Speculation grows over cruise incident
The Costa Concordia in happier times
The search is continuing for survivors following the capsize of the cruise vessel Costa Concordia over the weekend - amidst mass speculation of what actually happened to cause the incident.
The vessel struck rock off the coast of Isola del Giglio on 13 January, causing significant damage to the ship and severe listing, resulting in the order to abandon ship.
Of the total 4,200 passengers and crew members on board, Reuters reported this morning that 16 are still unaccounted for and that six bodies have been recovered so far.
The 290 foot vessel remains on its side just outside of the port of Giglio.
The captain of the vessel, Francesco Schettino, was arrested on Saturday accused of manslaughter and making serious errors of judgement by bringing the ship too close to shore.
The captain in turn has blamed the ship’s state of the art navigational equipment for failing to warn of any problem.
There is much speculation surrounding the cause of the incident including that a power blackout and explosion in the engine room may have been responsible, or that the captain may have sailed too close to land in order to send a greeting message.
Worryingly, there are reports from passengers of unexplained delays in evacuation causing chaos and injury to some on board.
The maritime professionals’ union, Nautilus International, has said that this incident involving is the latest in a series that have highlighted its long-standing concerns over safety.
General secretary Mark Dickinson said: “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 more than 14,000 boxes onboard.
Insurers and salvors have also spoken about the way in which the sheer size and scale of such ships presents massive challenges for emergency services, evacuation, rescue, and salvage - and that we should not have to wait for a major disaster until these concerns are addressed.
The operator of the vessel, Costa Crociere, part of the Carnival Corp plc group, said in a statement that it is deeply saddened by the tragic event.
The damage to Carnival Corp is expected to be around the $85 - $95 million mark, or $0.11-$0.12 per share – and the ship is expected to be out of action for the rest of the year.
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