The Costa
Concordia, owned by Genoa-based Costa Cruises, ran aground on a sand
bank off the island of Giglio on Friday, January 13.
The Costa
Concordia, owned by Genoa-based Costa Cruises, ran aground on a sand
bank off the island of Giglio on Friday, January 13.
The ship has a
breach on the hull of about 90 meters, according to Officer Emilio Del
Santo of the Coastal Authorities of Livorno.
The ship has a
breach on the hull of about 90 meters, according to Officer Emilio Del
Santo of the Coastal Authorities of Livorno.
On Saturday, January 14, crowds prepare to leave the island of Giglio, where passengers were staying after the ship ran aground.
On Saturday, January 14, crowds prepare to leave the island of Giglio, where passengers were staying after the ship ran aground.
The ship was on a
cruise in the Mediterranean, leaving from Savona with planned stops in
Civitavecchia, Palermo, Cagliari, Palma, Barcelona and Marseille, the
company said.
The ship was on a
cruise in the Mediterranean, leaving from Savona with planned stops in
Civitavecchia, Palermo, Cagliari, Palma, Barcelona and Marseille, the
company said.
Passengers arrive at Porto Santo Stefano in Italy Saturday after being evacuated from the ship.
Passengers arrive at Porto Santo Stefano in Italy Saturday after being evacuated from the ship.
Costa says the emergency operation continues and is helping passengers and crew return home.
Costa says the emergency operation continues and is helping passengers and crew return home.
Italian police assist in the rescue after the cruise ship ran aground near the Italian island of Giglio.
Italian police assist in the rescue after the cruise ship ran aground near the Italian island of Giglio.
Yesterday evening, a cruise ship called The Concordia crashed near the coast of Italy. The cruise was supposed to stop in Mediterranean ports, Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Cagliari and Palermo, but the journey was cut short by a titanic-esque capsize. Officials are looking into the exact logistics behind the crash. Specifics are unclear at the moment, but prior to the crash, the ship was dangerously close to the shoreline and hit a sand bar, leaving a gaping 90 meter hole in the hull of the ship.
3 passengers have been reported dead, with several missing and several more injured. Fortuneately, however, the hospitable islanders are now housing the passengers. Nautilus International, a maritime employees union, calls this crash a "wake-up call to regulators", alluding to the massive increases in passenger capacity in luxury cruise ships. Meanwhile, the Italian captain of the boat has been arrested and is being accused of manslaughter abandoning ship.
I personally think this ship is a reflection of poor regulations and blind desire for glittering luxuries. People are so engrossed in modern technologies and luxuries that they aren't aware of/don't bother to care about the possible negative outcomes, such as this crash.
Food for thought: How will this crash affect future regulations in the cruise industry and beyond?
2 comments:
I disagree, are families supposed to be scared of driving to work too because car accidents are probably more likely than cruise ship crashes. I think this is most likely the result of somebody being careless or some malfunctioning tool that was either broken or not maintained properly. I don't see it affecting anything in the cruise industry aside from less cruise vacations for a few months. Large cruiseships are just like large planes, they just need to be handled properly.
Given the tremendous technological improvements since the Titanic (which sank, incidentally, one century ago), I think it's a bit more than simply unfortunate that a similar accident seems to have occurred again. We can video conference halfway around the world, track locations via GPS, and even send people to the moon, and yet we can't steer cruise ships clear of sand bars?
I think the part about the captain being arrested for manslaughter was interesting. I'm wondering if his abandoning ship directly affected whether or not passengers survived (depends on when he left, I suppose) or if it's more of a maritime honor code expectation that a captain go down with his ship. Or perhaps it was both.
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