing each other's life jackets.

 

I read that, too... how terrible!!! I guess as the ships are full of people who still each other's deck chairs, we shouldn't be surprised that people would also steal life jackets... but how grim!

[ObscureAllure]

In reference to the lifeboats "swinging down" to the deck below to board passengers, I WAS TOTALLY WRONG. I'm sorry. Sometimes my cruising experience plays games with my memory and my ego. I APOLOGIZE. I can now picture standing in muster on the SPLENDOR looking DIRECTLY at the lifeboats.

 

I had to be thinking of the SPIRIT class ships (have been on all four) where the lifeboats are stowed just outside the "french door cabins" with no balcony, directly above the embarkation deck. Then they swing down to the embarkation deck below where the passengers board them.

 

I detest misinformation being posted on cruise threads and I've been guilty of it. I'm so very sorry. :o

 

It happens - you meant no harm by it - I think no one will fault you. :) :o

[ObscureAllure]

Thank god that in an accident like this, where 4000 people were involved, all but about 20 (worst case) have survived and that only a very minor number was injured. Taking the frequent reports of crew members acting badly or boarding boats first I think that the saving of more than 99% is quite an achievement. Therefore I for myself do not condemn the crew at this moment. I explicitly do exclude the captain and the responsible officer on the bridge (likely the first officer) though who are very likely guilty of gross negligence.

 

Sidenote: as the parents of my friend arrived at home without nothing but their pyjamas they had to call the emergency service to break into their house!

Poor babies. :( I didn't even think about that. They probably don't have keys to their cars, either, unless they happened to leave spares at home.

[AAAAmerican]

The first found dead were two French Republic citizens. Then a Peruvian crew member.

 

 

With 4,229 passengers and crew now more found alive as well two more dead, God rest all the souls.. Pray Please, for all even more to find the 15 more missing and unaccounted for.

 

 

May COSTA learn now many lessons to Teach the Staff , Crew, and Passengers too Safety is so very vital as also is customer service.

 

Life is only lived once.

 

The captain of the 114,500-tonne ship, Francesco Schettino, was arrested on charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship, Italian police said.

 

 

 

Chief purser Manrico Gianpetroni

 

The discovery of the bodies Sunday 01/15/2012 a..d. dampened earlier euphoria when a helicopter lifted off injured chief purser Manrico Gianpetroni, hours after rescuers made voice contact with him deep inside the stricken, multi-storey vessel.

 

Gianpetroni, who had a broken leg, was winched up from the ship on a stretcher and taken to hospital.

 

"I never lost hope of being saved. It was a 36-hour nightmare," he told reporters.

 

"Getting inside the ship is really difficult and dangerous," said Majko Aldone, a one of the specialist team of divers who have been entering cabins through open portholes or by smashing through the glass.

 

"There are various obstacles, sheets, mattresses, nets which have broken free and are spread out all over the areas we're searching," he said.

 

 

 

FUEL REMOVAL::::

 

Dutch maritime services company SMIT said it had been hired to pump fuel off the ship once the rescue was over.

 

The coast guard says the removal of the 2,380 tonnes of fuel cannot begin until the rescue is complete because the operation could cause the vessel to move or sink further into the water.

 

 

 

 

May we pray for all the departed souls and hope no more now.

 

My family lost kin near here in / on 14 June 1646 a.d. Grand Admiral Jean Armand de Maillé-Brézé killed at the Battle of Ortebello , at Sunset on his Flag Ship the Grand Saint Louis twenty seven years of age . His Father was a Marshall of France.

 

 

 

[Activated95b]

Thats freaky, and scary at the same time. Although you have to wonder in the very beginning why did the lifeboats head back towards the ship instead of towards Giglio?

 

I just spent a few minutes going through the comments and flagging for spam some of the comments which hopefully will be deleted.

 

My guess is that the lifeboats did the exact same things they did during their training runs. Human nature is to revert to doing things the way you did them before in an emergency.

[ObscureAllure]

CNN Says they hear at least TWO more voices in the ship and are currently trying to reach them! (They said in addition to the three already saved, so it must be new!)

 

New Statement from Costa:

 

Costa Cruises reaffirms its deepest sorrow for this terrible incident that has struck his loved ones: his guests, its employees, its own vessel, apologized for the suffering and discomfort that these people have suffered and extends more condolences to the families of victims found.

 

Approximately 1,100 people of Costa Cruises all over the world are working on the evening of Friday in the management of this terrible accident and their priority was to support the rescue operations, assisting guests and crew and bring them safely to their residence.

 

The search and rescue operations are still being coordinated by the Coast Guard and the Italian authorities. We confirm that unfortunately there are still the missing and, since the situation is constantly changing, we are not allowed to provide data.

 

 

 

The Captain Francesco Schettino, who was in command of the Costa Concordia, Costa Cruises has entered into in 2002 as a security officer and promoted commander in 2006, after being second in command. Like all commanders of the fleet, he has participated in a continuous program of upgrading and training and has passed all the tests of suitability provided.

 

 

 

As previously announced, the Judiciary, with which Costa Cruises is working, the detaining of the Commander, to which serious allegations have been made. It seems that the commander has made an error of judgment who have had serious consequences: the route followed by the ship was too close to the coast, and it seems that its decisions in emergency management have not followed the procedures that are in line Costa Cruises and, in some cases go beyond international standards.

 

 

 

Costa Cruises is operating in full compliance with all rules relating to safety and is proud of the commitment of its employees dedicated to managing the safety of our guests.

 

All crew members have a certificate BST (Basic Safety Training), are educated and trained in the management of emergencies and to assist guests in case of abandon ship through numerous exercises. Roles, responsibilities and tasks are clearly defined and assigned to help manage a situation so important.

 

All crew members make one abandon ship drill every two weeks. For all guests on the cruise is scheduled exercise within 24 hours after the day of embarkation, as required by law. Costa Cruises has a computerized system that makes sure that all guests have participated in the exercise, and consequently put a remedy.

 

The preparation of the crew members is periodically checked by Costa Cruises Coast Guard and the independent rating agencies in line with respect to the requirements specified in the SMS (Safety Management Systems).

 

On board the Costa Concordia and Costa ships are all available life jackets, rafts and boats greater than the maximum number of persons that can be hosted by the ship. The spears are safety equipment, such as water supplies and food, medicine boxes and tools for reporting and communication, which allow you to safely wait for the arrival of relief. The spears are also the subject of careful periodic checks by the ship’s personnel and certification bodies. All Costa Cruises ships are certified by RINA and are built to the highest standards and technologies.

 

Following the accident, Costa Cruises has responded immediately to prevent a potential environmental impact and since Saturday is using the world’s leading companies in the industry, & Smit Salvage, which is developing a plan of action, immediate action short term is to build a containment barrier around the hull.

 

The Judiciary has submitted to seize the ship and the VDR – the so-called “black box”. Costa Cruises can then access the ship only with the permission of authorities .

 

http://mikeyscruiseblog.com/2012/01/13/costaconcordia/

[cindy_k]

Mickey Cruise blog just posted a new statement by Concordia.

http://mikeyscruiseblog.com/2012/01/13/costaconcordia/

 

It reads to me like Costa is stating the Captain made a very bad mistake.

I tried to read the statement straight from Costa, but their servers are overloaded.

 

Here is the link I am trying to hit:

http://www.costacruise.com/B2C/USA/Info/concordia_statement.htm

[peterv]

So there is a "bit" of a hole on the starboard side then? Am I looking at these correctly, seeing the ships railing? That damage does not look like it would have occurred if the ship just rolled over......

 

Well, judging by where the ship is in relation to the coast, it looks awfully rocky there as well, and the superstructure is made mostly of aluminium, so it really wouldnt take much to crush it. Unfortunately there is no context to the location of the pictures. The last one could even be inside the ship. I would imagine that a lot of the windows and balconies are crushed as well with the weight of the ship pressing down on them.

 

The one thing I haven't been able to find are any pictures or video of the inbetween state of the ship. The only photos I find are as it is listing then the next are all as it is already lying on its side. I find it surprising there are no others as it slowly settled onto its side, did all the photographers and news media all go to bed?

[glrounds]

We do have a recent modern day example/role model of this and what the Captain should do. In 2009 Captain Chesley Sullenberger was the last person off of the sinking airliner he successfully landed in the Hudson River.

 

Unless this captain was forced off of the ship by the police or military, it seems deeply unethical and immoral for the captain to leave the ship while the passengers and crew. All persons on that ship were 100% in his care for the duration of time that they were on the ship. All of these people had to be terrified that the ship could go out from under them as they waited their turn to be rescued. And-he-left-them-alone.

 

I completely AGREE.

Barring interference from some unknown entity, I can't imagine ANY Captain EVER leaving a stricken ship before ALL passengers and crew were safely off his vessel.

 

[cubella59]

Great post. Sad, infuriating and unforgivable if true. If Schettino truly abandoned ship and was asked to go back by the Italian Coast Guard and he refused, then throw the book at him.

 

I have been lurking this interesting thread, I would like just to add some notes about the captain position in the Italian legal system.

 

According to the prosecution office, the captain is likely to be prosecuted for "omicidio colposo" (something like manslaughter in Anglosaxon codes), having caused a naval accident, and for abandoning the ship (this last charge may be up to 12 years in jail according to the gravity of the case). The captain was reported as being at the port sometime between 11.40pm and midnight. According to the latest Italian media source, port authority officers notified him around 0.30pm that he was already in breach of his duties and asked him several times to go back to the ship to coordinate rescue operation at midnight, but he did not go back. Rescue operation were suspended at 3am when it looked no more people could be immediately saved, to be resumed the next morning.

 

In Italy nobody is guilty till the end of the last appellate trial, but a suspect waiting trial can be arrested under one of three conditions:

1. he/she is likely to repeat the crime or commit further crimes

2. he/she is likely to flee before trial

3. he/she is likely to tamper with evidence

 

While nobody thinks the captain is going to sink another ship, the prosecution office thinks there is a good probability he could flee or try to tamper with evidence, so they arrested him. This decision will be submitted to an indipendent judge in a short time frame - the reviewing judge may confirm the arrest, or set the captain under "house arrest" (he could stay at home without ever leaving it), or set him free pending trial.

[Hunwolf]

Costa has just thrown the captain under the bus...or the boat...as it were.

[ObscureAllure]

Costa has just thrown the captain under the bus...or the boat...as it were.

 

Sure sounds like it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CUBELLA59 - did you find your friends?

[JJSMaine]

 

I have to correct you on the Splendor event. ..... Much has been written on this subject.

 

Can you provide links... I never did find "the whole story" written down anywhere... was it even publicized? Feels like it was forgotten to easily...

 

thnx

[scottcruises]

From a purely economic point of view, and not to diminish the pain, suffering or deaths that have occurred, unless this was a willful act - Costa will be made whole monetarily except for whatever insurance deductible they have which is probably in the range of $1 to $10MM.

 

On the other hand, just like post 9/11 when people refused to fly, the industry as a whole will see reduced bookings and a reduction/elimination in profits. I would suspect we will see less profitable ships being taken out of service and over the next year or two some turmoil in the industry overall.

 

Carnival and RCI stock will take a pounding on Tuesday but on the bright side, if you can consider it to be one, cruise fares may decrease over the next year as the industry tries to fill up ships.

 

There's talk that this won't hurt the industry much. I tend to disagree. If any of the major media outlets actually go through and do stories on the safety in the industry and the fact that most of the crews make next to nothing.....this isn't airliners with highly paid stewardesses and flight crews. This is people making a few thousand a year working unbearable hours.

 

JMHO, the aftermath if this is proven to be gross negligence will be bad for the industry.

[Cruisercs]

You aren't even a cruiser, as you yourself have indicated. WHY ARE YOU HERE? This is a CRUISE SHIP PAX website. You have done nothing but belittle everyone here for their lack of industry knowhow such as you claim to have, despite you having been proven wrong on numerous occasions, and all you want to do is spew racist bigotry and hate about those who just went through one of the most terrifying experiences of their lives IF they even managed to get out, as we have learned some did not. If you are going to continue to disrespect the crew of this ship (WHO AIDED IN THE SAFE REMOVAL OF OVER 4000 PAX, I MAY ADD) based solely on their race, PLEASE LEAVE. You are not a cruiser, not qualified to make the accusations you have and none of us want to hear your racist comments. Go talk to your buddies on the other website you were trying to advertize and leave us alone.

 

Come on stop all this bickering. The guys seems to be offering rational comments. If you dont like what you see just move on. Adds nothing to the experinence.

[BalconyBumz]

Costa has just thrown the captain under the bus...or the boat...as it were.

 

As long as a company or individual stands up to the truth and responsibility in the end and doesn't twist, lie, or push it under the carpet, then they can earn my respect.

[CruiseBoyzGermany]

CruiseboyzGermany,

 

I don't begrudge any cruise line a profit, they would not be able to stay in business without profits. Also for the crew of 1000 or so, have no problem with paying wages for what the locale dictates. But for the officers, that is a different story. US, Britain, Germany, Netherlands, SA, and many other countries have excellent Maritime Academies for their graduates to be employed by shipping and cruise companies. Where I do draw the line is any cruise/shipping company sailing under a flag of convenience AND employing officers from countries that sell the flags of convenience. And you cruise passengers SHOULD for your own safety at sea feel the same way.

 

I agree with you 100%. I also know quite a bit about how cruise lines operate from the inside, if you know what I mean. I know, for example, that the cruise line in question operates under different budgets and standards when in Europe and sailing with a mainly European clientele, than when in the US. That is not to say they have different safety standards on different sides of the oceans, but there is a corporate attitude difference between Miami and Genoa.

 

I didn't think you out of order to say so, either. I still don't understand what makes your comments xenophobic at all. I work for (a German carrier), we have safety and emergency trainings multiple times per year. I am also an avid cruiser and have been on almost 70 cruises... I know enough to have a valid opinion.

 

This tragedy is sad. It is emotional and, like many events like this, brings people out of the woodwork who, through posting 24/7, feel as if they are somehow a part of this event, even though they are just as in the dark as the rest of us.

 

Yet, there is a broader discussion to be had here. As a flight attendant, we have people who fly several times per week, yet still take the time to listen to our safety announcements while 80% of the aircraft are ignoring us, playing with their seats, looking through magazines, etc. It is our professional responsibility to make sure people know enough to stay alive in an emergency, but it is OUR responsibility to get people out alive if possible. It is our constant attention to training and to our procedures that save lives. (Look at that amazing American Airlines crew for another super example!!!)

 

There are procedures that must be followed before evacuation can take place; for example shutting down engines so people don't get sucked into them. From the accounts of passengers, the safety procedures that are supposed to be in place on board the Concordia did NOT happen as they should: regardless of whether there was a lifeboat drill or not. That needs to be investigated as thoroughly, if not more so, than why the captain sailed where he did.

 

Why were the emergency procedures not immediately acted upon, at the moment that the emergency was actually announced, and why was there so much confusion? Darkness or not (smoke filled cabin), I know how to get my passengers off the plane if it is at all possible to do so. It is the crew emergency drills that are most important, not the guest drills.

 

You saw, with the Carnival fire, a well executed emergency evacuation by amazing crew who were obviously well trained.

 

Why that has been so widely reported as NOT having happened correctly... that is what Costa really has to answer for. I'll be watching to hear how they answer.