A natural reaction among cruisers is now "I won't cruise with Costa ever again!"
That is a totally legitimate way to think, but I disagree. The safest time ever to go on a cruise - with Costa or anyone else - is after a major accident. From now on - every shipping company will be on its toes when it comes to procedures, rules and regulations. There will be strict focus and port states will conduct more frequent inspections.
Another thing is how Costa Cruicero will deal with this situation. So far it seems caothic, but Costa is a major cruise company with a grand fleet of young ships. They have never made it this far if their attitude towards safety was the way it is presented in the press.
I'd board a Costa ship today and have no worries. As you say, if they had a pervasive breakdown in safety practices it would have become clear long ago. Every Italian officer I've ever met took their duties very seriously and it's a shame the press coverage is smearing them and Costa.
I just learned a Dutch company has been contracted to float the ship. They already have a team on-site doing assessments. Cruise Radio report
I'd board a Costa ship today and have no worries. As you say, if they had a pervasive breakdown in safety practices it would have become clear long ago. Every Italian officer I've ever met took their duties very seriously and it's a shame the press coverage is smearing them and Costa.
I just learned a Dutch company has been contracted to float the ship. They already have a team on-site doing assessments. Cruise Radio report
Smit is well known and has a very succesful record when it comes to salvage.
I don't know if you noticed, but last fall we had a fire with following listing on on of our coastal ships (combine cruise and cargo ships) and smit saved the vessel from capsizing but using butter as an initial emergency tool to stop the leak
Butter? Because it is pliable, water proof, and doesn't break down in cold water?
Yes, the same principle as greasing the propeller shafts to prevent water leaks. But of course only as a first aid tool to make time to come up with more permanent recovery materials.
Excerpt from the latest Costa statement: "Preliminary indications are that there may have been significant human error on the part of the ship's master ... which resulted in these grave consequences. The route of the vessel appears to have been too close to the shore, and in handling the emergency the captain appears not to have followed standard Costa procedures".
The Safety issues that have arisen in the course of recent events regarding the sinking of the Costa Concordia far exceed a simple "patch" of conducting Muster drills...rather they indicate an overall failure of quality within both their Officer Corps and their Crew. Not only does in appear that the decision making ability aboard the ship was poor but that there was a total lack of professionalism with regard to passenger safety and crew training. These issues cannot be and are not resolved by "muster drills"but rather they speak to the entire quality of that ship up the chain of command to the Executive Offices of the Costa Corporation itself.
It shall be sometime before I will entrust myself or My Loved Ones into the care of Costa Cruiselines....They need to institute some major changes in their standards of Professional Conduct of their Officer Corps, They need to implement immediate and timely retraining of their Designated Emergency Crew and Lifeboat Personnel and they need to establish an "In-House" Inspector General for Navigational and Ship's Safety!
And that...is only a beginning!!!
BillyBuzzy
Last edited by billybuzzy; 01-15-2012 at 04:09 PM.
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