Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

Current Events and Musings => News of the Day => Topic started by: MuffyBee on January 14, 2012, 05:20:31 PM



Title: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 14, 2012, 05:20:31 PM
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/reports-cruise-ship-aground-off-italy-dead-15359045
Ship Aground off Italy; 3 Bodies Found, 69 Missing
By FRANCES D'EMILIO and NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
January 14, 2012

(http://a.abcnews.com/images/International/ap_Italy_Cruise_ship_Aground_120114_wg.jpg)
A Carabinieri boat approaches the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia that ran aground the tiny Tuscan island of Giglio, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Divers have been searching the submerged part of a luxury cruise liner that went aground off the Italian coast in case any of 70 people unaccounted for might be trapped inside, a coast guard official said Saturday, as passengers described a delayed and terrifying evacuation.

Three bodies were recovered from the sea after the Costa Concordia ran aground off the tiny island of Giglio near the coast of Tuscany late Friday, tearing a 160-foot (50-meter) gash in its hull and sending in a rush of water. The ANSA new agency identified them as two French passengers and a Peruvian crew member but did not cite a source.

Passengers described a scene reminiscent of "Titanic", saying they escaped the ship by crawling along upended hallways, desperately trying to reach safety as the lights went out and plates and glasses crashed.
More...
(3 page article)
Edit to update number of dead or missing in subject line.  MB


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 14, 2012, 05:21:51 PM
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/14/us-italy-ship-captain-idUSTRE80D0QI20120114
Italy ship captain arrested on suspicion of manslaughter
January 14, 2012

(Reuters) - The captain of the Italian cruise liner that ran aground off Italy was arrested on suspicion of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship, police said Saturday.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 14, 2012, 05:24:04 PM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/14/italian-cruise-ship-disaster-titanic
Italian cruise ship disaster: 'Have you seen Titanic? That's what it was like'
As icy seawater began to swamp the Costa Concordia, passengers desperately scrambled down ropes to safety
January 14, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 14, 2012, 05:26:54 PM
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=it&tl=en&source=news&u=http://gaianews.it/attualita/nave-costa-naufraga-al-giglio-arrestato-capitano/id%3D16567
Costa ship wrecked on Giglio: Captain arrested
January 14, 2012

(http://gaianews.it/wp-content/uploads/costa_smeralda.jpg)

The Italian captain of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, which ran aground on the island of Giglio - killing three people and wounding 20 others - was arrested today and is under investigation for manslaughter and abandoning ship. He said the local prosecutor in Grosseto.

The captain, Francesco Schettino, had already been interrogated by investigators in Porto Santo Stefano on what happened when the Costa Concordia - with its 4,200 passengers - has hit the rocks in shallow waters off the coast of Tuscany, in peine Park of the Tuscan dell'Arcipelgo. Said Emilio Del Santo, an officer of the Coast Guard in Livorno.

In the early afternoon, the Port of Livorno Gaianews.it has confirmed that currently are 3 bodies recovered from the wreck of the Costa Concordia. The three dead were two French tourists and a crew member of Peru.

Reached by telephone, an officer of the Harbour has been said that are currently suspended search operations inside the vessel, after it has completely reversed on one side and partially sank. Even the divers, who had tried the night in bridges and flooded areas of the ship, broke off the search.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 14, 2012, 05:31:15 PM
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gRZIWyfwdsvTEhuf_9HxHti8joaw?docId=0b26cb0e5bba4c7b9162bc08c8a93490
Night of chaos, fear after cruise ship ran aground
By FRANCES D'EMILIO
January 14, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 14, 2012, 05:37:35 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/14/world/europe/italy-cruise-deaths/?hpt=hp_t1
Police arrest Italian captain of cruise ship that ran aground, killing 3
January 14, 2012

(http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120114055109-italy-ship-14-horizontal-gallery.jpg)
The Costa Concordia, owned by Genoa-based Costa Cruises, ran aground on a sand bank off the island of Giglio on Friday, January 13.

(http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120114055115-italy-ship-13-horizontal-gallery.jpg)
The ship has a breach on the hull of about 90 meters, according to Officer Emilio Del Santo of the Coastal Authorities of Livorno.

(http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120114110730-italy-ship-10-horizontal-gallery.jpg)
Costa says the emergency operation continues and is helping passengers and crew return home.
(http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120114102527-italy-ship-5-horizontal-gallery.jpg)
Italian police assist in the rescue after the cruise ship ran aground near the Italian island of Giglio.



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 14, 2012, 05:41:00 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/14/world/europe/italy-cruise-deaths/?hpt=hp_t1
Police arrest Italian captain of cruise ship that ran aground, killing 3
January 14, 2012
Continued from above post

(http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120114102906-italy-ship-3-horizontal-gallery.jpg)
The huge ship, which which is now lying on its side in shallow water, was carrying about 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members when it ran aground at about dinner time.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120114103821-italy-ship-9-horizontal-gallery.jpg (http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120114103821-italy-ship-9-horizontal-gallery.jpg)
Evacuation efforts started promptly but were made "extremely difficult" by the position of the listing ship.

(http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120114033649-costa-concordia-file-horizontal-gallery.jpg)
The Costa Concordia cruise ship is pictured in March 2009 in Civitavecchia, Rome's tourist port.

 ::snipping2::
The Concordia, built in 2006, was on a Mediterranean cruise from Rome with stops in Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Cagliari and Palermo, according to the cruise line. It was unclear how far into the cruise the grounding occurred.

Most of the passengers on board were Italian, as well as some French and German citizens. CNN affiliate America Noticias, in Peru, said a group of 32 Peruvians were also onboard. Brazil's state-run Agencia Brasil said 53 Brazilians were on the cruise ship: 47 passengers and six crew members, according to the foreign ministry. An estimated 126 Americans were also on board, according to the U.S. State Department. There were no reports of injured Americans.

The United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office was working with Italian authorities to identify British nationals on the cruise, a spokesman said.

Another Costa ship was involved in a deadly 2010 accident when the Costa Europa crashed into a pier in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh during stormy weather, killing three crew members.

Additional photos from slide show available at link.  Videos also at link.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 14, 2012, 06:53:18 PM
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57359310/wrecked-liners-captain-detained-by-police/
Wrecked liner's captain detained by police
January 14, 2012

(http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/01/14/concordia_620x350.jpg)
The captain of the Costa Concordia, Francesco Schettino, is shown being taken into police custody in Grosseto, Italy, January 14, 2012. Schettino has been detained for questioning following the ship's grounding at the island of Giglio off Italy's west coast. (EPA)

 ::snipping2::
The ANSA news agency said he was taken to Grosseto's jail, to be held until next week, when a judge will decide whether he should be released or formally put under arrest.

The courthouse was closed late Saturday and couldn't be reached.

In Italy, suspects can be held without charge for 48 hours for investigation. A judge must either validate the jailing, putting the suspect under arrest, or declare him free to go.

(Slide show with 44 slides at link: http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-505263_162-10011002.html )


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cookie on January 14, 2012, 09:50:56 PM
does not make me anxious to go on our cruise exactly 2 weeks from today.
scary!!!



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 15, 2012, 08:05:02 AM
does not make me anxious to go on our cruise exactly 2 weeks from today.
scary!!!



I hope you'll  feel more positive about your upcoming cruise.   It's something you should really enjoy.    ::MonkeyCool::    I have a feeling the cruise lines are going to be paying a lot of attention in the coming days and weeks to passenger safety and awareness.  I think it's always good to note the ship's layout, and find out information if you can for emergency procedures, such as where you should go and etc.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 15, 2012, 08:07:12 AM
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57359398/3rd-survivor-found-on-wrecked-cruise-ship/
3rd survivor found on wrecked cruise ship
January 15, 2012

(AP)

Last Updated 7:42 A.M. ET

GIGLIO, Italy (AP) — Firefighters worked Sunday to rescue a crew member with a suspected broken leg from the overturned hulk of the luxury cruise liner Costa Concordia, 36 hours after it ran aground.

Spokesman Luca Cari told The Associated Press that rescuers had spoken to the person inside the ship, an Italian working in cabin service, who is the third survivor to be found. Late Saturday a South Korean couple on their honeymoon were rescued when firefighters in the unsubmerged part of the ship heard their screams. They were hoisted to safety Sunday afternoon by helicopter.

Three people are confirmed dead after the huge cruise ship carrying more than 4,200 people ran aground on Friday night. Authorities were holding the captain for suspected manslaughter among other possible charges.
 ::snipping2::
talian officials have lowered the number of people still unaccounted for to 17. Tuscany's regional president Enrico Rossi said that there were now six crew members and 11 passengers who haven't been located out of the 4,200-plus people who were aboard the Costa Concordia when it struck a reef and capsized Friday night.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 15, 2012, 12:26:28 PM
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57359426/2-bodies-pulled-from-wrecked-cruise-ship/
2 bodies found on wrecked cruise ship
January 15, 2012

AP)

Last Updated 10:45 A.M. ET

GIGLIO, Italy (AP) — The Italian Coast Guard said its divers have found two more bodies aboard a stricken cruise ship off the west coast of Italy.

The discovery of the bodies brings to five the number of known dead after the luxury liner Costa Concordia ran aground with some 4,200 people aboard on Friday night.

The Coast Guard said Sunday the bodies of the two elderly people were found in the submerged restaurant.

Three survivors have been rescued from the hulk of a luxury liner Costa Concordia, after it ran aground off the island of Giglio, as prosecutors confirmed they were investigating the captain for manslaughter charges and abandoning the ship.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cookie on January 15, 2012, 05:00:01 PM
Muffers..I will enjoy the cruise...when was the last disaster like this that we can recall? All ana all cruises are generally safe.I would agree that the cruise lines will be talking safety to their crews. Even as often as I fly, I listen to the safety drill each and every time, count the seats to the emergency exit etc,,,I will for sure be at the cruise line safety demo even though I have seen it before.
Lucky that this cruise ship was so close to land or God forbid there could have more deaths...how frightening for these people.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 15, 2012, 07:18:52 PM
Muffers..I will enjoy the cruise...when was the last disaster like this that we can recall? All ana all cruises are generally safe.I would agree that the cruise lines will be talking safety to their crews. Even as often as I fly, I listen to the safety drill each and every time, count the seats to the emergency exit etc,,,I will for sure be at the cruise line safety demo even though I have seen it before.
Lucky that this cruise ship was so close to land or God forbid there could have more deaths...how frightening for these people.


I'm glad to hear you really listen when they run through the safety drills and you count the seats to exits when you fly.   ::rhino::  I'm like that too.  Same with hotels. I count the doors to the stairs etc. I had the experience of waking up at 5 a.m. in a hotel room on the second floor in Park City, Utah to the sound of a fire alarm.  My son and I got up and went downstairs.  There was a toaster on fire in the breakfast area.  I unplugged the toaster and holding it by the cord, threw it out a nearby door.  Then I went to help reopen all the fire  doors.  The desk clerk was so busy, because everyone was calling her.  They should have gotten up and come down stairs!!  My son and I were the ONLY ones that got up! 



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cookie on January 15, 2012, 07:34:03 PM
Muffers...no one else came down? What is wrong with people? Everyone should take fire alarms seriously...I always look for exit signs whenever I am in a crowded room especially. We were caught up in a horrible overcrowding one night at a nightclub..I seriously thought that I was not going to make it out alive....never again will I put myself in that position again...scary!



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 15, 2012, 07:43:15 PM
Muffers...no one else came down? What is wrong with people? Everyone should take fire alarms seriously...I always look for exit signs whenever I am in a crowded room especially. We were caught up in a horrible overcrowding one night at a nightclub..I seriously thought that I was not going to make it out alive....never again will I put myself in that position again...scary!



Crowded nightclubs are another potential for disaster.  I remember The Station nightclub fire, where 100 people perished.   ::MonkeyNoNo:: 

I think when the Costa Cordia went aground, it had potential to be much worse as we discussed earlier.  You're right, it's good it was near to shore. 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 15, 2012, 08:26:34 PM
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-italy-cruise-ship-20120116,0,4403679.story
Italy cruise ship death toll rises to 5 as search continues
Two men's bodies are found in the submerged lower levels of the Costa Concordia, and 15 people remain missing. The ship's captain remains in custody as an investigation begins.
By Sarah Delaney - LA Times
January 16, 2012

(http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2012-01/67399468.jpg)
Italian scuba divers approach the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia as rescue efforts continue for the 15 people still missing. (Gregorio Borgia, Associated Press / January 15, 2012)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cookie on January 15, 2012, 08:34:25 PM
So sad..
I don't understand how this happened..why were they so close to shore? There should have been a huge crew with the captain to help maneuver that huge ship.. none of them noticed?


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 15, 2012, 09:30:54 PM
So sad..
I don't understand how this happened..why were they so close to shore? There should have been a huge crew with the captain to help maneuver that huge ship.. none of them noticed?


The investigation is still ongoing and I hope we learn more soon. I've seen various theories, from possible steering problems to the Captain saying the rock he hit wasn't on the charts as to why the ship ran aground. 

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-italy-cruise-ship-20120116,0,4403679.story

 ::snipping2::
Authorities were evaluating the hypothesis that the ship's 52-year-old captain, Francesco Schettino, had steered the ship too close to the island to take a "bow," or salute its residents, an apparently common practice by cruise ships aiming to thrill their passengers, according to news reports.

The ship's black box was retrieved and was being examined to ascertain how the decision was made to bring the ship within about 300 yards of the rocky coast on its way from Civitavecchia to Savona, port cities on Italy's western coast.

Chief investigating magistrate Francesco Verusio of Grosseto said the captain had intentionally taken the nearly 1,000-foot, 126,000-ton vessel on "a route that it shouldn't have," bringing the ship too close to the rocks.

 ::snipping2::

Schettino, who the cruise company said had been a captain since 2006, has said that he steered the ship on an authorized path but that it ran onto rocks that weren't marked on maritime charts, an account authorities immediately disputed.

 ::snipping2::
Some commentators said on Italian television that although the captain apparently had made a grievous error by bringing the ship too close to the rocky island, he had probably saved hundreds of lives by steering it back to the port of Giglio, a move that facilitated rescue operations.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 16, 2012, 10:26:25 AM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9017591/Cruise-disaster-Costa-Concordia-owners-accuse-captain.html
Cruise disaster: Costa Concordia owners accuse captain
The owner of the stricken Costa Concordia has blamed the captain for the accident, accusing him of negligence that led directly to the disaster in which at least six people died.
By Nick Squires, on Giglio
January 16, 2012

(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02110/Costa-Concordia-ma_2110352c.jpg)

(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02110/Concordia-rock_2110023c.jpg)
A rock emerges from the hull of the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia (AP)

(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02110/Concordia-underwat_2110005c.jpg)
An underwater photograph of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that sank off the coast of the island of Giglio (EPA)

 ::snipping2::
The death toll from Friday night's disaster, one of the worst in the cruise industry's recent history, rose to six today after rescuers discovered three more victims, including the bodies of two elderly men wearing life vests inside the vessel. A further 15 people remained missing.
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 16, 2012, 04:53:04 PM
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5in3Q11Q43M2FkDrkBXjrWDIdxj7w?docId=52a1cf551a1644f0a2efd13d0d803972
Officials: 29 people missing from Italian ship
January 16, 2012

ROME (AP) — Italian coast guard officials say the number of people missing from the shipwrecked Costa Concordia cruise liner has risen to 29.

A top coast guard official, Marco Brusco, said on state TV that 25 passengers and four crew members are unaccounted for three days after the ship crashed into a reef off the Tuscan coast and capsized.

Earlier in the day that number stood at 16.

Brusco didn't immediately explain the rise.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 16, 2012, 05:06:05 PM
I would consider this speculation until the investigation is complete.  JMHO

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-incidents/preplanned-cruise-stunt-flagged-on-facebook-20120117-1q3n7.html
'Pre-planned' cruise stunt flagged on Facebook
Megan Levy
January 17, 2012

The captain of a luxury cruise liner that capsized off Italy's coast may have steered the ship too close to shore so that its head waiter could salute his family in a pre-planned stunt that was posted on Facebook.

Just minutes before the Costa Concordia struck rocks and began taking on water, the head waiter's sister updated her Facebook status to say: "In a short period of time the Concordia ship will pass very close. A big greeting to my brother who finally gets to have a holiday on landing in Savona.
'Pre-planned' cruise stunt flagged on Facebook
Megan Levy
January 17, 2012 - 7:39AM

Italy cruise CEO blames disaster on 'human error'

Carnival Corp, the owner of the cruise ship that capsized off Italy's west coast, says the captain did not follow the authorised route which is used by Costa ships.


The captain of a luxury cruise liner that capsized off Italy's coast may have steered the ship too close to shore so that its head waiter could salute his family in a pre-planned stunt that was posted on Facebook.

Just minutes before the Costa Concordia struck rocks and began taking on water, the head waiter's sister updated her Facebook status to say: "In a short period of time the Concordia ship will pass very close. A big greeting to my brother who finally gets to have a holiday on landing in Savona."


At least six people were killed in the accident, with 14 people still missing and fears that a fuel leak could cause an ecological disaster in the area.

Captain Francesco Schettino, 52, reportedly invited the head waiter, Antonello Tievoli, on to the bridge as he steered the vessel towards the coast of Giglio on Friday night.

"Come and see, Antonello, we're right in front of Giglio," the captain told Mr Tievoli shortly before the crash, according to Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper.
 ::snipping2::
(http://images.smh.com.au/2012/01/17/2897440/concordia-facebook-729-2-420x0.jpg)
 ::snipping2::
Captain Schettino may have performed the sail-past also as a salute to an old colleague, a former admiral from the cruise line, who was not even on Giglio on Friday night.

Claims have emerged that a similarly close "sail-past" last year prompted a mayor to send a congratulatory email to the captain for helping entertain the island's tourists.
 ::snipping2::

(http://images.smh.com.au/2012/01/17/2897351/art-boat8-420x0.jpg)
Underwater chaos ... A diver makes his way through floating pieces of furniture inside the cruise ship. Photo: AP

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 16, 2012, 06:24:20 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2012/01/16/how-to-pick-cruise-line-for-safety/
How to pick a cruise line for safety
By Paul Motter
January 16, 2012

 ::snipping2:: ...International maritime law says a ship must hold its muster drill within 24 hours of sail-away. There are cruise lines that conduct it before the cruise even begins. Although it did nothing illegal, Concordia proved it is possible to have a life or death event long before the 24-hour limit expires.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: jamcakes on January 16, 2012, 06:51:27 PM
I don't know if it was mentioned, but The Achille Lauro was also a Costa Cruise Line ship.

 ::MonkeyNoNo::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 16, 2012, 06:52:56 PM
I don't know if it was mentioned, but The Achille Lauro was also a Costa Cruise Line ship.

 ::MonkeyNoNo::

That's very sad jamcakes.  I didn't know that.   ::MonkeyNoNo::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 16, 2012, 06:55:23 PM
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-16/costa-races-to-remove-fuel-avoid-oil-spill-from-stricken-ship.html
Costa Races to Remove Fuel, Avoid Oil Spill From Stricken Ship
By Alessandra Migliaccio and Marco Bertacche
January 16, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cw618 on January 16, 2012, 06:58:02 PM
Luxury cruise ship runs aground
76 img
http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-505263_162-10011002.html?tag=page




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cookie on January 16, 2012, 07:41:06 PM
Luxury cruise ship runs aground
76 img
http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-505263_162-10011002.html?tag=page





thanks...

I sure hope that they do not give up on survivors on this ship..there could be people trapped waiting to be rescued..


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 16, 2012, 09:41:57 PM
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpps/news/captain-didnt-respond-to-rescue-order-dpgonc-20110116-to_17112557
Ship's Captain Reportedly Didn't Respond to Italian Official's Rescue Order
January 16, 2012

(AFP) - The captain of a luxury liner that hit a rock and keeled over off the coast of Tuscany, killing at least six, did not respond to an order to return on board to oversee rescue operations, according to a taped telephone conversation released Monday.

ANSA news agency said Francesco Schettino, captain of the Costa Concordia, was evasive when ordered by a port official to supervise the rescue hours after the disaster Friday while several hundred people were still trapped on board.
 ::snipping2::
ANSA also said there was a kind of "mutiny" among the crew which decided on an evacuation before being given formal orders by the captain.
Schettino was arrested on Saturday along with first officer Ciro Ambrosio. They face possible charges of homicide and abandoning ship before all the passengers were rescued.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 16, 2012, 10:13:01 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/16/world/europe/italy-cruise-main/?hpt=hp_t2
Italian cruise ship captain to be questioned; 29 remain missing
By Dan Rivers, CNN
January 16, 2012

Giglio, Italy (CNN) -- The captain of the cruise ship that wrecked off Italy's western coast will be questioned by authorities Tuesday at a hearing, his attorney said.

Francesco Schettino is under arrest and may face charges that include manslaughter, shipwreck, and abandoning a ship when passengers were still on board, according to Italian prosecutor Francesco Verusio.

Schettino could face up to 15 years in prison, he said.

At the closed hearing, a preliminary investigation judge will decide whether Schettino will remain detained. The captain has not yet been questioned, but more than 100 witnesses, including passengers and crew, have been interviewed, the prosecutor said.

The captain's attorney, Bruno Leporatti, said in a statement Monday that Schettino was "shattered, dismayed, saddened for the loss of lives and strongly disturbed."

But, he said, Schettino is "nonetheless comforted by the fact that he maintained during those moments the necessary lucidity to put in place a difficult emergency maneuver ... bringing the ship to shallow waters." That move, Leporatti said, saved the lives of many passengers and crew members.

Italian prosecutors have ruled out a technical error as the cause of the incident, saying the captain was on the bridge at the time and had made a "grave error."
 ::snipping2::
Prosecutors are examining the ship's data recorder and expect to have results within days, Verusio said.

They are also considering whether others may share responsibility for the crash with the captain.

Foschi placed blame for the wreck squarely on the captain, however, saying Schettino had deviated from frequently traveled routes.

"The captain decided to change the route and he went into water that he did not know in advance," Foschi said.

He said the company was limited in its ability to investigate the incident because it did not have the data recorder.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 17, 2012, 09:59:40 AM
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/transcript-italian-cruise-captain-ordered-back-boat/story?id=15376951
Cruise Transcript: 'Get Back on Board for [Expletive] Sake!'
January 17, 2012

Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 17, 2012, 10:02:46 AM
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/01/16/missing-raised-to-2-in-italian-cruise-disaster/
5 More Bodies Reportedly Found in Wrecked Italian Cruise Ship
January 17, 2012

Five more bodies have been found in the capsized cruise ship off the coast of Italy, Sky News reports, bringing the death toll to 11.

Teams have been searching the ship for passengers and crew missing since the Costa Concordia struck rocks Friday evening and capsized. Rescuers exploded four holes in the hull of the ship earlier Tuesday to gain easier access to areas that had not yet been searched.

Before the latest find, 29 people from the cruise ship were still missing. Officials said the missing included 14 Germans, six Italians, four French, two Americans, one Hungarian, one Indian and one Peruvian.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 17, 2012, 08:26:02 PM
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57360077/5-more-bodies-found-on-costa-concordia/
5 more bodies found on Costa Concordia
January 17, 2012

ROME - Five more bodies were pulled Tuesday from the wreckage of a crippled cruise ship off Tuscany
, and a shocking audio emerged in which the ship's captain was heard making excuses as the Italian coast guard repeatedly ordered him to return to oversee his ship's evacuation.
 ::snipping2::
The death toll nearly doubled to 11 on Tuesday when divers extracted five more bodies, all of them adults wearing life jackets, from the rear of the ship near an emergency evacuation point, according to Italian Coast Guard Cmdr. Cosimo Nicastro. He said they were thought to have been passengers.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 18, 2012, 12:17:36 AM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16604154
Concordia disaster: House arrest for Captain Schettino
January 17, 2012


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 18, 2012, 12:24:30 PM
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-18/concordia-captain-took-ship-off-route-document-shows.html
Concordia Captain Took Ship Off Route, Document Shows
By Chiara Vasarri and Marco Bertacche
January 18, 2012

Jan. 18 (Bloomberg) -- The captain of a Carnival Corp. ship that ran aground off Italy told a judge yesterday that he made a mistake by steering too close to Giglio island, according to a court document obtained by Bloomberg News.

Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia, failed to promptly advise the Italian Coast guard after he struck rocks along the coast and later allegedly abandoned the ship carrying 4,200 passengers and crew with at least 100 people still aboard, according to yesterday’s ruling by Judge Valeria Montesarchio putting him under house arrest. She rejected the prosecutor’s request to keep him in jail.

“The captain has always been there in front of his ship, albeit on the shore, to coordinate operations,” Bruno Leporatti, Schettino’s lawyer, said at a press conference today broadcast by SkyTG24. Schettino said he made an emergency maneuver after hitting the rocks to prevent the ship from heading out to sea and sinking, according to the document.

Judge Montesarchio said the 51-year-old captain admitted that he deviated from the ship’s programmed route, coming 0.28 nautical miles from the coast. He then allegedly refused pleas from a Coast Guard official to return to the ship, the document shows. He “underestimated the damage” and gave the evacuation order more than an hour after the ship hit rocks by the island, delaying rescue operations, according to the document.
 ::snipping2::
Judge Montesarchio said the 51-year-old captain admitted that he deviated from the ship’s programmed route, coming 0.28 nautical miles from the coast. He then allegedly refused pleas from a Coast Guard official to return to the ship, the document shows. He “underestimated the damage” and gave the evacuation order more than an hour after the ship hit rocks by the island, delaying rescue operations, according to the document.
 ::snipping2::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 18, 2012, 02:11:02 PM
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/18/us-italy-ship-idUSTRE80D08220120118
Divers suspend search of capsized Italy liner
By Steve Scherer and Gabriele Pileri
January 18, 2012

(Reuters) - Divers searching the capsized Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia suspended work on Wednesday after the vast wreck shifted by more than a meter, delaying plans to remove the oil from the liner to prevent a possible environmental disaster.
 ::snipping2::
The search was suspended all day on Wednesday after the ship slipped by some 1.5 meters. As darkness fell, a spokesman said it had stabilized but it was unclear if the search would resume before Thursday morning.
 ::snipping2::
Until the order was given to suspend work, divers had been preparing to resume the difficult and dangerous search of partly submerged areas of the giant ship after entries are blasted with explosives.

"The visibility is awful. Yesterday I couldn't see my hand in front of my face," said Giuseppe Minciotti, one of the specialist diving team deployed on the wreck.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cookie on January 18, 2012, 02:30:13 PM
I sure hope that they have checked every single cabin for possible survivors before suspending the search...people have survived being buried in earthquakes days longer than this has been....sad...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 18, 2012, 03:49:49 PM
I sure hope that they have checked every single cabin for possible survivors before suspending the search...people have survived being buried in earthquakes days longer than this has been....sad...

Cookie, the searchers have only been able to fully search the areas of the ship that aren't submerged.  They haven't been able to get to all the places in the ship that are underwater.  They've been using rescue cave-divers for some of the searching, and made holes in the side of the ship to try to find people.  It's really sad.   ::MonkeyNoNo::  It's cold and dark and very, very dangerous in the submerged areas, with all the debris and etc.  I don't think they are suspending the search lightly, but the ship moved again, and it endangers the divers too.   ::MonkeyNoNo::  This is just terrible for the families and friends of the missing too. 



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 18, 2012, 04:20:36 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9023199/Costa-Concordia-Captain-Francesco-Schettinos-home-town-comes-out-to-support-him.html
Costa Concordia: Captain Francesco Schettino's home town comes out to support him
Inhabitants of Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino's picturesque home town became his most vociferous supporters on Wednesday as he returned to their midst under house arrest.
By Victoria Ward, Meta di Sorrento
January 18, 2012


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 18, 2012, 04:24:00 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9022477/Costa-Concordia-Italians-buy-t-shirts-with-Get-back-on-board-for-s-sake-logo.html
Costa Concordia: Italians buy t-shirts with 'Get back on board, for ----’s sake!' logo

Italians show anger at the Costa Concordia cruise ship captain, Francesco Schettino, with t-shirts screaming "Get back on board, for ----’s sake!" and the creation of Facebook pages and Twitter hashtags.
By Nick Squires, Giglio and Victoria Ward in Sorrento
January 18, 2012

 ::snipping2::
“Get back on board, for ----’s sake,” screamed the official, Gregorio De Falco – a phrase that has now gone viral among Italians on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites.
The original Italian – “Vado a bordo, cazzo” – has even been printed on T-shirts, after millions of Italians listened to the audio recordings of the increasingly frantic entreaties given by Mr De Falco to the captain as the ship ran aground on the island of Giglio on Friday night
 ::snipping2::
The top twitter trend in Italy is now #vadaabordocazzo.

Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 18, 2012, 06:03:35 PM
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204468004577168762570407898.html
Italy Looks Into Captain's Phone Calls
Skipper of Costa Concordia Called Cruise Operator in Hour Between Hitting Rocks, Sounding Evacuation
By STACY MEICHTRY
January 18, 2012

(http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-RK732_0118it_G_20120118115844.jpg) Reuters
The luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia is shown run aground off the coast of Giglio in this satellite photo.




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 18, 2012, 06:11:21 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16606405
Costa Concordia: Search suspended after ship shifts
January 18, 2012

Officials are hoping to begin salvage work soon, including pumping oil off the wreck, as hopes fade of finding any more survivors.

Twenty-three people are missing, and 11 confirmed dead, after the huge ship crashed into rocks on Friday.

There are fears the vessel might slip into deeper water off the Tuscan coast.

"Instruments indicated the ship had moved. We are in the process of evaluating if it has found a new resting point to allow us to resume," fire department spokesman Luca Cari said
 ::snipping2::
(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/57961000/gif/_57961572_costa_concordia_ledge.gif)
 ::snipping2::
Costa Crociere has said that on Friday Capt Schettino diverted from the normal route to sail close to Giglio.

Meanwhile, satellite tracking information given to the BBC by the shipping journal Lloyd's List Intelligence shows the Costa Concordia had sailed even closer to the island on a cruise last August.

(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/57954000/jpg/_57954552_jex_1292808_de27-1.jpg)
Newsnight examines the route taken by the Costa Concordia last August and on Friday

Lloyd's List told the BBC that the vessel passed within 230m of the island on 14 August 2011 to mark La Notte di San Lorenzo - the night of the shooting stars festival on the island.

The route deviation on that occasion had apparently been authorised by Costa Crociere.

The company said on Monday that the ship was never closer than 500m to the coast when it passed on 14 August.

Lloyd's List describes that occasion as a "near miss" and says the ship's route would have been less than 200m away from the point of collision on Friday's voyage.

Costa Crociere said on Monday that the route deviation last Friday had been "unauthorised, unapproved and unknown to Costa".

But Richard Meade, editor of Lloyd's List, said: "The company's account of what happened, of the rogue master [Capt Schettino] taking a bad decision, isn't quite as black and white as they presented originally."

"This ship took a very similar route only a few months previously and the master would have known that."

Costa Crociere says it is looking into the claims, but stands by the statement it gave on Monday.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 18, 2012, 06:48:06 PM
http://www.ajc.com/travel/salvage-experts-weigh-the-1307163.html
Salvage experts weigh the options for Concordia
By Mike Corder
January 18, 2012

 ::snipping2::
The ship's owner and insurer have yet to decide which salvage company will be awarded the multimillion-dollar contract to remove the massive cruise ship, but experts are already speculating how the daunting task will be tackled.

"The scale of this vessel is unprecedented," former Smit executive Hans van Rooij told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "It's 290 meters (950 feet) long and 35 meters (115 feet) wide, so it's enormous."
 ::snipping2::
Van Rooij said there were really only two options for this salvage: Patch up the 50-meter (160-foot) gash in the Concordia's hull and attempt to refloat it, or carve up the liner where it lies into chunks small enough to be carried away on barges.

Refloating the ship would be the cleanest of the two options, but is extremely difficult because of the luxury liner's size, he said, adding that the ship had about 45,000 tons of steel alone.
Efforts to find those still missing from the Costa Concordia disaster and to begin pumping out the fuel were temporarily halted Wednesday after the vessel shifted slightly. It was not known when those efforts could restart. Weather forecasts predicted increasing waves in the area for Thursday.

In addition, rescue workers blew several small holes in the ship's hull this week, to speed their search for any survivors.

To refloat the stricken liner, salvage crews would likely use pulling barges strongly anchored to the sea bed and cables secured to the ship, Van Rooij said. They would likely also put cables on the land side of the ship to prevent its huge bulk from sliding toward the pulling barges as the vessel is righted.

But he said the forces involved in attempting to pull upright a ship built of tens of thousands of tons of steel make refloating the Concordia unlikely.

"Refloating would be the preferred method and everybody will look at it but I think it's very doubtful that will be the final method," Van Rooij said.

That means salvagers are more likely to cut up the ship where it lies, a process that risks releasing pollutants into the waters off picturesque Tuscan coast near a maritime sanctuary for dolphins, porpoises and whales.

Before the salvage can begin in earnest, the first step is to empty the ship of fuel, a risky operation aimed at averting an environmental catastrophe if the ship's fuel leaks.
 ::snipping2::
Whichever company and method of salvage is ultimately chosen, the Concordia itself — which boasts at least 10 decks and only came into service in 2006 — may never cruise again.

"In my opinion, from my experience, vessels in this position are most probably most times a total loss," Van Rooij said.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 18, 2012, 06:51:27 PM
http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/01/18/minnesota-couple-still-missing-after-costa-concordia-disaster/
Minnesota Couple Still Missing After Costa Concordia Disaster
By Samantha Grossman
January 18, 2012
(http://timenewsfeed.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/missingcouple.jpg?w=600&h=400&crop=1)
St. Pius X Church, Olan Mills Studios / AP
Jerry and Barbara Heil of White Bear Lake, Minn., are among those still missing after an Italian cruise ship capsized on Friday, Jan. 13


A Minnesota couple is among those still missing after the cruise ship Costa Concordia capsized off the coast of Italy, their family confirmed to the Associated Press.

Gerald and Barbara Heil, from White Bear Lake, Minn., are the two Americans missing of 25 passengers and crew members still unaccounted for. Friends and family have described the Heils as devout Catholics whose deep involvement in their local church has lasted nearly 40 years.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 18, 2012, 09:48:27 PM
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/drowned-violinist-doomed-italian-cruise-ship-costa-concordia-helped-children-safety-lost-article-1.1008315
Drowned violinist on doomed Italian cruise ship, the Costa Concordia, helped children to safety before he was lost
Musician returned to cabin to retieve his instrument and was never seen again
By Helen Kennedy / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
January 18, 2012

(http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1008312.1326939504!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/image.jpg)
Hungarian violinist Sándor Fehér, returned to cabin to retrieve instrument and was never seen again.


 ::snipping2::
Sandor Feher, a 38-year-old Hungarian, was working as a musician on the ship in a combo called the Bianco Trio.

In the chaos of the sinking Friday night, witnesses said he went back to his cabin to retrieve his beloved violin. He was never seen again.

His pal, pianist Jozsef Balog, told Hungary’s Blikk newspaper that he saw Feher help several crying children put on lifejackets before heading to his cabin for his instrument.

Feher’s mother traveled to Italy to identify his body, the government of Hungary said.
In a YouTube video he posted last month, Feher said he was available to teach violin anywhere in the world and had a great system for teaching children.

“I would like teach in other countries out of Europe and use this amazing new system for the next generation of violin players,” he says in the video.

 ::snipping2::
Another musician, Italian rock drummer Giuseppe Girolamo, is among the two dozen people still missing. He reportedly gave up his seat in a lifeboat to a child before vanishing into the crowd on deck.
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 18, 2012, 09:55:03 PM
https://twitter.com/#!/usatodaygreen (https://twitter.com/#!/usatodaygreen)

usatodaygreen Wendy Koch
Costa Concordia's crash poses environmental risks in Mediterranean's largest marine sanctuary. usat.ly/yfhUxH (http://usat.ly/yfhUxH) via @USATODAY
5 hours ago

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2012/01/costa-concordias-fuel-poses-environmental-risks/1
Costa Concordia's capsizing poses environmental risks
By Wendy Koch/ USA today
January 18, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 18, 2012, 11:06:15 PM
A very sad article, and if read in it's entirety explains the difficulty and danger for those searching. 

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/italy-passenger-ship-costa-concordias-dining-room-a-watery-grave/story-fnb64oi6-1226248414716
Italy passenger ship Costa Concordia's dining room a watery grave
By James Bone/The Times
January 19, 2012

THE restaurant at the stern of Costa Concordia became a watery grave for passengers who were enjoying a gala dinner hours after leaving port.

At least five of the 11 bodies recovered by divers so far have been found in the restaurant on Deck 4, and two others were discovered near by.

The men were wearing jackets and ties for dinner, and had put on lifejackets after realising that they were in danger.

The restaurant now lies in 20m of water.

Rescuers believe that the passengers, preparing to evacuate, slipped as the ship overturned and filled with water.

Divers, working in the dark with head-mounted lights, expect to find more bodies there.
 ::snipping2::
Although the first three bodies recovered were all people who had jumped from the capsized vessel, rescuers say that the bodies of others who may have drowned would not be expected to surface for several days.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 18, 2012, 11:10:51 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/19/world/europe/cruise-lines-use-law-and-contracts-to-limit-liability.html
Cruise Lines Use Law and Contracts to Limit Liability
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
January 18, 2012

 ::snipping2::
An Italian consumer and environmental group, Codacons, has announced that it is preparing a class-action lawsuit and that more than 70 passengers who were on board the ship that ran aground late Friday off the Tuscany coast have already signed on as plaintiffs. Other suits are sure to come.

Anyone trying to sue Costa Concodia’s corporate parent, Carnival Cruise Lines, though, will find that the company is stoutly protected by international law and by a carefully worded contract that passengers accept when they buy their tickets.

For its part, the company is heaping blame on the ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, calling the accident “human error” and contending that the captain diverted the ship from its authorized route. The company, based in Miami, did not respond to requests for comment for this article.

Such forceful criticism of the captain may be intended to help the company avoid liability under international agreements like the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims. The convention is referred to on the Web site of the International Maritime Organization as “a virtually unbreakable system of limiting liability” for the owners of ships after accidents.

That limitation on liability can be set aside in cases of egregious acts by the vessel’s owner, in the language of the convention, if “it is proved that the loss resulted from his personal act or omission, committed with the intent to cause such a loss, or recklessly and with knowledge that such loss would probably result.”
 ::snipping2::
Cruise contracts are notoriously restrictive regarding the rights of passengers, and Costa’s 6,400-word contract is no exception. The Costa contract sharply limits the kinds of lawsuits that can be brought, where those suits can be brought and how much the company can be made to pay. All such provisions have been upheld in the courts of the United States, he said.

Costa’s contract states that the line will pay no more in cases of death, personal injury and property loss than about $71,000 per passenger. It allows no recovery for mental anguish or psychological damages. It bars class-action suits.

“If you read this cruise line ticket, and it doesn’t make your stomach turn, it should,” Mr. McGill said.

For cruises that do not involve a United States port, the contract states, any litigation must be brought in Genoa, Italy, and be governed by Italian law. But when it comes to liability, the contract says the company can take advantage of any limits set by international treaties or the laws of the United States, which are very generous to owners of vessels. If there is a conflict among the patchwork of laws and treaties regarding liability, it says, “the Carrier shall be entitled to invoke whichever provisions provide the greatest limitations and immunities to the Carrier.”
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 18, 2012, 11:38:49 PM
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/18/world/europe/italy-cruise-main/?hpt=hp_t2
Hungarian listed among cruise ship dead
January 19, 2012

Giglio, Italy (CNN) -- A Hungarian was among at least 11 people who died after the cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground and rolled on its side last week off a Tuscan island, officials said Wednesday.

The mayor's office in Grosseto, the provincial capital, identified the victim as Sandor Feher, a member of the crew. His body was one of five recovered Tuesday.
 ::snipping2::
Rescue crews suspended operations Wednesday as the ship began to move, the Italian coast guard said. The search for survivors has been halted and restarted several times.

The family of two missing Americans, Gerald and Barbara Heil of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, said it was thankful for perilous attempts to find those still unaccounted for.

"While it is certainly hard for us to see the recovery efforts stall due to the unstable conditions ... we are also very concerned for the safety of the Italian coast guard as they continue to put forth a heroic effort in trying to find those who remain missing," relatives wrote.

Experts say chances of finding survivors are slim.
"I think you have to look at several issues. One is just the hypothermia. If a compartment is flooded, even if there was air, at this point, most of them would have succumbed to the hypothermic problem of the water temperature," said Butch Hendrick, president of the diving safety company Lifeguard Systems.
 ::snipping2::
Kevin Rebello, whose brother Russel was a member of the crew, refused to give up hope. His brother was last seen helping passengers into lifeboats Friday night.

"Miracles do happen and let's keep hope. I'm not here to lose hope," Kevin Rebello said.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 18, 2012, 11:46:09 PM
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/tales-emerge-missing-dead-ship-disaster-15390817
Tales Emerge of Missing and Dead in Ship Disaster
By COLLEEN BARRY and NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
January 19, 2012

(3 page article)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cookie on January 19, 2012, 09:09:30 AM
so horrible!  prayers for all the rescue workers..


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 19, 2012, 10:03:41 AM
Valuable time wasted.  Help could have started on it's way.  Lives could have been saved.  Thirty minutes after the ship hit the reef.   ::MonkeyNoNo::  The crew started lowering lifeboats themselves, even though the captain hadn't ordered it. People may have been able to evacuate before the ship tilted.  Lives lost needlessly.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iK5v3B6VZsCV0G5i5vEEztyfPVDg?docId=df32e5c96ad64fb5bdbe437df79bbf27

ROME (AP) — A new audiotape emerged Thursday of the first contact between Livorno port officials and the Costa Concordia — and the captain is heard insisting that his cruise ship only had a blackout a full 30 minutes after it had rammed into a reef.
 ::snipping2::
The recording between Schettino and port officials began at 10:12 p.m. Friday, more than 30 minutes after the ship violently hit a reef and panicked passengers had fled the dining room to get their lifejackets.
 ::snipping2::
In a new recording released Thursday, the first communication between the ship and Livorno port authorities, Schettino is heard assuring the officer that he was checking out the reasons for the blackout. But he doesn't volunteer that the ship had hit a reef.

Rather, the port officer tells Schettino that his agency had heard from a relative of one of ship's sailors that "during dinner everything fell on their heads." That was an apparent reference to the plates and glasses that slammed down onto passengers in the main dining room.

"We are verifying the conditions on board," Schettino replies. Asked if passengers had been told to put on life jackets, he responds: "Correct."
 ::snipping2::
Divers, meanwhile, restarted the search Thursday for those still missing, but a forecast of rough seas added uncertainty to the operation and to plans to begin pumping fuel from the stranded vessel.

The divers were focusing on an evacuation route on the fourth level, now about 18 meters (60 feet) below the water's surface, where five bodies were found earlier this week, Navy spokesman Alessandro Busonero told Sky TG 24. Crews set off small explosions to blow holes into hard-to-reach areas for easier access by divers.
 ::snipping2::
Crew members returning home have begun speaking out about the chaotic evacuation, saying the captain sounded the alarm too late and didn't give orders or instructions about how to evacuate passengers. Eventually, crew members started lowering lifeboats on their own.

"They asked us to make announcements to say that it was electrical problems and that our technicians were working on it and to not panic," French steward Thibault Francois told France-2 television Thursday. "I told myself this doesn't sound good."

He said the captain took too long to react and that eventually his boss told him to start escorting passengers to lifeboats. "No, there were no orders from the management," he said.


Indian ship waiter Mukesh Kumar said "the emergency alarm was sounded very late," only after the ship "started tilting and water started seeping" in.
 ::snipping2::
The ship shook for a while, and then the crockery stated falling all over," said Indian Kandari Surjan Singh, who worked in the ship's galley. "People started panicking. Then the captain ordered that everything is under control and said it was a normal electric fault ... so people calmed down after that.
"
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 19, 2012, 10:08:33 AM
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/01/19/captain-in-cruise-ship-disaster-says-fell-out-ship-during-evacuation/
Costa Concordia captain reportedly seen dining with mystery woman before deadly crash
January 19, 2012

The search for 21 people still missing in the Costa Concordia shipwreck resumed Thursday amid reports the captain was seen dining with a mystery woman -- who may have been onboard illegally -- shortly before the liner crashed off the Italian coast.

The woman is believed to be Domnica Cemortan, a 25-year-old Moldovan, thought to be the same blonde woman seen dining with Capt. Francesco Schettino at around 9:00 p.m. Friday, just under half an hour before the ship crashed into a reef, killing at least 11 people, the Italian newspaper Il Secolo reported Thursday.
Cemortan, who may have been a guest of either Schettino or another officer, may emerge as a key witness to Friday night's events, though Italian prosecutors have not confirmed any reports about her.

Cemortan does not appear on any official passenger or crew lists, and reportedly told Romanian newspaper Adevarul that she believed Schettino, who is accused of manslaughter and abandoning ship, saved thousands of lives.
 ::snipping2::
Also Thursday, seven of the dead were identified by authorities: French passengers Jeanne Gannard, Pierre Gregoire, Francis Servil, 71, and Jean-Pierre Micheaud, 61; Peruvian crew member Thomas Alberto Costilla Mendoza; Spanish passenger Guillermo Gual, 68, and Italian passenger Giovanni Masia, who news reports said would have turned 86 next week and was buried in Sardinia on Thursday.

Italian authorities have identified 32 people who have either died or are missing: 12 Germans, seven Italians, six French, two Peruvians, two Americans and one person each from Hungary, India and Spain.

Authorities on Wednesday identified the first victim: Sandor Feher, a 38-year-old Hungarian musician working aboard, who a fellow musician said helped crying children into lifejackets, then disappeared while trying to retrieve his beloved violin from his cabin.
 ::snipping2::
Among the missing are an Italian father and his 5-year-old daughter. The girl's mother issued a fresh appeal to speed the search and for passengers who saw the pair to come forward to help determine where they were last seen.
 ::snipping2::
William Arlotti, 36, had taken his daughter on the cruise with his girlfriend, Michela Marconcelli, who survived. She reported seeing Dayana, who was wearing a lifejacket, slide into the water when the boat shifted, but said someone helped retrieve her, the newspaper reported.

Marconcelli said she was pushed forward onto the life raft, and lost track of her companion and his daughter.

Other missing include retirees Jerry and Barbara Heil of White Bear Lake, Minn.. The couple were treating themselves after putting four children through college.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 19, 2012, 05:34:51 PM
This article gives a good description of how some worked together to help get people off the ship.  It becomes more and more apparent to me there was precious time wasted by the Captain failing to give orders immediately after the ship grounded.  There was time before the ship started listing to get people off the ship.   If there had been someone to take charge...   Once it listed and the corridors filled with water and etc., it must have been so terrible for the passengers and crew!!  The captain would have known his ship the best.  Where was he?  Thank goodness the leaders of the town and others stepped up to help organize removal of the folks on the ship, or it could have been so much worse.  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16638399
Costa Concordia: Giglio official 'never saw Schettino'
January 19, 2012

As the Costa Concordia was sinking, the deputy mayor of the Tuscan island of Giglio, Mario Pellegrini, went on board to join the rescue effort. He told Outlook on the BBC World Service how he reacted when he realised the ship was in trouble.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 19, 2012, 07:27:27 PM
OMGOSH!!!   ::MonkeyEek::  If this is true, I wish the Captain had choked on his dinner.   ::MonkeyNoNo::  We've heard the saying "Nero Fiddled While Rome Burned"?  I'm thinking of the terror the passengers and crew went through and the number dead and missing.   ::MonkeyNoNo::  The Captain ordered dinner after the ship struck rock?   ::MonkeyShocked::

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/19/world/europe/italy-cruise-cook/index.html
Cruise ship's cook says captain ordered dinner after crash
January 19, 2012

(CNN) -- The captain of the Costa Concordia ordered dinner for himself and a woman after the ship struck rocks off Italy's coast, a cook from the ship told a Filipino television station.

In an interview with GMA Network, cook Rogelio Barista said Capt. Francesco Schettino ordered dinner less than an hour after the accident.

"We wondered what was going on. ... At that time, we really felt something was wrong. ... The stuff in the kitchen was falling off shelves and we realized how grave the situation was," Barista told GMA.

Schettino ordered dinner around 10:30 p.m. Friday, Barista said. Authorities say the ship struck the rocks at 9:41 p.m.

 ::snipping2::
Coast guard records published Thursday by an Italian newspaper pile further pressure on the captain of the Concordia and his officers, suggesting that the authorities first became aware of the crash from a friend of the mother of a passenger about 15 minutes after the ship hit rocks.

Schettino's brother-in-law defended him in an Italian newspaper Thursday.

Schettino "managed to avoid a tragedy -- it could have been worse," Maurilio Russo said in Corriere della Sera.

And he denied that the captain had abandoned ship.

"He was not running away, he came down (from the ship) to survey the damage," Russo said.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 19, 2012, 07:42:34 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/carnival-corp-calls-for-companywide-safety-review-of-all-10-cruise-lines-after-italy-accident/2012/01/19/gIQAZVR0BQ_story.html
Carnival Corp. calls for companywide safety review of all 10 cruise lines after Italy accident
January 19, 2012

MIAMI — Carnival Corp., the parent company of Costa Cruises, has announced a comprehensive audit and review of all safety and emergency response procedures across all 10 of the company’s cruise lines.

Carnival CEO Micky Arison said in a news release Thursday that last week’s accident of the Costa Concordia in Italy has called into question the company’s safety and emergency response procedures and practices. He says the review will make sure a similar accident doesn’t happen again.
 ::snipping2::


http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-19/carnival-suspends-some-cruise-marketing-sets-ship-safety-review.html
Carnival Suspends Some Cruise Marketing, Sets Ship Safety Review
By Andy Fixmer and Beth Jinks
January 19, 2012

Jan. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Carnival Corp., owner of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground last week, halted advertising for its Carnival Cruise Lines and will conduct a review of safety procedures in the aftermath of the accident.

Carnival, owner of the Costa fleet, suspended broadcast, digital and direct-mail marketing for its namesake line “for the time being,” Vance Gulliksen, a company spokesman, said yesterday in an e-mail. Eleven people were reported dead in the Jan. 13 accident off the coast of Italy, with 20 still missing.

Captain James Hunn, a retired U.S. Navy captain and senior vice president of maritime policy and compliance at Carnival, will lead the review, the company said. He has held senior positions there for almost a decade, focusing on corporate-wide efforts to establish maritime policy standards and overseeing health, environmental, safety, and security practices. The company also plans to bring in outside experts.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 19, 2012, 09:28:43 PM
http://abcnews.go.com/News/costa-concordia-investigators-question-mystery-woman/story?id=15393421
Cruise Ship Investigators Want to Question Mystery Woman
January 19, 2012

Italian prosecutors want to question a young Moldovan woman who was with the captain of the doomed luxury liner Costa Concordia during crucial moments of the disaster that killed at least 11 and left 21 missing.

Investigators were told that Domnica Cemortan, 25, was Capt. Francesco Schettino's "shadow" and was with him before, during and after those pivotal moments that prosectutors are trying to piece together when Schettino steered the massive ship onto rocks and then abandoned his ship, according to Italy's TG 5 TV.

Cemortan, who has worked as a cruise ship employee, was on board the ship as a passenger at the time of the accident as a birthday present, she claims. The woman was not assigned a cabin, according to Italy's TG 5 TV and it was unclear if she was a guest of one of the officers.

Schettino, who is now under house arrest, reportedly told a judge that Cemortan was with him and other officers on the bridge at the time of the accident enjoying the view, according to Italian newspaper La Reppublica.

But Cemortan, who has given several interviews to Moldovan media, contradicted the captain's reported statement.

She said she was at dinner with friends on Jan. 14 when the crash occurred and was summoned to the bridge to translate for Russian passengers who were being evacuated.
 ::snipping2::
A preliminary report on the crash by the court in Grosseto, Italy, said that a second officer also faces the possibility of criminal charges.

It cites Ciro Ambrosio, the officer of the watch, as being responsible along with Schettino for steering the ship on the rocks. The reports cites their "imprudence, negligence and incompetence."

The court report presents a scathing view of Schettino, and describes him as being behaving oddly immediately after he came ashore, saying, "the captain did not appear to be lucid."

When questioned on the night of crash at police barracks, a despondent Schettino told police that he intended to "turn over a new leaf and to no longer want to go on ships," the court report stated.
 ::snipping2::
Schettino was suspended by Costa this morning, according to the company's Milan-based lawyer Marco De Luca.

"The Costa Company will present themselves as damaged party in any trial of the ship wreck," De Luca told Ansa.

Search and rescue divers said they believe they have 12 to 24 hours to complete the search before rough waters hit the coast of Giglio, potentially causing the ship to shift position or completely sink.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 19, 2012, 10:08:13 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16641592
Costa Concordia disaster: Crew urged 'return to cabins'
January 19, 2012

A video has emerged showing the crew of the Costa Concordia reassuring passengers nothing was wrong, after the cruise ship had begun taking in water.

In the amateur footage, a crew member says "everything is under control" and a generator problem will be fixed. She asks passengers to go to their cabins.
 ::snipping2::
It is thought the delay in deciding to abandon the ship may have cost lives.

Earlier on Thursday, Italian media broadcast what they say was the first phone conversation between port officials and crew of the Costa Concordia - about 30 minutes after the ship hit rocks.

In the exchange, a crew member is heard saying it is experiencing only a blackout.
 ::snipping2::
The latest amateur footage was posted online by Italy's Rainews24 on Thursday.

In it, a female crew member is heard telling passengers: "We kindly ask you to return to your cabins, or go for a walk in the hall, if you like."

She says that she is relaying a message from the commander.

"We'll resolve the electrical problem that we have with the generator. Everything will be fine. If you want to stand here, it's fine.

"But I'm kindly asking you to go back to your rooms, where you'll be seated and tranquil. Everything is under control."

In the audio tape aired earlier on Thursday, a port authority officer is heard asking the crewman about the situation on board, after passengers had reported a huge jolt and been told to put on life vests.

But an unidentified voice from the Costa Concordia replies: "We had a blackout and we are checking the conditions on board."

"Do you need help or are you staying in the Giglio area for now?" the port official asks.

"Confirmed. We remain here in the area to check the blackout," the crew member replies, without making any reference to a crash.


The BBC's Alan Johnston on Giglio says the impression left by the recording is that the crewman failed to give a full account of the gravity of the situation.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 20, 2012, 12:09:22 AM
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0119/Costa-Concordia-owner-offers-refunds-but-gets-low-marks-for-response
Costa Concordia owner offers refunds, but gets low marks for response
Costa Concordia survivors will get full refunds, plus travel and lodging costs covered. But Costa Concordia owner Carnival Corp. faces criticism for its handling of the tragedy.
By Martinne Geller, Reuters
January 19, 2012

Carnival Corp & plc, whose luxury liner Costa Concordia capsized off the coast of Italy last week, said it was providing lodging, refunds and other support to people affected by the accident, even as some public relations executives criticized the company's handling of the situation.
 ::snipping2::
Costa Cruise Lines, a unit of  Miami-based Carnival and operator of the ship, has been arranging lodging and transportation for passengers and crew members to return home, and has offered assistance and counseling as needed. It has also begun refunding passengers their cruise fares and all costs incurred while on board.
The company - owned by  Carnival, the world’s largest cruise line operator – also said it was contacting every passenger and crew member or their family and will be addressing personal possessions lost on board.

For passengers that have tickets to sail on future Costa Concordia cruises, the company is offering a full refund plus a 30 percent cruise credit, The Washington Post reports.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 20, 2012, 12:12:55 AM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/01/20/12/pinoys-recall-costa-concordia-adventure
Pinoys recall Costa Concordia adventure
By Rudy Santos, The Philippine Star
January 20, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Marlon Roño, head of Magsaysay Maritime Corp., which supplied the Filipino crew to the Concordia, said all of its seafarers are well-trained and are adept swimmers.

Roño’s company supplies 26,000 Filipino seafarers to cargo ships and commercial ships across the globe.

It is estimated a total of 300,000 Filipinos man boats across the globe at any given moment.

Compensation

Roño said all of the 296 crew would still be paid for the three months remaining on their contract onboard the Concordia.

In addition, Costa Crociere, the company that owns the Concordia, has stated it will give full compensation to the Filipino crewmembers, refund their lost belongings and replace their lost cash.

The Philippine government is also offering its help, including stress debriefing for the crewmembers.

“The government is obliged to give them free counseling to help them recover fast from the traumatic experience,” said Nicon Fameronag, spokesman for the Department of Labor and Employment.
 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cw618 on January 20, 2012, 07:24:17 AM
TY for the updates MB,
a horrific tragedy that could have been avoided


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on January 20, 2012, 09:22:33 AM
http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/Carnival-Corp.-plc-initiates-safety-audit-across-all-its-brands.html

Carnival Corp. & plc initiates safety audit across all its brands


http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/Cruise-industry-calls-on-IMO-to-undertake-thorough-evaluation-of-Costa-Concordia-investigation.html

Cruise industry calls on IMO to undertake thorough evaluation of Costa Concordia investigation


Just wanted to share some of the action plans for reviews and changes that will occur with the view to prevent something like this from ever happening again :-( 

It should NEVER have happened in the first place. IMO = International Maritime Organization, a governing body for the industry and SOLAS (International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea)

I 'think' this is a public link - I don't think I can paste any of the article due to the statement printed below?

© Copyright 2012 Seatrade Communications Limited. Replication or redistribution in whole or in part is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Seatrade Communications Limited.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 20, 2012, 09:53:26 AM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16646639
Costa Concordia operation halted amid weather threat
January 20, 2012

The rescue operation aboard the Costa Concordia has been suspended once again after the wreck shifted on the sea ledge on which it rests.

It is the third time the search has been called off, amid fears the ship could suddenly slip into deeper water.

Choppy waters have been hampering the work of rescue teams and weather conditions are expected to worsen.

 ::snipping2::
At least 11 people died after the Costa Concordia ran aground off Italy's coast exactly a week ago with some 4,200 people on board.

Twenty-one people are still missing, and hopes of finding any of them alive are fading fast.

The ship's movements have twice before interrupted the work of rescuers, with the search suspended almost all day on Wednesday.

More movement on Friday forced rescuers on board the vessel and divers working in the waters around it to stop work, said a spokesman for the coastguard, Cosima Nicastro.

Investigations were under way to assess the danger posed by the ship's instability, he said.

The ship may have only moved by a metre or as little as a few centimetres, but officials are wary of any movement that could push it into much deeper water nearby, says the BBC's Alan Johnston at the scene.
 ::snipping2::
But hopes that any survivors remain on board the wreck have faded and pressure is building to move into the recovery phase of the operation.
 ::snipping2::
Capt Schettino is under house arrest on suspicion of multiple manslaughter.

The owners say he was sailing too close to Giglio on an unauthorised course.

Prosecutors have also accused him of fleeing the ship before evacuation was complete. He denies the accusations.
 ::snipping2::
The company that owns the ship, Costa Cruises, has suspended Capt Schettino and withdrawn an offer to pay his legal costs, according to reports.
Video at Link

List of dead and missing

    Confirmed dead: Sandor Feher, Hungary, crew; French nationals Pierre Gregoire, Jeanne Gannard, Jean-Pierre Micheaud, Francis Servil, passengers; Italian Giovanni Masia, passenger; Spaniard Guillermo Gual, passenger; Peruvian Thomas Alberto Costilla Mendoza, crew.
    Missing: 21 people plus three unidentified bodies. Nationalities as follows: 12 Germans, six Italians (including one crew member), two French, two Americans, one Peruvian (crew), one Indian (crew)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 20, 2012, 01:58:40 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16660403
Costa Concordia search operation resumes
January 20, 2012

The rescue operation aboard the Costa Concordia has resumed after bad weather caused a delay of several hours.

Rescuers were forced to stop work when choppy conditions threatened to shift the wreck off its rocky perch into deeper water.

It was the third time the operation had been called off since the ship ran aground off Italy's coast a week ago.

Hopes are fading for the 21 people still missing. Eleven are known to have died.

"The ship has stabilised and the search on the upper part of the vessel is resuming," Italian navy spokesman Alessandro Busonero told AFP news agency on Friday.

Coastguard spokesman Cosimo Nicastro said divers would assess conditions in the submerged part of the ship on Saturday.

He said the search would focus on the third deck where the luxury cruise ship's lifeboats were.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 20, 2012, 02:00:16 PM
http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/Carnival-Corp.-plc-initiates-safety-audit-across-all-its-brands.html

Carnival Corp. & plc initiates safety audit across all its brands


http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/Cruise-industry-calls-on-IMO-to-undertake-thorough-evaluation-of-Costa-Concordia-investigation.html

Cruise industry calls on IMO to undertake thorough evaluation of Costa Concordia investigation


Just wanted to share some of the action plans for reviews and changes that will occur with the view to prevent something like this from ever happening again :-( 

It should NEVER have happened in the first place. IMO = International Maritime Organization, a governing body for the industry and SOLAS (International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea)

I 'think' this is a public link - I don't think I can paste any of the article due to the statement printed below?

© Copyright 2012 Seatrade Communications Limited. Replication or redistribution in whole or in part is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Seatrade Communications Limited.

Thank you for the link Sharon. 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cookie on January 20, 2012, 02:34:10 PM
I am just so sure that there will be survivors..just a strong hopeful feeling that I have...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cookie on January 20, 2012, 02:36:52 PM
I saw on the news that they are going to search the cabins that are above the water now..could be people there...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on January 20, 2012, 02:57:28 PM
I am just so sure that there will be survivors..just a strong hopeful feeling that I have...

I pray you are correct :(

If I hear anything, I will post it.



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 20, 2012, 10:14:25 PM

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2012/0120/Costa-Concordia-wreck-What-we-know-a-week-later
Costa Concordia wreck: What we know a week later
Many details have emerged about what happened before and after the Costa Concordia ran aground on Jan. 13, but it's still unclear what the captain was doing much of that time.
By Robert Marquand, Staff writer
January 20, 2012

(2 pg. article)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on January 21, 2012, 07:56:01 AM
http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/21/10204464-divers-blast-more-holes-resume-desperate-search-as-cruise-ship-stabilizes

Divers resumed the search of the wreckage of the capsized Costa Concordia after data indicated the cruise ship had stabilized in the sea off Tuscany.

Italian coastguard spokesman Cosimo Nicastro told NBC News Saturday that the navy had punctured two holes in the carcass of the ship, which has been lying on its side near the port of Giglio island since shortly after it crashed into a reef on Jan. 13.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 21, 2012, 10:53:18 AM
http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/21/10204464-divers-blast-more-holes-resume-desperate-search-as-cruise-ship-stabilizes

Divers resumed the search of the wreckage of the capsized Costa Concordia after data indicated the cruise ship had stabilized in the sea off Tuscany.

Italian coastguard spokesman Cosimo Nicastro told NBC News Saturday that the navy had punctured two holes in the carcass of the ship, which has been lying on its side near the port of Giglio island since shortly after it crashed into a reef on Jan. 13.

 ::snipping2::

Thank you for the update Sharon.  I hope the weather holds a bit longer and the divers are able to do their work safely to find the missing people on the ship.  After such a passage of time and the conditions I think it would be a miracle to find anyone still alive, but I'm going to hope for such a miracle.  From last count, I believe there are eleven confirmed dead and twenty one still missing.  I haven't seen an accounting for the total injured.  Just terrible.  The passengers and crew of the Costa Concordia deserved so much better. 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 21, 2012, 11:01:03 AM
http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/21/10204464-womans-body-found-aboard-stricken-italian-cruise-ship
Woman's body found aboard stricken Italian cruise ship
January 21, 2012

By NBC News and msnbc.com news services

Updated at 10:20 a.m. ET: GIGLIO, Italy -- Italian Coast Guard divers on Saturday found a woman's body in a corridor of a submerged section of the capsized Costa Concordia, raising to at least 12 the number of dead in the cruise liner accident.

Coast Guard Cmdr. Cosimo Nicastro told The Associated Press that the body, wearing a life jacket, was found in a narrow corridor near an evacuation staging point at the ship's rear.

The body was brought to Giglio, the Tuscan island where the cruise liner hit a reef and ran aground on Jan. 14. Twenty people remain missing.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 21, 2012, 11:04:01 AM
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/world/europe/search-of-costa-concordia-resumes.html
Divers Resume Search of Capsized Cruise Ship
January 21, 2012

GIGLIO, Italy — A week after the Costa Concordia ran aground off Giglio Island in Tuscany, divers resumed their search of the wreckage on Saturday and found a 12th body after suspending their work because the ship was shifting on the rock keeping it from slipping deeper into the sea.
 ::snipping2::
After concluding that the risk to divers had declined as the ship seemed to stop its movement, crews started blowing new holes in the hull on Saturday, an operation that gives divers easier access to the submerged part of the ship. Firefighters inspected a dry area of the ship overnight, getting through the narrow corridors from cabin windows to examine sections of the bridge. Morning efforts focused on parts of the bridge around the assembly point, where five bodies were retrieved on Tuesday.

After a week in the cold January waters, it is very unlikely that any of the 20 people still missing will be found alive. Among the most recent items recovered from the ship were a Madonna and baby Jesus from the ship’s chapel, retrieved Thursday night and early Friday.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 21, 2012, 11:10:27 AM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/21/costa-concordia-womans-body-found
Costa Concordia: woman's body is found
Official death toll now stands at 12, with 20 people missing after the cruise liner hit rocks off the coast of Italy
By Jasmine Coleman and agencies
January 21, 2012


The body of a woman has been found on board the capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia, bringing the confirmed death toll to 12.

The woman, who was wearing a life jacket, was found by divers in a corridor on the fourth deck of the Costa Concordia, said coastguard commander, Cosimo Nicastro.

The body was brought to Giglio, the Tuscan island where the liner hit a reef and ran aground on 14 January. Twenty people are missing.
 ::snipping2::


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jUBuey41cvndvpN0cH_pPCzn5gQA?docId=d8eb1a36a26341638f6262bab298f112
Italian divers find body in cruise ship corridor
By COLLEEN BARRY, Associated
January 21, 2012

ROME (AP) — The body of a woman wearing a life vest was recovered by Italian coast guard divers Saturday from a narrow underwater corridor of the capsized cruise ship Costa Concordia, raising the death toll to 12 in the week-old accident that has sent some light fuel spilling into the Mediterranean off Tuscany.

Coast Guard Cmdr. Cosimo Nicastro told The Associated Press that the victim was found during a particularly risky inspection of an evacuation staging point at the ship's rear.

"The corridor was very narrow, and the divers' lines risked snagging" on objects in the passageway, Nicastro said. To permit the coast guard divers to get into the area, Italian navy divers had preceded them, setting off charges to blast holes for easier entrance and exit, he said.

The woman's nationality and identity were not immediately known.

Before the corpse was found, 21 people were listed as missing. One of the women on the list is a Peruvian crew member, the others are passengers.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: SteveDinMD on January 21, 2012, 07:25:13 PM
Though Captain Schettino appears to have attempted the ill-fated "sail-by" of the island of Giglio on his own initiative and without any authorization, such authorization had, in fact, been granted in the past. In what is surely the most underreported aspect of the whole story, both Costa Cruises and the Italian Coast Guard had granted official approval for the Costa Concordia to execute a sail-by off Giglio this past August, done at the request of the island's political authorities to bolster tourism. The maneuver was executed without incident on August 14, 2011. Maritime industry resource 'Lloyd's List' confirms that satellite tracking data reveal that on 13 January, 2012, the the Costa Concordia was transiting the waters off Giglio via the same route as that approved and safely executed on 14 August when she struck a previously uncharted hazard to navigation. Ironically, the Costa Concordia, during the approved sail-by of 14 August, actually approached CLOSER to the Giglio coastline than she did on the fateful night of 13 January, when the ship ran aground.

The obvious conclusion from all this is that the ship could very well have been lost on 14 August at the specific direction of Costa Cruises and with the approval and blessing of the Italian Coast Guard, and it was only by the grace of God that she didn't meet with disaster on that date. In light of this new information, Captain Schettino seems far less reckless than he is made out to be, and the loud denunciations of him by Costa Cruises, the Italian Coast Guard, and local prosecutors ring rather hollow. It all seems quite predictable now as standard CYA procedure by those who originally put lives at risk back in August. Frankly, at this point I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if we eventually find out that Schettino had been under orders to execute sail-by on 13 January, after all.



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 21, 2012, 09:27:25 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16606405
Costa Concordia: Search suspended after ship shifts
January 18, 2012

Officials are hoping to begin salvage work soon, including pumping oil off the wreck, as hopes fade of finding any more survivors.

Twenty-three people are missing, and 11 confirmed dead, after the huge ship crashed into rocks on Friday.

There are fears the vessel might slip into deeper water off the Tuscan coast.

"Instruments indicated the ship had moved. We are in the process of evaluating if it has found a new resting point to allow us to resume," fire department spokesman Luca Cari said
 ::snipping2::
(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/57961000/gif/_57961572_costa_concordia_ledge.gif)
 ::snipping2::
Costa Crociere has said that on Friday Capt Schettino diverted from the normal route to sail close to Giglio.

Meanwhile, satellite tracking information given to the BBC by the shipping journal Lloyd's List Intelligence shows the Costa Concordia had sailed even closer to the island on a cruise last August.

(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/57954000/jpg/_57954552_jex_1292808_de27-1.jpg)
Newsnight examines the route taken by the Costa Concordia last August and on Friday

Lloyd's List told the BBC that the vessel passed within 230m of the island on 14 August 2011 to mark La Notte di San Lorenzo - the night of the shooting stars festival on the island.

The route deviation on that occasion had apparently been authorised by Costa Crociere.

The company said on Monday that the ship was never closer than 500m to the coast when it passed on 14 August.

Lloyd's List describes that occasion as a "near miss" and says the ship's route would have been less than 200m away from the point of collision on Friday's voyage.

Costa Crociere said on Monday that the route deviation last Friday had been "unauthorised, unapproved and unknown to Costa".

But Richard Meade, editor of Lloyd's List, said: "The company's account of what happened, of the rogue master [Capt Schettino] taking a bad decision, isn't quite as black and white as they presented originally."


"This ship took a very similar route only a few months previously and the master would have known that."

Costa Crociere says it is looking into the claims, but stands by the statement it gave on Monday.
More...


Bumping this up in reference to Steve's post.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on January 22, 2012, 08:18:28 AM
It has been stated that MANY ships -- different cruise lines -- have taken this ill fated route without the same disastrous results -- there are pictures and videos posted by passengers from the different ships that have performed this 'salute' to the Italian coast so that it can be proven that this 'unpublished' route has been taken. I DO NOT HAVE ANY LINKS to the pictures -- will post if I find I find any. I believe the use of this route is discussed in some of the links I have preciously posted.

There is a statement by Italian officials in one of the links posted indicating that it was not possible for Costa to NOT BE AWARE that this was happening?

Tides change every day all day -- what is safe one day may not be safe the next. That is why these routes are designed by the professionals who study this aspect of the sea and sailing -- and NOT by individual ship captain's.
 
I am curious to find out the timeline. I have not seen it published yet. Why did this captain continue to sail the ship for an hour and half AFTER hitting the rocks? Was he even on the bridge at the time? Or was he otherwise occupied? Why did the ship tell the coast guard that it was an 'electrical' issue and that no help was needed? When did the ship begin to list? It has been reported that the onboard alarm was sounded alerting the crew of the 'taking on water' emergency (there are different 'codes' that determine a different sequence of sounds that indicate different types of emergencies -- fire, water, medical, etc...) At what time was that sounded? And were crew still telling passengers to go back to their cabins?? Why did they wait until the lifeboats were almost inoperable (due to the list) before beginning 'abandon ship'?

At what time did the captain execute his deviation? Did he report it? What systems and failsafes did he turn off -- if any -- that allowed him to deviate from the instructions?

I am trying to keep my experiences with ship captains - and their egos - out of the equation. Trying to find out the facts and not 'assume' anything. Captain/Master is an incredibly critical role and comes with a level of responsibility requirement not taken on by many other 'jobs'. The critical responsibility is to keep passengers safe.

I have made no secret that I make my living in this industry. I know how these procedures are 'supposed' to be executed. My sincere condolences to the passengers and crew of the Costa Concordia and their loved ones, to the Costa employees and to the entire Carnival family.

This should NEVER have happened :(((((  There will industry wide changes as a result of this. Too little too late for this ship and these passengers and crew:-(

jmo


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 22, 2012, 09:38:21 AM
Sharon, I knew from your previous posts you worked in travel and I respect and appreciate any views or opinions you would have in this case.  I've been on a couple of cruises, but they were much different then the one like the Costa Cordia so I don't have as much insight as someone else that has, or like you works in that area. 

I was reading through your post and some of your questions raise a lot of even more questions.  I hope we will be able to see some of the questions answered in the very near future. 


I'm not only interested in what the media is telling us and what the cruise lines might be releasing, but I'm also very interested in what others with some experience in with the travel industry, (such as Sharon) or those that have been on cruises have to say. 

It's very sad sometimes it takes a disaster to get change implemented, whether it's with maritime travel or anything else. My heart goes out to the passengers, crew and their families.  My family and I enjoy travel and we'll continue to do so.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on January 22, 2012, 10:16:24 AM
http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/Carnival-Corp.-plcs-No.-2-officer-heads-to-Italy.html

Carnival Corp. & plc’s No. 2 officer heads to Italy

Howard Frank, second only to Micky Arison at Carnival Corp. & plc, has traveled to Italy to assess the Costa Concordia situation, Seatrade Insider has learned.

Frank, vice chairman and coo, is in Italy to ‘evaluate the response in-person and assess what additional assistance the corporation can provide in the immediate term,’ a company spokeswoman said.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on January 22, 2012, 11:13:38 AM
Sharon, I knew from your previous posts you worked in travel and I respect and appreciate any views or opinions you would have in this case.  I've been on a couple of cruises, but they were much different then the one like the Costa Cordia so I don't have as much insight as someone else that has, or like you works in that area. 

I was reading through your post and some of your questions raise a lot of even more questions.  I hope we will be able to see some of the questions answered in the very near future. 


I'm not only interested in what the media is telling us and what the cruise lines might be releasing, but I'm also very interested in what others with some experience in with the travel industry, (such as Sharon) or those that have been on cruises have to say. 

It's very sad sometimes it takes a disaster to get change implemented, whether it's with maritime travel or anything else. My heart goes out to the passengers, crew and their families.  My family and I enjoy travel and we'll continue to do so.

BBM

Very true -- and very sad - statement.

IMO -- muster emergency procedures drill should be REQUIRED before ship leaves port or as ship leaves port - NOT within 24 hours of leaving port. Just like commercial aviation -- they don't wait until we are halfway thru our flight before advising us of emergency procedures!

Passengers need to take muster drill more seriously :-(  I have seen passengers trying to hide in bars and in their cabins in order to avoid the drill. I have seen passengers show up to the drill drunk and unruly. I understand that it is a difficult balance; the passenger vacation 'experience' vs the technical aspects of the rules of safety at sea. Passengers need to know where to go and what to do in the event of an emergency. Period.

The captain needs and has the authority to make changes and take actions to avoid problems and emergencies and remediate unexpected situations -- there are rules and procedures and communication channels that govern this....it is recognized that the captain is in charge 24 hours a day and shouldn't rely upon waiting for someone to be sitting in the Corporate office halfway around the world. Again -- the balance is critical.

The world of cruising changed drastically after Sept 11, 2001. New rules and regs and procedures related to Homeland security. All positive changes to continue to ensure the safety of the vessel and the passengers and crew. I'm hoping that this needless disaster brings about positive changes for safety as well.

I have always felt safer at sea than in the air. I have been on ships that have sailed 'listed' due to extreme wind conditions. I have sailed across the Pacific from SF to Honolulu with 2+ days of up to 35 foot seas being knocked out of my bunk pretty continuously all night :-) Fortunately I did not get sea sick, although most around us did. Satellite kept falling and our Systems Officer had to be 'tethered' in order to get the satellite back in position. I never experienced a moment of fear. Honestly not so sure I would feel the same way today :-(

To be clear - I am nowhere near an expert on the technical aspects of cruising - or any aspect of cruising -- I am just familiar with many of the aspects and procedures for a variety of reasons. When I am onboard for work, I am treated as a passenger (who usually gets a cabin on a very low deck of the ship. haha). I have also been involved with aspects of being crew.

I too would be interested MuffyBee in the thoughts and opinions of others in the industry or those who cruise for enjoyment.

I will continue to monitor our local news -- and any of the industry publications that I read -- and I'll post anything that I come across that appears pertinent.



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 22, 2012, 11:33:52 AM
Thank you Sharon. 




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 22, 2012, 11:38:27 AM
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0122/Costa-Concordia-Stowaways-the-latest-uncertainty
Costa Concordia: Stowaways the latest uncertainty
Unregistered passengers – stowaways – may have been aboard the Costa Concordia cruise ship that wrecked off the coast of Italy, meaning the final death toll could go higher.
By Frances D'Emilio and Trisha Thomas
January 22, 2012

GIGLIO, Italy

Unregistered passengers might have been aboard the stricken cruise liner that capsized off this Tuscan island, a top rescue official said Sunday, raising the possibility that the number of missing might be higher than the 20 previously announced.
Rescuers, meanwhile, resumed searching the above-water section of the Costa Concordia but choppy seas kept divers from exploring the submerged part, where officials have said there could be bodies.

"There could have been X persons who we don't know about who were inside, who were clandestine" passengers aboard the ship, Franco Gabrielli, the national civil protection official in charge of the rescue effort, told reporters at a briefing on the island of Giglio, where the ship, with 4,200 people aboard rammed a reef and sliced open its hull on Jan. 13 before turning over on its side.
Gabrielli said that relatives of a Hungarian woman have told Italian authorities that she had telephoned them from aboard the ship and that they haven't heard from her since the accident. He said it was possible that a woman's body pulled from the wreckage by divers on Saturday might be that of the unregistered passenger.

But the identity of that body and of three male bodies, all badly decomposed after days in the water, have yet to be established. Gabrielli said they have identified the other eight bodies: four French, an Italian, a Hungarian, a German and a Spanish national.

Until Sunday, authorities had said that 20 people are still missing.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 22, 2012, 11:46:35 AM
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/22/us-italy-ship-idUSTRE80D08220120122
Confrontation grows between Italy captain and ship group
January 22, 2012

(Reuters) - The captain of the cruise liner that capsized off Italy's coast has told prosecutors the vessel's operators, Costa Cruises, instructed him to perform a maneuver that brought it too close to shore, according to leaked transcripts of his questioning.
 ::snipping2::
Costa Cruises have said they were not aware of the dangerous practice of bringing the ship so close to the shore and have suspended the captain, saying he was responsible for the disaster.

But in a sign of the growing confrontation between Schettino and the ship owners, the captain told investigating magistrates Costa had instructed him to do the salute, according to transcripts of his hearing published by Italian media.

"It was planned, we should have done it a week earlier but it was not possible because of bad weather," Schettino said.

"They insisted. They said: 'We do tourist navigation, we have to be seen, get publicity and greet the island'."

He also said that the black box on board had been broken for two weeks, and that he had asked for it to be repaired, in vain.
In the hearing, Schettino insisted he had informed Costa's headquarters of the accident straight away, and his line of conduct had been approved by the company's marine operations director throughout a series of phone conversations.

He acknowledged, however, not raising the alarm with the coast guard promptly and delaying the evacuation order.

"You can't evacuate people on lifeboats and then, if the ship doesn't sink, say it was a joke. I don't want to create panic and have people die for nothing," he said.
 ::snipping2::
Taped conversations have revealed the ship's bridge told coast guards who were alerted by passengers that the vessel had only suffered a black-out even after those on board donned life vests.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 22, 2012, 11:50:19 AM
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/22/world/europe/italy-cruise-main/?hpt=hp_t3
Italy cruise ship rescuers find 13th body
January 22, 2012

Giglio, Italy (CNN) -- Italian search-and-rescue teams have found another body aboard the partly sunken cruise ship Costa Concordia, civil protection office spokeswoman Francesca Maffini said Sunday.

The woman is the 13th confirmed victim of the wreck on January 13.

Divers are working to recover the body, which was found underwater on bridge number 7, Maffini said. The victim was wearing a life jacket, she said.


The discovery leaves about 19 people still missing since the ship hit rocks in the shallow waters off the coast of Tuscany, according to CNN count.
 ::snipping2::

A committee comprising the parties involved in the rescue told a briefing for reporters and residents on the island that search and rescue efforts will continue -- but that the environmental risk is also becoming urgent.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 22, 2012, 11:53:32 AM
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/01/22/death-toll-from-italian-cruise-costa-cordia-rises-to-13/
Death toll from Italian cruise Costa Concordia rises to 13
January 22, 2012

GIGLIO, Italy –  Rescue teams searching the stricken Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia recovered a woman's body from the wreckage Sunday, taking the death toll from the disaster to 13.

The victim was found wearing a life jacket near the stern on the seventh of the vessel's 17 decks, ANSA reported.

She becomes one of five bodies yet to be identified. Four French nationals, a German, a Hungarian, a Spaniard and an Italian were confirmed to have died so far, according to the Italian gendarmerie.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 22, 2012, 12:34:31 PM
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/20/graphic-the-final-moments-of-the-costa-concordia/
The final moments of the Costa Concordia: Graphic
January 20, 2012


(There's a link at top of article in blue:  CLICK TO DOWNLOAD PDF )

(http://nationalpostnews.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/fo0121_cruisesinksmall.jpg)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on January 22, 2012, 02:15:57 PM
Wow! Awesome MuffyBee. Thanks.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cookie on January 22, 2012, 06:01:44 PM
Thanks Muffs!


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 22, 2012, 09:07:02 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9030216/Costa-Concordia-Harbour-masters-log-shows-how-the-disaster-unfolded.html
Costa Concordia: Harbour master's log shows how the disaster unfolded
The transcript of the log compiled by the Harbour Master at the Italian port of Livorno gives the fullest account yet of the disaster which engulfed the Costa Concordia.
January 21, 2012




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 22, 2012, 10:12:22 PM


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


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 22, 2012, 10:16:59 PM
http://www.friendlyplanet.com/cruise-ships/costa-concordia.html
Tour & Cruise Packages
Our Cruise Ships
Costa Cruises Concordia


(http://www.friendlyplanet.com/media/gallery/ships/costa_concordia/costa-concordia-ship.jpg)

(http://www.friendlyplanet.com/media/gallery/ships/costa_concordia/concord-cabin-pix.jpg)




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 23, 2012, 10:55:31 AM
http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/story/2012-01-23/Italian-officials-mull-removal-of-fuel-from-cruise-ship/52751380/1?csp=tf
Two more bodies found at Italy shipwreck
January 23, 2012

GIGLIO, Italy (AP) – Italian officials said two more bodies have been pulled from the wreckage of a cruise liner capsized off the Tuscan coast, bringing the number of confirmed dead to 15.

The national civil protection agency official in charge of the search said Monday that divers recovered the bodies of two women from the ship's internet cafe.


The recovery of the two brings to 17 the number of known missing. However, officials over the weekend said it appeared unregistered guests were on board at the time of the accident, meaning the number of officially missing could increase.
 ::snipping2::


http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/23/italy-ship-death-idUSR1E7NE02I20120123
Italy searchers find two more bodies on capsized liner
January 23, 2012

Divers on Monday found two more bodies on deck number four of the Costa Concordia,... (snipped)
The bodies "are of two women, and they were found near the Internet cafe on the fourth deck," Gabrielli told reporters. "That brings the total number of bodies found to 15."

The bodies have yet to be removed from the ship and the nationalities of the victims have yet to be determined, he said.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 23, 2012, 11:01:00 AM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-16687012
Costa Concordia: Bodies found as fuel pumping to start
January 23, 2012

 ::snipping2::
The BBC's Luisa Baldini, on the Tuscan island of Giglio, says the bodies of the two women were found near the internet cafe, on the fourth deck.

There is no decision yet on when fuel pumping will begin but the civil protection agency has said it is likely to start within the next 24 hours.

Civil protection official Franco Gabrielli told reporters on Giglio there was no risk the Costa Concordia would drop down to a lower seabed.

"We are ready to go," an official from the Dutch salvage company Smit told the BBC. "As soon as we get the green light, we start the work".

But our correspondent says the salvagers must first attach steel moorings to the front of the ship. They will not want to start pumping in the dark, she says, so work is likely to begin on Tuesday.
 ::snipping2:


List of dead and missing


    Confirmed dead: Sandor Feher, Hungary, crew; French nationals Pierre Gregoire, Jeanne Gannard, Jean-Pierre Micheaud, Francis Servil, passengers; Italian Giovanni Masia, passenger; Spaniard Guillermo Gual, passenger; Peruvian Thomas Alberto Costilla Mendoza, crew.
    Missing: 18 people plus seven unidentified bodies. Nationalities include German, Italian, French, American, Peruvian and Indian nationals


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 23, 2012, 11:05:17 AM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9033320/Costa-Concordia-two-more-bodies-pulled-from-ship.html
Costa Concordia: two more bodies pulled from ship
The death toll from the disaster rises to 15, with the discovery of two more bodies, both believed to be women.
By Nick Squires, Giglio
January 23, 2012
 ::snipping2::
Franco Gabrielli, who is in charge of the massive search and salvage operation, said a scientific committee had determined that it is possible to continue searching for bodies while at the same time starting the fuel extraction operation.
 ::snipping2::
The 2,400 tonnes of heavy oil and diesel are to be pumped out by a Dutch salvage firm, Smit, which has extensive experience of working on such wrecks.

Mr Gabrielli, the head of Italy's respected Civil Protection Authority, said the number of missing could be as high as 24 or 25.

They include Americans, French, Italians, a Peruvian and an Indian.
Ennio Aquilino, a spokesman for the Italian fire service, said his men faced increasingly unsanitary conditions as they searched the parts of the ship which remain above water.

The huge amounts of food that the vessel was carrying – it was at the start of a week-long Mediterranean cruise and had on board more than 4,000 passengers and crew – was rotting and creating a terrible smell.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 23, 2012, 01:36:41 PM
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-23/concordia-insurance-claims-may-reach-1-billion-moody-s-says.html
Concordia Insurance Claims May Reach $1 Billion, Moody’s Says
By Alessandra Migliaccio
January 23, 2012

Jan. 23 (Bloomberg) -- The insurance costs related to the sinking of Carnival Corp.’s Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy may reach $1 billion once environmental damage and injuries are added to the count, Moody’s Investors Service said.

The shipwreck “marks the first major insured loss of 2012 and will result in a drag on first-quarter 2012 earnings for affected firms,” Moody’s Senior Credit Officer James Eck wrote in a note published today.

While damage to the ship will cost around $500 million, other items like personal injury and liability and environmental losses may bring up the final bill, the report said. Reinsurers will likely take on most of the burden, Moody’s said.

In a separate report, Jefferies International Ltd. estimated the total cost at 650 million euros ($850 million).
 ::snipping2::
Most of the losses will be incurred by reinsurers, Moody’s said.

Munich Re, the world’s biggest reinsurer, said Jan. 18 its estimated claims would be in the “mid double-digit-million-euro range,” while Hannover Re said today it estimates total losses of about 30 million euros. Specialty insurer Lancashire Holdings will likely face between $20 million and $30 million in claims, according to Jefferies.

“The earnings drag from this loss event will impede capital growth for affected firms and contribute to the perception among investors that the reinsurance sector cannot earn its cost of capital,” Moody’s said.

The Costa Concordia was also insured by companies such as Assicurazioni Generali SpA, RSA Insurance Group Plc and XL Group Plc, according to Jefferies.
 ::snipping2::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 23, 2012, 01:49:14 PM
There are a number of images here that I hadn't seen before.  Some give an indication of the conditions the rescue divers are facing.

http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/Cruise+ship+runs+aground+off+of+Italy/G3214,A11212
Cruise ship runs aground off of Italy
(118 images)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 23, 2012, 07:44:59 PM
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/23/costa-concordia-criminal-probe-may-widen-as-class-action-suit-filed-on-behalf-of-the-passengers/

Costa Concordia criminal probe may widen as passengers file class-action

By Antonella Cinelli and Gabriele Pileri
January 23, 2012

Go to the link, read article and click on the image below in the article and it will enlarge it. 
(http://nationalpostnews.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/fo0118_concordiasalvage211.jpg)



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 23, 2012, 09:26:22 PM
I've been watching the articles alleging "rich Russians ", and I'm going to consider it a rumor unless it can be supported/proven. I find it interesting the story about the missing Hungarian woman reportedly on board but not heard from, nor on the ship's manifest has turned out to be false.  The lady had been dead for three years.  It sounds to me like someone was trying their hand at a false claim/fraud.  No telling what kind of stuff is going to come out of the woodwork. 

http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/rich-russians-allegedly-bought-spots-on-lifeboats-as-costa-concordia-ship-sank/story-e6frfq80-1226252252706
Rich Russians allegedly bought spots on lifeboats as Costa Concordia ship sank
January 23, 2012

WEALTHY Russian passengers allegedly bribed Costa Concordia crew members to let them skip the queue for spots on lifeboats, it has been claimed.

Authorities are investigating reports from eyewitnesses who told Italian prosecutors that well-dressed Russians from first-class cabins stuffed wads of cash into the hands of crew members in a bid to be some of the first to board the lifeboats, the UK's Sun reported.

The disabled were also left to fend for themselves as the ship listed and began to sink, according to statements given to Italian officials.

Franca Anichini, 52, who lives nearby the shipwreck in Giglio, told German media that she was surprised to see so many men being brought to shore early on.

“I went to the boats as I saw them coming in expecting to see women, children and the injured but all I saw were healthy men and elegant women in evening gowns who were speaking Russian," Mr Anichini said.
 ::snipping2::
Meanwhile it has been discovered that a woman reported missing by a Hungarian family in the Costa Concordia disaster in fact died three years ago.

"The person who made the claim about the missing person turned out to be abusing the personal data of a person who had died three years ago," the Hungarian foreign ministry said.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cookie on January 23, 2012, 09:51:29 PM
it is kindof scary to me that they are saying that stowaways could have been on board...when checking in on a cruise, we have security checks to go through..with the possibility of stowaways, there is no telling what kind of unsavory characters are onboard that one would not be expecting to be there..know what I mean? I had not even entertained the idea of stowaways on a cruise liner!


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 24, 2012, 09:37:55 AM
it is kindof scary to me that they are saying that stowaways could have been on board...when checking in on a cruise, we have security checks to go through..with the possibility of stowaways, there is no telling what kind of unsavory characters are onboard that one would not be expecting to be there..know what I mean? I had not even entertained the idea of stowaways on a cruise liner!

Yes, it does sound scarey.  Especially since the new laws that were put into effect since 9/11. 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 24, 2012, 09:39:49 AM
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57364595/costa-concordia-searchers-find-another-body/
Costa Concordia searchers find another body
January 24, 2012

(CBS/AP)

Updated at 8:55 a.m. ET

ROME - Officials say divers searching the toppled Costa Concordia have discovered another body in the submerged cruise ship.

The discovery on the third floor deck brings to 16 the number of bodies found since the Jan. 13 grounding. Officials at the Tuscan prefect's office said Tuesday they couldn't immediately confirm Italian news reports that the body was that of a woman.

The discovery was made as a large platform carrying a crane and other equipment hitched itself to the shipwreck, signaling the start of preliminary operations to remove a half-million gallons of fuel from the ship's tanks.
 ::snipping2::
So far 16 bodies have been found, including one located on the third floor deck on Tuesday. At least six of the badly decomposed bodies remain unidentified, and are presumed to be among some of the 17 passengers and crew still unaccounted for.

Divers, meanwhile, continued blasting holes inside the steel-hulled ship to ease access for crews searching for the missing. The search and rescue operation will continue in tandem with the fuel removal operation.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: KittyMom on January 24, 2012, 09:43:03 AM
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/01/23/companys-offer-discount-trips-for-italian-cruise-disaster-survivors-called/?intcmp=trending

Company's offer of discount trips for Italian cruise disaster survivors called 'insulting'
 


Quote
"The company is trying to do everything they can for those passengers directly affected," a spokesman told the U.K. Telegraph. "The company is not only going to refund everybody, but they will offer a 30 percent discount on future cruises if they want to stay loyal to the company."
 

 ::MonkeyShocked::  What in the world were they thinking????  Now is not the time and I'm not sure there ever would be a time.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cookie on January 24, 2012, 09:44:02 AM
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/01/23/companys-offer-discount-trips-for-italian-cruise-disaster-survivors-called/?intcmp=trending

Company's offer of discount trips for Italian cruise disaster survivors called 'insulting'
 


Quote
"The company is trying to do everything they can for those passengers directly affected," a spokesman told the U.K. Telegraph. "The company is not only going to refund everybody, but they will offer a 30 percent discount on future cruises if they want to stay loyal to the company."
 

 ::MonkeyShocked::  What in the world were they thinking????  Now is not the time and I'm not sure there ever would be a time.

agreed...it is appalling to say the very least!


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 24, 2012, 11:26:42 AM
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/24/world/europe/italy-cruise-main/?hpt=hp_t2
Costa Concordia rescuers find 16th body
From Hada Messia, CNN
January 24, 2012

Rome (CNN) -- Rescuers searching the stricken Costa Concordia found a body on bridge 3 Tuesday, bringing the number of confirmed dead from the wreck to 16, civil protection officials said.

The discovery leaves about 16 people still missing from among the roughly 4,200 aboard the cruise liner -- about 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members -- at the time of the collision with rocks off the island of Giglio.
 ::snipping2::
Undersea salvage experts will not start siphoning fuel off the partially sunken liner before Saturday, the man in charge of the operation said Tuesday.

Teams of divers have begun to set up the operation, Franco Gabrielli said in remarks televised from Giglio.
 ::snipping2::
He has asked the company that owns the ship to come up with a plan to clean up pollution from the vessel, such as garbage, by Wednesday, he said.

The search for survivors and victims will continue alongside the salvage, said Gabrielli.
 ::snipping2::
Divers used explosives Monday morning to blow more holes in the side of the ship to allow easier access.

The parties involved in the rescue told reporters and residents on the island Sunday that search and rescue efforts will continue -- but that the environmental risk is also becoming urgent.

Officials said they cannot predict how long it will take to clear the wreckage, since that depends on maritime conditions and technical difficulties, but all legal, environmental and human factors will be taken into account.
::snipping2::
He warned that the task ahead was complicated and daunting, not least because it takes about 45 minutes to search each cabin, using special cameras and divers.

The giant Costa Concordia had 1,500 cabins on board.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on January 24, 2012, 04:03:17 PM
Prestige Cruise Holdings (parent of Oceania and Regent) weighs in:


http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/6693-oceania-and-regent-changing-mustering-rules.html


Prestige Cruise Holdings, parent company of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, has announced that effective immediately all ships will hold guest muster drills on the day of departure

 ::snipping2::

“On just a handful of occasions the drill is held the following morning, primarily to accommodate late-arriving guests,” stated Robin Lindsay, executive vice president of vessel operations for Prestige Cruise Holdings. “However, in light of the recent tragic event, Oceania and Regent have adopted a new policy that requires all muster drills to take place on day of departure.”

 ::snipping2::

All Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises vessels are designed and operated in compliance with the strict requirements of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which mandates global standards for the safety and operation of cruise ships, through adoption of regulations, resolutions and treaties.

The most important of these treaties is the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention, which includes comprehensive mandates on safety equipment and procedures. Prestige Cruise Holdings’ ships adhere to all IMO and SOLAS regulations and requirements    ::snipping2::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on January 24, 2012, 04:09:16 PM
The President of Royal Caribbean weighs in:

http://www.answeritroyally.com/blog/

President & CEO Adam Goldstein Talks about Royal Caribbean’s Dedication to Safety

The Costa Concordia accident is a defining moment in the history of the modern cruise industry. We will need the results of the authorities’ investigations to truly understand and respond to all of the implications. But we do not need to wait for anyone or anything to underscore the preeminent role of safety in the daily life of every cruise ship and of the industry as a whole.

By coincidence, half of our Captains and most of our Hotel Directors arrived in South Florida for our annual Fleet Operations leadership conference over the weekend. This gave our Chairman Richard Fain and me a timely opportunity to underscore both our excellent 42 year safety record and more importantly to emphasize the imperative of keeping our record intact into the future.

 ::snipping2::

Safety is a journey rather than a destination. We need to operate safely now yet constantly improve our safety. We need to hunt for lessons learned in every minor incident or accident. We need to apply those lessons learned across the fleet ASAP. This is a never ending cycle. As our Chairman Richard Fain says, there is no such thing as perfect safety but there is such a thing as perfect dedication to safety. We strive to be true to that concept.

 ::snipping2::

My thoughts and prayers are with those who have been directly affected by the tragic accident on Costa Concordia.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 24, 2012, 05:29:16 PM
Prestige Cruise Holdings (parent of Oceania and Regent) weighs in:


http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/6693-oceania-and-regent-changing-mustering-rules.html


Prestige Cruise Holdings, parent company of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, has announced that effective immediately all ships will hold guest muster drills on the day of departure

 ::snipping2::

“On just a handful of occasions the drill is held the following morning, primarily to accommodate late-arriving guests,” stated Robin Lindsay, executive vice president of vessel operations for Prestige Cruise Holdings. “However, in light of the recent tragic event, Oceania and Regent have adopted a new policy that requires all muster drills to take place on day of departure.”

 ::snipping2::

All Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises vessels are designed and operated in compliance with the strict requirements of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which mandates global standards for the safety and operation of cruise ships, through adoption of regulations, resolutions and treaties.

The most important of these treaties is the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention, which includes comprehensive mandates on safety equipment and procedures. Prestige Cruise Holdings’ ships adhere to all IMO and SOLAS regulations and requirements    ::snipping2::



BBM

I hope this is only the beginning of some of the changes being made to ensure the safety of the passengers and crew.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 24, 2012, 05:30:14 PM
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/24/travel/concordia-victim-compensation/index.html
Costa denies 'unfounded' reports of survivor discounts
By Marnie Hunter, CNN
January 24, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 24, 2012, 05:34:39 PM
It seems there's always at least on or two people that want to try to make a fast buck out of accidents and human misery.  This time, the scammers were outed.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/n-y-lawyer-unmasked-scammers-claimed-mom-daughter-missing-costa-concordia-article-1.1011209?localLinksEnabled=false
N.Y. lawyer unmasked scammers who claimed mom, daughter were missing on Costa Concordia
Hungarian family wanted cash for kin ‘ lost’ on cruise ship

By Helen Kennedy / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
January 24, 2012






Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on January 24, 2012, 05:45:37 PM
Prestige Cruise Holdings (parent of Oceania and Regent) weighs in:


http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/6693-oceania-and-regent-changing-mustering-rules.html


Prestige Cruise Holdings, parent company of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, has announced that effective immediately all ships will hold guest muster drills on the day of departure

 ::snipping2::

“On just a handful of occasions the drill is held the following morning, primarily to accommodate late-arriving guests,” stated Robin Lindsay, executive vice president of vessel operations for Prestige Cruise Holdings. “However, in light of the recent tragic event, Oceania and Regent have adopted a new policy that requires all muster drills to take place on day of departure.”

 ::snipping2::

All Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises vessels are designed and operated in compliance with the strict requirements of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which mandates global standards for the safety and operation of cruise ships, through adoption of regulations, resolutions and treaties.

The most important of these treaties is the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention, which includes comprehensive mandates on safety equipment and procedures. Prestige Cruise Holdings’ ships adhere to all IMO and SOLAS regulations and requirements    ::snipping2::



BBM

I hope this is only the beginning of some of the changes being made to ensure the safety of the passengers and crew.

Me, too MuffyBee :-(


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cookie on January 24, 2012, 09:36:44 PM
Princess Cruise lines does their muster drill the very first day the ship sails...almost right away..I guess I just assumed that all cruise lines did the same thing..


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 24, 2012, 10:01:33 PM
Princess Cruise lines does their muster drill the very first day the ship sails...almost right away..I guess I just assumed that all cruise lines did the same thing..

I guess right now it varies, Cookie.   ::MonkeyNoNo::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on January 25, 2012, 12:53:30 PM
http://www.gadling.com/2012/01/23/cascading-changes-likely-for-cruise-travelers/?icid=maing-grid7

Cascading changes likely for cruise travelers
 ::snipping2::

Changes to look for:

    Safety Drill before the ship leaves the dock on every sailing- This is just a no-brainer after the Costa Concordia event where hundreds who had embarked the vessel the day of the grounding had received little if any safety instruction.
    The modification or end of Navigational Bridge and behind the scenes tours- They went away right after 9-11 but have crept back in from one cruise line to another as a revenue source that offers an opportunity to cause harm that could affect a ship full of passengers.
    Increased security presence on ships- Although rare, instances of binge drinking and other associated "I'm at sea so its OK" behavior will come under greater control with an increased security presence on ships industry-wide.
    Tighter rules on teens- Teen rape, underage drinking and other associated problems with teen travelers are caused by an environment that inadvertently allows these things to happen. While cruise lines have a zero-tolerance for crime and drugs on ships, the very nature of a cruise ship environment allows them to happen. This will be a tough one to address but one that is overdue for action.
    Passports required- The issue has been kept on hold for years as the travel industry moans that requiring passports for US citizens would prevent many from traveling. One step toward better security and resulting safety would be the increased level of security brought by requiring passports of all passengers embarking any ship, any time.
    Background checks- Critics of the cruise industry point to a lack of diligence that allows sex and drug offenders and child molesters, required to register on land, to easily board cruise ships. Their presence creates an environment of easy prey as underage passengers are allowed to roam free. Once seen as the call of overly-critical cruise foes, the industry will give the topic serious consideration.
    Psychological profiles of command officers- Especially if evidence confirms that the captain of Costa Concordia was on a joy ride to show off the ship to the folks on shore, this will be huge. "Captains ultimately answer to no one -- on board," Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor-in-chief of Cruise Critic told MSNBC. The reasons are steeped in seafaring history, she said. "But I think that's something that will change." More checks and balances are needed, and Brown anticipate changes in the future as a result of the Concordia grounding. "A lot of standardization is probably coming out of this," she said.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 25, 2012, 01:18:04 PM
Thanks for the update Sharon.  I believe if there can be more standardization, it will greatly improve safety for the passengers and crew.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 25, 2012, 03:39:00 PM
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/01/still-missing-mans-desperate-search-for-brother-on-costa-concordia/
Still Missing: Man’s Desperate Search for Brother on Costa Concordia
By Denise Martinez-Ramundo
January 25, 2012

(http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/News/ht_russel_rebello_tk_120125_wblog.jpg)
Russel Rebello, a waiter on the Costa Concordia, is still missing. (Courtesy Kevin Rebello)

It’s not just passengers who are still missing from the Costa Concordia disaster. Kevin Rebello is desperately looking for information on his brother, Russel Rebello, 33, a waiter on the ship from India who was last seen on a deck helping passengers to lifeboats.
 ::snipping2::
video at link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 25, 2012, 03:41:52 PM
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57365628/costa-concordia-rescue-operations-begin-again/
Official: Would take miracle for cruise survivors
January 25, 2012

(http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/01/25/CostaConcordia_620x350.jpg)
Oil recovery experts work near the Costa Concordia off Giglio, Italy, on Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

(CBS/AP)

GIGLIO, Italy - The official overseeing the search effort of the capsized Costa Concordia has acknowledged it would take a miracle to find any survivors from the Jan. 13 cruise ship grounding.

Franco Gabrielli, head of the national civil protection agency, told reporters Wednesday that recovery operations would nevertheless continue until the ship, which is half-submerged off the Tuscan island of Giglio, was searched as much as possible.
Divers have set off two controlled explosions on the toppled Costa Concordia cruise ship as rescue operations resumed following a brief halt during the night because of bad weather.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 25, 2012, 06:24:00 PM
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/costa-crociere-cruise-ship-operator-grilled/story-e6frfku0-1226254100054
Costa Crociere cruise ship operator grilled
By Gildas Le Roux in Giglio
AFP
January 26, 2012

EUROPE'S biggest cruise ship operator is trying to distance itself from a disaster in which up to 32 people are feared to have died, as legal pressure mounts on the company.

Grilled by a Senate committee in Rome today, Costa Crociere chief Pier Luigi Foschi said the company was misled by the luxury liner's captain about the scale of the disaster after it crashed into rocks off the island of Giglio.

Foschi admitted however that the company - which is part of US industry leader Carnival Corp - did sometimes encourage its captains to sail close to the coast, saying the practice was "in demand" and "helps enrich the product".

In this case, Foschi stressed however that the manoeuvre "was not authorised".
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 25, 2012, 09:01:29 PM
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/amazing-pictures-show-lifeboats-fleeing-stricken-costa-concordia-liner/story-e6frf7lf-1226254265099
Amazing pictures show lifeboats fleeing stricken Costa Concordia liner
Chris Slack/Daily Mail
January 26, 2012

(http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2012/01/26/1226254/264240-costa-concordia-cruise-liner-disaster.jpg)
The Costa Concordia lays on its starboard side after it ran aground off the coast of Giglio, Italy. Picture: AP

(http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2012/01/26/1226254/264529-costa-concordia-cruise-liner-disaster.jpg)

(http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2012/01/26/1226254/264243-costa-concordia-cruise-liner-disaster.jpg)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 25, 2012, 09:02:18 PM
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/amazing-pictures-show-lifeboats-fleeing-stricken-costa-concordia-liner/story-e6frf7lf-1226254265099

(http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2012/01/17/1226246/173468-costa-concordia-disaster.jpg)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 25, 2012, 09:04:36 PM
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/amazing-pictures-show-lifeboats-fleeing-stricken-costa-concordia-liner/story-e6frf7lf-1226254265099

There are several videos to view at the above link. Among them is one titled "Passengers Flee Sinking Cruise..."  and it shows how loud, confusing and scarey it must have been for those waiting for a lifeboat. 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 25, 2012, 09:08:53 PM
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/25/costa-concordia-captain-not-a-monster-wife-says/
Costa Concordia Captain not a ‘monster,’ wife says
January 25, 2012

(http://nationalpostnews.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/costa-12.jpg)
Rotterdam based SMIT and Livorno based NERI salvage workers start their work of diesel recovery on a pontoon from the the cruise ship Costa Concordia that lies stricken off the shore of the island of Giglio on January 24, 2012 in Giglio Porto, Italy. More than four thousand people were on board when the ship hit a rock off the Tuscan coast. The official death toll now stands at 15, with a further 24 people still missing. The diesel recovery operation will start Wednesday, while the rescue operation continues.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 26, 2012, 09:46:30 AM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/list-of-dead-or-missing-from-the-costa-concordia-cruise-ship-that-grounded-off-italy/2012/01/26/gIQANUBMSQ_story.html
List of dead or missing from the Costa Concordia cruise ship that grounded off Italy
January 26, 2012

A list of those confirmed dead or missing in the grounding of the cruise ship Costa Concordia off Italy. Italian officials released a list of the missing. Those not listed as crew are passengers.
(see list at link)

CONFIRMED DEAD (16):
 ::snipping2::
Three other bodies that have been recovered from the wreckage but not identified.

UNACCOUNTED FOR (List includes names of three bodies awaiting identification)
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 26, 2012, 12:56:04 PM
http://gozonews.com/21637/afm-officer-joins-costa-concordia-eu-*******-mission/
AFM officer joins Costa Concordia EU ******* Mission
January 26, 2012

Colonel Emanuel Mallia of the Armed Forces of Malta has been selected by the EU’s Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) to participate in the EU ******* Mission in Italy in relation to the Costa Concordia cruise liner incident. Due to complexity of the emergency, the Italian Civil Protection has invited a small EU mission to observe the rescue and marine pollution operations, and to draft a short report with the main findings in order to share lessons learned with all Participating States.

As a Search and Rescue Expert, Col Mallia will join experts in other disciplines from Italy, France and Norway. The ******* mission starts today and is expected to draw to a close on Sunday, 29 January 2012.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on January 26, 2012, 03:08:29 PM
http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/After-Concordia-more-cruise-line-CEOs-speak-out-on-safety-specifics.html

After Concordia, more cruise line CEOs speak out on safety specifics

The latest ceos to speak publicly about the Costa Concordia tragedy and assure passengers that safety is their top priority include Norwegian Cruise Line’s Kevin Sheehan, Celebrity Cruises’ Dan Hanrahan and Princess Cruises’ Alan Buckelew. Sheehan and Hanrahan go beyond outlining safety practices to stress the experience of their captains and bridge teams.

 ::snipping2::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 26, 2012, 08:35:36 PM
http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/story/2012-01-26/Question-loom-over-Costa-Concordia-disaster/52808568/1?csp=34news
Questions loom over Costa Concordia disaster
By Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
January 26, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 27, 2012, 11:06:54 AM
$14,500.00.  What a cheap offer.  There are 16 confirmed dead and at least that many missing, and no accounting yet for the injured.  After watching some of the video clips taken of passengers waiting for a lifeboat I feel they may have truly wondered if they were going to die.  They're covering the cost of the cruise ticket & transportation and food and lodging while people were ashore.  What about folks that have used up vacation time?  Instead of being on a cruise, they fought for their life.  When will they have time off again?  What is time worth?  What is pain and suffering worth?  I'm not a money grubber, but what a cheap offer.   ::MonkeyNoNo::  For the people that lost personal items, such as passports, clothing, shoes, etc., how will that be compensated?  When the airlines lost my two bags and a duffle full of dive gear on my trip back from the Bahamas, the maximum was $400.00.  My hard side cases and heavy duty duffle cost that.   ::MonkeyNoNo::  When my stuff showed up a month later, my clothes were mildewed, the duffle had been cut open and all the good stuff out, one jacket had a dirty shoe print on it and they had the gall to ask over the phone for their $400.00 back, since my bags were recovered.  No, I didn't give it back.  I had given them a list of contents, along with receipts.  A lot of good stuff was in those bags because it was over Christmas/New Years.  The agent rolled his eyes when I gave him the list.  When I later opened my bags at the airport in front of the agent and he saw what my stuff was and looked like, that pretty well shut him up.  He didn't ask for the $400.00 back after that.  

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0127/Costa-Concordia-company-to-offer-compensation-to-ship-passengers
Costa Concordia company to offer compensation to ship passengers
Costa Cruises has negotiated with consumer groups compensation worth thousands of dollars to passengers who were aboard the Costa Concordia when it ran aground earlier this month off the Italian coast.
By Steve Scherer, Reuters
January 27, 2012

Costa Cruises has offered to pay $14,500 in compensation to each of the more than 3,000 passengers aboard the ship that capsized near the island of Giglio two weeks ago, Italian consumer groups said on Friday.
The offer, negotiated by the consumer groups, is an attempt by Costa Cruises to limit the legal fallout of the accident.

Each passenger would also receive a refund on the cruise and costs of their return home. The offer applies to all passengers, whether a child or an adult, who suffered no physical injuries. Injured passengers will be dealt with individually.
Those accepting the offer would have to agree to drop all future litigation, and receive payment within seven days.

Costa Cruises' U.S. parent company Carnival Plc is already facing legal action for compensation.

Codacons, a consumer group which did not participate in the negotiation, is collecting names for a class action suit to be filed in Miami requesting 125,000 euros for each passenger.

Carlo Rienzi, president of Codacons, said the offer was insufficient and urged passengers to see a doctor to check whether they had suffered psychological trauma.
More...

 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 27, 2012, 01:13:49 PM
This headline is all wrong imo.  What happened on the Costa Cordia was much, much more than just an inconvenience or a cancelled trip, and so much more than a "ruined cruise".  It's not like the ship went into port and let people off in the usual fashion.  Folks had to be evacuated on life boats, by helicopter and etc.  There were injuries and lives lost.  JMHO "Ruined cruise" is minimizing the situation, again, JMHO  ::MonkeyNoNo:: The paltry offer of $14,500.00 is making the cruise line look even worse, imo.

http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/story/2012-01-27/Costa-offers-145K-per-passenger-for-ruined-cruise/52813600/1
Costa offers $14.5K per passenger for ruined cruise
January 27, 2012

ROME (AP) – Costa Crociere SpA offered uninjured passengers €11,000, or $14,460, apiece Friday to compensate them for lost baggage and the psychological trauma they suffered after their cruise ship ran aground and capsized off Tuscany.
But some passengers are already refusing to accept the deal, saying they can't yet put a figure on the costs of the trauma they endured.

Costa announced the offer after negotiations with consumer groups who say they are representing 3,206 passengers from 61 countries who suffered no physical harm when the massive Costa Concordia cruise ship hit a reef on Jan. 13.
In addition to the lump-sum indemnity, Costa, a unit of the world's biggest cruise operator, the Miami-based Carnival Corp., also said it would reimburse uninjured passengers the full costs of their cruise, their return travel expenses and any medical expenses they sustained after the grounding.

The deal does not apply to the hundreds of crew on the ship, many of whom have lost their jobs, the roughly 100 people who were injured in the chaotic evacuation or the families who lost loved ones. Sixteen bodies have already been recovered from the disaster and another 16 people who were on board are missing and presumed dead.

Passengers are free to pursue legal action on their own if they aren't satisfied with the deal and it was clear Friday — two weeks after the grounding — that some would.
"We're very worried about the children," said Claudia Urru of Cagliari, Sardinia, who was on board the ship with her husband and two sons aged 3 and 12. Her eldest child, she said, is seeing a psychiatrist: He won't speak about the incident or even look at television footage of the grounding.

"He's terrorized at night," she told The Associated Press. "He can't go to the bathroom alone. We're all sleeping together, except my husband, who has gone into another room because we don't all fit."

As a result, she said, her family has retained a lawyer because they don't know what the real impact — financial or otherwise — of the trauma will be. She said her family simply isn't able to make such decisions now.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 27, 2012, 03:20:19 PM
Rut-roh!

http://www.independent.ie/business/european/italian-priest-on-concordia-cruise-caught-out-lying-to-parishioners-about-retreat-3002256.html
Italian priest on Concordia cruise caught out lying to parishioners about retreat
By Nick Squires
January 27, 2012

AN ITALIAN priest has a lot of explaining to do after telling his parishioners he was going on a spiritual retreat, only for it to be revealed that he was on the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship.

Father Massimo Donghi told his parishioners that he was heading off for a week of contemplation and prayer, but instead boarded the luxury liner at Civitavecchia, north of Rome, for a luxury cruise of Mediterranean ports.

He was found out when his nephew, who was also on the cruise, posted assurances on Facebook that the priest had survived the disaster.

The nephew told worried friends and relatives that he, his uncle and the priest's elderly mother had managed to get into lifeboats when the 1,000ft liner ran aground off the Tuscan island of Giglio.
 ::snipping2::
Father Donghi, who joined the priesthood after studying at a theological seminary in Milan, will now have to explain himself to his parishioners in Besana Brianza, near Monza in northern Italy.

Church-goers had imagined he had signed up for a week of simple living and religious devotion, rather than a cruise on board a ship which boasts spas, saunas, jacuzzis, four swimming pools, five restaurants, 13 bars, a casino and a discotheque.

“What do you want me to say?” the priest told an Italian news magazine, Panorama. “I have nothing to add. I’m OK although I’m still a bit in shock. I will talk to my parishioners in church. The judgment of others is not important to me.”



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 27, 2012, 03:22:53 PM
http://www.hastingsstargazette.com/event/article/id/26637/group/News/
Search for Heils complicated by difficult conditions
By: Katrina Styx, The Hastings Star-Gazette
January 27, 2012

More passengers have been recovered from the wreck of the Costa Concordia, which sank off the coast of Tuscany, Italy, earlier this month, but the parents of Hastings resident Sara Heil are still among the missing.

The Heil family posted an update Jan. 25 on the search on their blog, heilfamilyupdate.com , describing the events as they wait. The family is watching the search first-hand from Italy.
 ::snipping2::
They described difficult conditions that are causing the search to drag on longer and longer – divers are searching 60 feet under the surface inside the ship in darkness that reduces visibility dramatically, and after each dive have to go through decompression, which delays their ability to return to the water.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 27, 2012, 03:24:41 PM
http://heilfamilyupdate.wordpress.com/
Heil Family Update

(http://heilfamilyupdate.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/cropped-blogheader.jpg)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 16 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 27, 2012, 09:39:34 PM
http://www.statesman.com/news/local/austin-couple-safely-home-from-harrowing-italian-cruise-2130851.html
Austin couple safely home from harrowing Italian cruise
By Ciara O'Rourke
January 27, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 28, 2012, 08:07:09 AM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16773052
Costa Concordia: Woman's body found, bringing toll to 17
January 28, 2012
(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/58153000/jpg/_58153611_58153046.jpg)
The Costa Concordia is still lying on its side off Giglio island

Divers searching the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship in Italy have found the body of a woman, bringing the death toll to 17.

The body was found in a submerged part of the vessel, which ran aground off the Tuscan coast with more than 4,200 people on board, on 13 January.


Another 15 people are still missing.

The operation to start emptying fuel tanks has been halted because of bad weather. Salvage crews are expecting to resume work early next week.

Dutch salvage company SMIT has withdrawn a barge that had been placed alongside the hulk of the Costa Concordia.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 28, 2012, 08:09:53 AM
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/24405/new-body-found-in-costa-concordia-wreck
New body found in Costa Concordia wreck
January 28, 2012

GIGLIO ISLAND—Divers found a 17th body in the wrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia Saturday, leaving 15 people still missing, authorities said.

Italy’s civil defense organization said the woman’s body had been located on Deck six, in the submerged part of the vessel and was being brought out.
 ::snipping2::
Of the 17 bodies found, 14 have been identified


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 28, 2012, 08:13:38 AM
http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/event/article/id/55020/
New England prayer service to be held for missing couple
By: April Baumgarten, The Dickinson Press
January 28, 2012

Hopes to find survivors aboard a luxury cruise ship that capsized off the coast of Italy two weeks ago are dwindling, officials said, but former classmates of a missing Minnesota couple are keeping the two in their prayers.

“We have to assume they are not going to be found alive anymore, but you can’t help but keep hoping,” New England resident Carol Robinson said Friday.

Gerald and Barbara Heil of White Bear Lake, Minn., were on board the Costa Concordia cruise ship that struck a reef near Tuscany on Jan. 13. Gerald, 69, and Barbara, 70, are among the 16 people missing and are the only Americans missing from the tragedy.
 ::snipping2::
A prayer service and vigil will be held for the missing couple 7 p.m. Tuesday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, said Robinson, a former classmate.
 ::snipping2::
View the blog at
http://heilfamilyupdate.wordpress.com/


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 28, 2012, 09:05:40 AM
The below video clip notes the seventeenth victim found was a woman without a life jacket. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16772806
Woman's body found on cruise ship
January 28, 2012

Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 28, 2012, 11:59:51 AM
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/28/world/europe/italy-cruise-ship/
Woman's body found in wrecked Italy cruise ship
From Livia Borghese, CNN
January 28, 2012

Rome (CNN) -- A woman's body was found Saturday in the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship, Italian officials said, taking the number of people confirmed dead to 17.
 ::snipping2::
Francesca Maffini, a spokeswoman for the civil protection agency, said Saturday that 15 of the bodies found had been identified. The latest woman to be found was wearing a uniform, she said, suggesting she may have been a member of the ship's 1,000-strong crew.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 28, 2012, 07:07:01 PM
http://www.newsday.com/news/world/divers-find-17th-body-from-costa-concordia-1.3486562

Video:  Wrecked Ship Interior Jan. 19, 2012
http://www.newsday.com/news/wrecked-ship-interior-1.3463107


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 28, 2012, 07:09:24 PM
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gQHOKDSV8BMQewyoMFW2Fow0FXlQ?docId=CNG.2df6e7c373564e8707ae008497defb77.401
Body found as bad weather delays liner fuel pumping
By Ljubomir Milasin (AFP)
January 28, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Despite rough weather, recovery work continued and divers pulled the body of another victim from a submerged deck on the stricken ship.

She was not immediately identified. Italy's civil defence organisation said the woman was discovered on deck six in the submerged part of the vessel.

The Costa Concordia ran aground on rocks with some 4,200 people aboard and is lying on its side off the Tuscan island of Giglio. Fifteen people remain missing.

Authorities on Saturday said another woman, whose identity had not previously been released, was German passenger Inge Schall.


Of the 17 bodies found, 15 have now been identified. They are: five Germans, four French people, three Italians, a Hungarian, a Spaniard and a Peruvian.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 29, 2012, 01:41:42 PM
http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/story/2012-01-29/Rough-seas-still-delay-work-on-grounded-Italian-liner/52867316/1
Officials: Up to 10 months to remove capsized cruise ship
January 29, 2012
 ::snipping2::
Officials called off both the start of operations to remove of 500,000 gallons of fuel and the search for people still missing after determining the Costa Concordia had moved four centimeters (an inch and a half) over six hours, coupled with waves of more than one meter (three feet).

A 17th body, identified as Peruvian crew member Erika Soria Molina, was found Saturday. Sixteen crew and passengers remain listed as missing, with one body recovered from the ship not yet identified.
Officials have virtually ruled out finding anyone alive more than two weeks after the Costa Concordia hit a reef, but were reluctant to give a final death toll for the Jan. 13 disaster.
 ::snipping2::
University of Florence professor Riccardo Fanti said the ship's movements could either be caused by the ship settling on its own weight, slipping deeper into the seabed, or both. He also could not rule out the ship's sliding along the seabed.

Gabrielli noted that the body of a man recovered from the ship remains unidentified, despite efforts to obtain DNA samples from all of the missing, meaning that officials cannot preclude that the deceased is someone unknown to authorities. Costa has said that it runs strict procedures that would preclude the presence of any unregistered passengers.

Experts have said it would take 28 days to remove fuel from 15 tanks accounting for more than 80 percent of all fuel on board the ship. The next job would be to target the engine room, which contains nearly 350 cubic meters of diesel, fuel and other lubricants, Gabrielli said.

Only once the fuel is removed can work begin on removing the ship, either floating it in one piece or cutting it up and towing it away as a wreck. Costa has begun the process for taking bids for the recovery operation, a process that will take two months.

Gabrielli said the actual removal will take from seven to 10 months — meaning that the wreck will be visible from the coast of the island of Giglio for the entire summer tourism season.
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 29, 2012, 01:47:22 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9047774/Costa-Concordia-will-take-10-months-to-be-removed.html
Costa Concordia will take 10 months to be removed
January 29, 2012

Officials called off both the start of operations to remove of 500,000 gallons of fuel and the search for people still missing after determining the Costa Concordia had moved an inch and a half over six hours, coupled with waves of more than three feet.

A 17th body, identified as Peruvian crew member Erika Soria Molina, was found Saturday. Sixteen crew and passengers remain listed as missing, with one body recovered from the ship not yet identified.

Officials have virtually ruled out finding anyone alive more than two weeks after the Costa Concordia hit a reef, but were reluctant to give a final death toll for the Jan. 13 disaster.
 ::snipping2::
Mr Gabrielli noted that the body of a man recovered from the ship remains unidentified, despite efforts to obtain DNA samples from all of the missing, meaning that officials cannot preclude that the deceased is someone unknown to authorities. Costa has said that it runs strict procedures that would preclude the presence of any unregistered passengers.
Experts have said it would take 28 days to remove fuel from 15 tanks accounting for more than 80 per cent of all fuel on board the ship. The next job would be to target the engine room, which contains nearly 350 cubic meters of diesel, fuel and other lubricants, Gabrielli said.

Only once the fuel is removed can work begin on removing the ship, either floating it in one piece or cutting it up and towing it away as a wreck. Costa has begun the process for taking bids for the recovery operation, a process that will take two months.

Mr Gabrielli said the actual removal will take from seven to 10 months – meaning that the wreck will be visible from the coast of the Italian island of Giglio for the entire summer tourism season.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 29, 2012, 03:23:40 PM
http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/29/10263973-rough-seas-shut-down-cruise-ship-search-salvage-efforts
Rough seas shut down cruise ship search, salvage efforts
January 29, 2012

GIGLIO, Italy -- Inclement weather on Sunday has shut down search and salvage efforts at the site of the Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck off the island of Giglio near the Tuscan coast.

The ship shifted more than one inch overnight, and rescue divers were pulled from the water and are waiting for better conditions, NBC News has learned.

On Saturday, divers searching the submerged sixth floor deck found a woman’s body – the 17th body found since the ship ran aground on Jan. 13. Sixteen people are still unaccounted for.
Separately, a body found on the ship’s deck on Jan. 28 was identified as Erika Soria Molina, 25, of Peru. Molina was wearing a service uniform, and studied tourism in Peru and was born in the Andean city of Cuzco, southeast of Lima, the Associated Press reported.
 ::snipping2::

Slideshow: Luxury cruise ship runs aground

Slide show with 68 images, some I've not seen before.  http://msnbc.msn.com/id/45997416/displaymode/1247?beginSlide=1

Also, video at link.



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 30, 2012, 11:17:29 AM
http://www.news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8410868/concordia-waitress-hailed-as-a-hero
Concordia waitress hailed as a hero
January 30, 2012

(http://images.ninemsn.com.au/resizer.aspx?url=http://www.news.ninemsn.com.au/img/2011/world/3001_concordiahero_sp.jpg&width=310)   Erika Fani Soriamolina.


A waitress who guided passengers to safety and gave away her life vest before perishing on the Costa Concordia has been hailed as a hero.

The body of Peruvian woman Erika Fani Soriamolina was identified on Sunday after being found the day before by divers on the sixth deck of the ill-fated Italian cruise ship, CNN reports.

She was wearing the ship's uniform but did not have a life vest.

Witnesses said Soriamolina helped dozens of terrified passengers into lifeboats before giving the vest to an elderly man who survived.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 30, 2012, 02:34:04 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9049387/Giglio-islanders-threaten-to-sue-Costa-Concordia-owners.html
Giglio islanders threaten to sue Costa Concordia owners
The islanders of Giglio are threatening to sue Costa Cruises and its American parent company amid fears that the presence of the crippled Concordia liner will ruin their summer tourist season and deter big-spending celebrities.
By Nick Squires, Rome
January 30, 2012


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 30, 2012, 03:01:44 PM
http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/30/news/companies/carnival_costa_concordia/index.htm
Carnival alters forecast after cruise ship tragedy
By Aaron Smith @CNNMoney
January 30, 2012

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Carnival Corp. reversed its 2012 forecast to a loss Monday, blaming the fatal accident of a cruise ship off the coast of Italy earlier this month.

Carnival is now forecasting a loss, in the range of $375 million to $395 million, for the full year 2012. The company said that's equal to a loss of 48 to 51 cents in fully diluted earnings per share.

The revised forecast reverses one from December that expected Carnival's earnings for the full year would be in the range of $2.55 to $2.85 per share.

The turnaround is the result of the accident on Jan. 13 of the Costa Concordia, which ran aground off the coast of Isola del Giglio, Italy. The ship was severely damaged and capsized in the shallow waters. Seventeen people died in the crash, according to the latest death toll.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 31, 2012, 09:18:50 AM
A very, very sad day for the family and friends of the missing.  Edit to add in the next article I've posted, it's explained the searches have been called off for the submerged areas, but searches will continue  "in other sections of the half-submerged ship and in waters up to 18 square kilometers around the vessel, where a number of objects have been spotted which investigators believe could turn out to be bodies."  Link to Reuters article in my next post:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/31/us-italy-ship-idUSTRE80U0YC20120131

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/01/31/italian-rescuers-permanently-call-off-search-costa-concordia/
Rescuers permanently call off search for bodies on Costa Concordia
January 31, 2012

GIGLIO, Italy -- Italian rescuers Tuesday permanently called off the search for bodies in the stricken Costa Concordia cruise ship, after conditions inside the semi-submerged vessel became too dangerous for the divers.

"We have definitively stopped the underwater search inside the ship," a spokesman for the fire brigade on the island of Giglio was quoted as saying by AFP, citing the difficult conditions.
Italy's ANSA news agency also reported that the search operation came to an end.
 ::snipping2::
A total of 17 bodies were recovered, and 15 people remain missing.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 31, 2012, 09:25:18 AM
It appears there will still be some searching continuing, just not in the submerged portions of the ship.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/31/us-italy-ship-idUSTRE80U0YC20120131
Italian authorities end search for cruise ship bodies
January 30, 3012

(Reuters) - Italian authorities have ended the search for bodies on the submerged sections of the capsized Costa Concordia, more than two weeks after the giant cruise liner capsized off the Tuscan coast, officials said on Tuesday.

A statement from the civil protection authority said conditions on the wreck had made it impossible for divers to continue working safely in the underwater sections of the 290-metre long vessel.

It said the decision had been finalized after the families of the 15 people still unaccounted for had been informed.
 ::snipping2::
The search will continue in other sections of the half-submerged ship and in waters up to 18 square kilometers around the vessel, where a number of objects have been spotted which investigators believe could turn out to be bodies.
 ::snipping2::




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 31, 2012, 12:15:05 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMp7YwIokS0


Video: Costa Concordia: Video of final dive before ship search called off

http://www.youtube.com/v/vMp7YwIokS0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on January 31, 2012, 12:20:03 PM
Lots of photos.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2094422/Yours-900-Casino-token-Costa-Concordia-souvenirs-auction-eBay.html?ITO=1490
Yours for just $900! Casino token among macabre Costa Concordia souvenirs up for auction on eBay
January 31, 2012

Costa Concordia passengers are trying to cash in on the disaster by auctioning items from the doomed cruise liner on eBay.

Bidding for a one euro casino token, pictured alongside a cabin key to prove its authenticity, are being taken from a starting point of $900 (£573.94).

U.S. user gkaac, from Brighton, Massachusetts, is also offering buyers the chance to purchase the 'genuine' object for $1,800 (£1,147.89).

Bidding ends on February 6 and, although hundreds have looked at the multi-coloured item, an offer has not yet been submitted.

A model of the ship is also being sold by German user manlux1, from Heidelberg, for $199 (£126.91) and several members are trying to sell postcards of the ship in its heyday.

News of the auctions come as it was revealed by the ship's doctor that Captain Coward Francesco Schettino changed out of his uniform, grabbed his laptop and then abandoned the stricken cruise liner as hundreds of passengers and crew were still onboard.

Lt Gianluca Marino Cosentino's recollection of events backed up prosecution claims the skipper saved his own skin, fled the holed ship and left those remaining onboard to their own fate, almost four hours before the last person was safely rescued.


The medic's story came as officials in charge of the rescue operation announced that they would no longer be searching the submerged sections of the Concordia for the bodies of 15 people still missing, among them a five-year-old girl and her father.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 01, 2012, 08:23:25 AM
I can't imagine the pain and horror for Mr. Giampedroni as he waited  with injuries for 36 hours before being rescued from the ship.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16831624
Costa Concordia: Purser 'banged pan' to alert rescuers
February 1, 2012

The last person to be rescued from Italy's shipwrecked Costa Concordia has said he pounded on a wall with a frying pan to alert rescuers.

Manrico Giampedroni, the ship's purser, waited 36 hours before being rescued from the belly of the ship.
 ::snipping2::
He described falling through a door into the ship's restaurant as he tried to save passengers.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 01, 2012, 08:30:26 AM
http://www.kare11.com/news/article/959545/396/Family-of-missing-Minn-couple-acknowledges-end-of-search
Family of missing White Bear Lake couple planning memorial service
February 1, 2012

(http://www.kare11.com/images/640/360/2/assetpool/images/120116114150_Barb%20and%20Jerry%20Heil%20with%20ship%20web640.jpg)
Jerry and Barb Heil of White Bear Lake


WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. - In a blog post titled "The Search is Over," the family of Gerald and Barbara Heil, the White Bear Lake couple missing since a cruise ship grounded off the coast of Italy, states they are disheartened to hear the search for the missing has been called off, but understand and accept the decision.
(Blog post in full at link)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 01, 2012, 11:42:12 AM
http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/story/2012-02-01/Oil-spreading-from-Italy-shipwreck/52914688/1
Oil spreading from Italy shipwreck
February 1, 2012

GIGLIO, Italy (AP) – A thin film of oil spread from the Costa Concordia cruise ship as waves battered its wreckage off Italy's coast Wednesday, adding to fears of an environmental disaster in the area's sensitive, pristine waters. Authorities were trying to assess how serious and extensive the spread was
.
Italian authorities also identified a German woman, Siglinde Stumpf, as being among those killed in the Jan. 13 capsizing of the vessel. Stumpf is the 17th person whose body has been identified. Fifteen others are listed as missing.
 ::snipping2::
A crack also appeared Wednesday between two large glass panels that formed part of the roof of the massive ship. The film of oil was spreading from a separate part of the ship, apparently the stern.
 ::snipping2::
Floating barriers placed around the ship to protect the water were lifted by winds Wednesday, allowing oils from the engine to spread throughout the bay.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cadillac on February 01, 2012, 11:47:35 AM
Hopefully, the cruise line will be Johnny on the spot about this oil leaking.  It seems that it should be able to be contained, unlike the forever flowing of the BP spill in the gulf.

Sometimes a community might have to take matters into their own hands, like many did on the gulf coast.  Hopefully not-

Prayers to all those affected by this horrible tragedy.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 01, 2012, 11:55:46 AM
Hopefully, the cruise line will be Johnny on the spot about this oil leaking.  It seems that it should be able to be contained, unlike the forever flowing of the BP spill in the gulf.

Sometimes a community might have to take matters into their own hands, like many did on the gulf coast.  Hopefully not-

Prayers to all those affected by this horrible tragedy.

ITA caddi. 



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 01, 2012, 05:05:57 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9054534/Costa-Concordia-officer-survived-on-Coca-Cola-and-sandwiches.html
Costa Concordia officer survived on Coca-Cola and sandwiches
By Nick Squires, Rome
February 1, 2012

(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02126/con_2126235b.jpg)
Manrico Giampedroni, the ship's purser, leaves the Grosseto hospital in Italy Photo: AP

Manrico Giampedroni spent 36 hours partly submerged in the water with a broken leg after slipping and falling down a hatchway while trying to help passengers escape.

He said he began to suffer from hypothermia and alerted rescuers to his presence in the bowels of the ship by banging a saucepan against the wall.

Mr Giampedroni, 56, the ship's purser, was the last person to be found alive on the giant liner, which smashed into rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio on the night of Jan 13.

He was located by Italian divers and winched aboard a helicopter, which flew him straight to hospital in Grosseto on the mainland.

Speaking after being released from hospital on Wednesday, he said he was helping dozens of passengers evacuate the listing ship when he slipped and fell about 20ft through a doorway, landing in a flooded restaurant area and breaking his left leg in two places.
He said he found himself trapped in a jumbled heap of tables and chairs.

He climbed onto a table, above the water line, and had to balance on his good leg "like a flamingo".

"I managed to find a panino and a Coca-Cola that were floating in the water. I grabbed them, so I had something to eat at least. I also sipped from a bottle of Cognac, for the first time in my life."

Through the windows of the ship he saw the sun come up on the morning of Sat 14 Jan, the day after the disaster, and then the sunset a few hours later.

"I used a saucepan to make a noise to attract rescuers. Through a window I could see all the emergency vessels around the ship and I tried to shout out. There were moments in which I felt desperate."

 ::snipping2::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 01, 2012, 09:20:08 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6TCRpCKh6g&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/v/a6TCRpCKh6g&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on February 02, 2012, 07:36:32 AM
IF we can believe it................


http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/Concordia-leak-is-not-heavy-fuel-oil-salvager-says.html

Concordia leak is not heavy fuel oil, salvager says


 ::snipping2::

According to a spokesman for Boskalis, parent company of SMIT, which has the contract to remove some 2,400 tons of heavy fuel oil from the beached cruise ship: ‘It is apparently a light film of hydraulic fuel that might have come from the lifeboat winches or the engine room. Thankfully, it is not heavy fuel oil that is leaking out.’

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on February 02, 2012, 07:39:04 AM
http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/ECC-welcomes-IMO-Secretary-General-s-statement-on-passenger-ship-safety.html

ECC welcomes IMO Secretary-General's statement on passenger ship safety

The European Cruise Council welcomes the statement by IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu, that the IMO is the right international body to deal with the safety of passenger ships and, in particular, the safety review after the Concordia accident.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 02, 2012, 10:08:58 AM
IF we can believe it................


http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/Concordia-leak-is-not-heavy-fuel-oil-salvager-says.html

Concordia leak is not heavy fuel oil, salvager says


 ::snipping2::

According to a spokesman for Boskalis, parent company of SMIT, which has the contract to remove some 2,400 tons of heavy fuel oil from the beached cruise ship: ‘It is apparently a light film of hydraulic fuel that might have come from the lifeboat winches or the engine room. Thankfully, it is not heavy fuel oil that is leaking out.’

 ::snipping2::


I hope the weather calms to help facilitate the unloading of the heavy fuel oil soon. 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 02, 2012, 10:21:45 AM
http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/ECC-welcomes-IMO-Secretary-General-s-statement-on-passenger-ship-safety.html

ECC welcomes IMO Secretary-General's statement on passenger ship safety

The European Cruise Council welcomes the statement by IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu, that the IMO is the right international body to deal with the safety of passenger ships and, in particular, the safety review after the Concordia accident.

 ::snipping2::

I hope the losses in the Costa Concordia weren't all for nothing.  There are valuable  lessons to be learned.  I would like to see this studied and some across the board changes made in safety for the passengers and crews. It's sad that sometimes it takes something like the Concordia grounding for some to realize changes must be made.  But I believe this is being taken seriously and if changes can be made and are implemented in a consistent fashion, it will be better for the passengers and crews and for the cruise industry overall. 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: KittyMom on February 02, 2012, 10:59:07 AM
I know two couples that are going on a cruise this month that got MAJOR discounts with Carnival.  Seems the company is going all out to keep customers.  Neither couple has ever gone on a cruise before.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 02, 2012, 02:53:22 PM


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/02/costa-concordia-cruise-ship-rep?newsfeed=true
Costa Concordia: cruise ship rep's clothing found in captain's cabin
John Hooper in Rome
February 2, 2012

Items of clothing belonging to a former passenger representative who was allegedly at the captain's side when the Costa Concordia hit a rock off the island of Giglio last month have been found in his cabin, according to Italian news agency reports.

Domnica Cemortan, 25, from Chisinau, Moldova, has become a central figure in the investigation, which is trying to establish why the captain, Francesco Schettino, took the 114,500-tonne cruise liner so close to the jagged shoreline. Up to 32 people died after the ship listed first one way and then another before capsizing on a rocky ledge further up the coast.
 ::snipping2::
Cemortan, a former dancer, also appeared to contradict statements by members of the crew that she had been invited on to the bridge by Schettino on the night of 13 January to watch him execute a sail-past in honour of a retired liner captain. She has denied being his lover.
 ::snipping2::
Cemortan first entered the tangled story of the wrecking of the Costa Concordia when a retired Italian couple told their local newspaper they had watched from a nearby table as the captain entertained a young woman at dinner. They claimed Schettino had drunk copious amounts of wine before heading back to the bridge. The captain and his employers have said he is teetotal.

Cemortan's contract with Costa Cruises, the operators of the liner, had just ended but she bought a ticket to spend a week on board the ship as a tourist. A source close to the investigation said at an early stage that she appeared not to have been assigned a cabin.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 02, 2012, 02:57:03 PM
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2012/02/02/from_shipwreck_in_italy_a_treasure_now_beckons/
From shipwreck in Italy, a treasure now beckons
By Vanessa Gera
February 2, 2012

ROME—In the chaotic evacuation of the Costa Concordia, passengers and crew abandoned almost everything on board the cruise ship: jewels, cash, champagne, antiques, 19th century Bohemian crystal glassware, thousands of art objects including 300-year-old woodblock prints by a Japanese master.

In other words, a veritable treasure now lies beneath the pristine Italian waters where the luxury liner ran aground last month.

Though some objects are bound to disintegrate, there is still hoard enough to tempt treasure seekers -- just as the Titanic and countless shipwrecks before have lured seekers of gold, armaments and other riches for as far back as mankind can remember.

It may be just a matter of time before treasure hunters set their sights on the sunken spoils of the Costa Concordia, which had more than 4,200 people on board.

"As long as there are bodies in there, it's considered off base to everybody because it's a grave," said Robert Marx, a veteran diver and the author of numerous books on maritime history and underwater archaeology and treasure hunting. "But when all the bodies are out, there will be a mad dash for the valuables."

The Mafia, he said, even has underwater teams that specialize in going after sunken booty.
More...
(2 pgs)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 02, 2012, 03:18:32 PM
http://www.travelagentcentral.com/ocean-cruises/travel-guard-poll-costa-concordias-impact-wave-season-33431
Travel Guard Poll: Costa Concordia's Impact on Wave Season?
By Susan Young
February 1, 2012


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 02, 2012, 06:21:50 PM
http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2012/02/02/validus-may-pay-up-to-65-million-for-costa-concordia-shipwreck/
Validus: May Pay Up To $65 Million For Costa Concordia Shipwreck
February 2, 2012

NEW YORK –  Insurer Validus Holdings Ltd. (VR) said it may be on the hook for $50 million to $65 million because of the Costa Concordia shipwreck, a loss that could eclipse its payout from the widespread flooding that crippled Thailand late last year.

Validus's estimate of its own losses are based on its prediction that the total insured payout on the shipwreck will be $845 million to $950 million, meaning the Bermuda-based company expects to shoulder about 15% of the industrywide loss.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on February 03, 2012, 09:37:05 AM
http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/Costa-aims-to-have-Concordia-hull-removal-plan-by-end-March.html

Costa aims to have Concordia hull removal plan by end March

Costa Crociere said it is working with ‘utmost speed’ on a plan to remove Costa Concordia and has invited bids from 10 of the world’s leading salvage companies with the hope of reaching a decision by the end of March.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on February 03, 2012, 09:45:42 AM
http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/ECC-welcomes-IMO-Secretary-General-s-statement-on-passenger-ship-safety.html

ECC welcomes IMO Secretary-General's statement on passenger ship safety

The European Cruise Council welcomes the statement by IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu, that the IMO is the right international body to deal with the safety of passenger ships and, in particular, the safety review after the Concordia accident.

 ::snipping2::

I hope the losses in the Costa Concordia weren't all for nothing.  There are valuable  lessons to be learned.  I would like to see this studied and some across the board changes made in safety for the passengers and crews. It's sad that sometimes it takes something like the Concordia grounding for some to realize changes must be made.  But I believe this is being taken seriously and if changes can be made and are implemented in a consistent fashion, it will be better for the passengers and crews and for the cruise industry overall. 

Agree MuffyBee. What you are asking for is happening from several different angles, jurisdictions and governing arms. It will take awhile :-(

There currently is standardization and consistency -- there will be more as a result of this tragedy.

For me, the issue is governance and compliance and enforcement.

I have still not stopped shaking my head about the captain's admission that he was 'navigating by sight'. In the DARK. In ROCKY waters. :-(


(This is just one of the many links out there to support the comment)
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/30237564/detail.html

Cruise Ship Capt. Admits Navigating By Sight
Judge Says Captain Claimed He Knew Waters Well
By the CNN Wire Staff

POSTED: 2:47 am EST January 18, 2012
UPDATED: 7:19 am EST January 19, 2012

GIGLIO, Italy (CNN) -- An interrogation of the cruise ship Captain Francesco Schettino has yielded a startling admission: The captain says he was navigating by sight when the ship ran aground.

Prosecutor Francesco Verusio has accused the captain of piloting the ship too fast to allow him to react to dangers, causing the shipwreck, according to legal papers.

Judge Valeria Montesarchio's initial ruling found Schettino changed the ship's course, steering too close to shore and causing the ship to hit a rock.

The judge said the captain admitted to making a mistake and that, at the time of the collision, he was navigating by sight.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 03, 2012, 10:07:53 AM
http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/ECC-welcomes-IMO-Secretary-General-s-statement-on-passenger-ship-safety.html

ECC welcomes IMO Secretary-General's statement on passenger ship safety

The European Cruise Council welcomes the statement by IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu, that the IMO is the right international body to deal with the safety of passenger ships and, in particular, the safety review after the Concordia accident.

 ::snipping2::

I hope the losses in the Costa Concordia weren't all for nothing.  There are valuable  lessons to be learned.  I would like to see this studied and some across the board changes made in safety for the passengers and crews. It's sad that sometimes it takes something like the Concordia grounding for some to realize changes must be made.  But I believe this is being taken seriously and if changes can be made and are implemented in a consistent fashion, it will be better for the passengers and crews and for the cruise industry overall. 

Agree MuffyBee. What you are asking for is happening from several different angles, jurisdictions and governing arms. It will take awhile :-(

There currently is standardization and consistency -- there will be more as a result of this tragedy.

For me, the issue is governance and compliance and enforcement.

I have still not stopped shaking my head about the captain's admission that he was 'navigating by sight'. In the DARK. In ROCKY waters. :-(


(This is just one of the many links out there to support the comment)
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/30237564/detail.html

Cruise Ship Capt. Admits Navigating By Sight
Judge Says Captain Claimed He Knew Waters Well
By the CNN Wire Staff

POSTED: 2:47 am EST January 18, 2012
UPDATED: 7:19 am EST January 19, 2012

GIGLIO, Italy (CNN) -- An interrogation of the cruise ship Captain Francesco Schettino has yielded a startling admission: The captain says he was navigating by sight when the ship ran aground.

Prosecutor Francesco Verusio has accused the captain of piloting the ship too fast to allow him to react to dangers, causing the shipwreck, according to legal papers.

Judge Valeria Montesarchio's initial ruling found Schettino changed the ship's course, steering too close to shore and causing the ship to hit a rock.

The judge said the captain admitted to making a mistake and that, at the time of the collision, he was navigating by sight.

 ::snipping2::


BBM in Blue

I've come to realize all the rules in the world won't make a difference if someone makes the decision to override them or fails to use good sense and seamanship, like Captain Schettino did in the case of the Costa Concordia grounding. 
allegedly has. 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 03, 2012, 01:37:54 PM
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/02/us-italy-ship-france-idUSTRE81114A20120202
France opens inquiry into Costa Concordia shipwreck
February 2, 2012

(Reuters) - The Paris prosecutor's office opened a preliminary inquiry on Thursday into the causes of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster in Italy last month, following a decision to group together legal complaints by relatives of French victims.

The prosecutor's office said survivors of the shipwreck off the Tuscan coast would be questioned in the investigation, as it seeks to establish whether there are criminal liabilities in the case and assess psychological damage caused by the accident.

Four French nationals were among the 17 casualties whose bodies were recovered after the 114,500-tonne Costa Concordia hit a rock.

Some 15 people, two of them French, are still unaccounted for and a criminal investigation is under way in Italy, with the cruise ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, facing charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship before the evacuation of more than 4,200 passengers and crew was complete.
 ::snipping2::
There were 462 French people on board the cruise. After meeting last week with representatives of a victims' association based near the city of Bordeaux, the French justice ministry took a decision to group all the French complaints together.

The French inquiry could run in parallel with the Italian inquiry or be used to complement it.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 03, 2012, 01:40:07 PM
http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=371
Costa Concordia

News articles, photos, videos & other information at above link.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on February 03, 2012, 08:22:13 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/02/03/costa-concordia-domnica-cemortan-i-am-in-love-with-captain-francesco-schettino-_n_1251901.html?ref=travel&ir=Travel

Costa Concordia: Domnica Cemortan, 'I Am In Love With Captain Francesco Schettino'

The blonde Moldovan who is at the centre of the mystery over the final hours of the Costa Concordia before it ran aground has told investigators she is in love with Captain Francesco Schettino.

Former dancer Domnica Cemortan was spotted drinking and dining with the captain on the bridge of the luxury liner at the time of the tragedy, which killed 17. A further 15 people are still missing.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 03, 2012, 08:25:33 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/02/03/costa-concordia-domnica-cemortan-i-am-in-love-with-captain-francesco-schettino-_n_1251901.html?ref=travel&ir=Travel

Costa Concordia: Domnica Cemortan, 'I Am In Love With Captain Francesco Schettino'

The blonde Moldovan who is at the centre of the mystery over the final hours of the Costa Concordia before it ran aground has told investigators she is in love with Captain Francesco Schettino.

Former dancer Domnica Cemortan was spotted drinking and dining with the captain on the bridge of the luxury liner at the time of the tragedy, which killed 17. A further 15 people are still missing.

 ::snipping2::

 ::MonkeyNoNo::  It's sounding like the Captain may have been more than just a little distracted.   ::MonkeyNoNo::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on February 04, 2012, 07:01:06 AM
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/02/03/costa-concordia-domnica-cemortan-i-am-in-love-with-captain-francesco-schettino-_n_1251901.html?ref=travel&ir=Travel

Costa Concordia: Domnica Cemortan, 'I Am In Love With Captain Francesco Schettino'

The blonde Moldovan who is at the centre of the mystery over the final hours of the Costa Concordia before it ran aground has told investigators she is in love with Captain Francesco Schettino.

Former dancer Domnica Cemortan was spotted drinking and dining with the captain on the bridge of the luxury liner at the time of the tragedy, which killed 17. A further 15 people are still missing.

 ::snipping2::

 ::MonkeyNoNo::  It's sounding like the Captain may have been more than just a little distracted.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

These were the 'rumours' circulating early on.......she denied them.  The rescue workers found her lingerie in the captains cabin....she admitted the truth.  That is what the story says at the link provided.

A little distracted...perhaps a little inebriated?

And of course, the captain is married :-(   I don't remember reading if there are children involved as well.



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 04, 2012, 09:35:33 AM
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/02/03/costa-concordia-domnica-cemortan-i-am-in-love-with-captain-francesco-schettino-_n_1251901.html?ref=travel&ir=Travel

Costa Concordia: Domnica Cemortan, 'I Am In Love With Captain Francesco Schettino'

The blonde Moldovan who is at the centre of the mystery over the final hours of the Costa Concordia before it ran aground has told investigators she is in love with Captain Francesco Schettino.

Former dancer Domnica Cemortan was spotted drinking and dining with the captain on the bridge of the luxury liner at the time of the tragedy, which killed 17. A further 15 people are still missing.

 ::snipping2::

 ::MonkeyNoNo::  It's sounding like the Captain may have been more than just a little distracted.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

These were the 'rumours' circulating early on.......she denied them.  The rescue workers found her lingerie in the captains cabin....she admitted the truth.  That is what the story says at the link provided.

A little distracted...perhaps a little inebriated?

And of course, the captain is married :-(   I don't remember reading if there are children involved as well.



If the captain has engaged in extra-marital relations during a cruise, that reflects on  his and the cruise lines image. It has an ugly side to it.   If if he was drinking alcohol while on the ship, particularly the night he of the grounding, that would be really, really bad imo and could have clouded his judgement, akin to driving while intoxicated, but multiplied by many times, at least the number of passengers and crew = 4,000 + he endangered, not to mention the at least 32 missing and/or dead.   ::MonkeyNoNo::  Looks like if he was seen drinking alcohol, he should be in line for come criminal negligence charges at least or more.  JMHO 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 04, 2012, 09:39:14 AM
BBM - Bless the brave souls who helped those in need. 

Some news from Canada:

http://www.canada.com/entertainment/Fifth+Estate+looks+Costa+Concordia+sinking/6102544/story.html
'Fifth Estate' looks at 'Costa Concordia' sinking
By Alex Strachan, Postmedia News
February 4, 2012

 ::snipping2:: CBC News Network is repeating fifth estate reporter Bob McKeown's minutebyminute account of last month's capsizing - on Friday the 13th, no less - of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, after it struck a rock in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the western coast of Italy.

The ABC newsmagazine 20/20 aired a similar program Jan. 21, a week after the disaster, but McKeown's account for the fifth estate has the benefit of more time and, inevitably, hindsight.

The Costa Concordia ship's captain has already had his day of infamy, and will no doubt be the focus of many investigative programs in the months, and possibly, years, to come. What's more interesting about the fifth estate's account are the testi-monials of those people who haven't been in the news headlines, but probably deserve to be: the ship's doctor, for example, who was frantically treating injured passengers, even as many of his ship's colleagues put their lives ahead of the passengers; or the local Italian politician who boarded the stricken ship against his better judgment and stayed to the end, even as many others fled. The fifth estate program raises important questions, in the aftermath of a wreck that, by all accounts, should never have happened in the first place. (CBC News Network, 8 p.m.)
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 04, 2012, 12:11:27 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/9059818/Cruises-Lines-to-give-away-thousands-of-free-flights.html
Cruises: Lines to give away thousands of free flights
Caribbean Cruise Lines and Celebrity Cruises are giving away thousands of free flights to those who book by the end of the month. ruar
February 3, 2012


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 04, 2012, 12:15:02 PM
http://www.cruisemates.com/articles/feature/alcoholpolicies-090707.cfm
Alcohol Policies by Cruise Line
By Paul Motter


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 04, 2012, 08:10:44 PM
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/costa-concordia/a-woman-who-miscarried-after-the-costa-concordia-crash-will-sue-the-ships-parent-company/story-fnbvduqy-1226262905074
A woman who miscarried after the Costa Concordia crash will sue the ship's parent company
February 5, 2012

A PREGNANT woman who miscarried after the cruise ship wreck off the coast of Italy last month is set to sue the vessel's owners for $A1.2 million in damages, Italian media says.

The 30-year-old Italian, identified only as Cristina M, was four months pregnant when she set off on the Costa Concordia cruise on January 13. Though she escaped the sinking ship in a lifeboat, she was admitted to hospital last week with a miscarriage.

Her doctors said she likely lost her baby because of the intense psychological stress suffered both during the night-time evacuation and when her lifeboat smashed up against rocks as it headed for the nearby shore.

Christina M's lawyers will add her to a class action against Costa Crociere and seek $A1.2 million in damages for the miscarriage.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 04, 2012, 08:13:20 PM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-2094871/Costa-Concordia-Grim-quest-bodies-board-capsized-cruise-ship.html?ITO=1490
Raising the dead: The grim quest for bodies on board the capsized Costa Concordia
By Nick Pisa
February 4, 2012

After the tragedy has come the quiet heroism of the Italian rescue teams. Live was given exclusive access to the divers and sappers who are searching for bodies in a half-submerged hulk they know could slip into the depths at any moment – with unthinkable consequences

Story and photos at link.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 05, 2012, 02:38:18 PM
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/300169/Underage-porters-on-Costa-Concordia-ship-
UNDERAGE PORTERS ‘ON COSTA CONCORDIA SHIP'
By Nick Pisa
February 5, 2012

PROSECUTORS are investigating claims that underage crew were employed on doomed liner Costa Concordia.

A tip-off to Italian coastguards told them to search for youngsters aged between 13 and 16 who slept in the hold and worked as porters.
 ::snipping2::
Last night owners Costa Cruises strongly denied any of the crew were employed illegally.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 06, 2012, 03:05:01 PM
http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/costa-concordia-to-be-re-floated/
Costa Concordia to be re-floated
February 6, 2012

The stricken Costa Concordia will be re-floated whole and hauled away the Genoa-based cruise line has confirmed.

The announcement quashes suggestions the vessel could be cut up for scrap at its present location.

Residents on the Isle of Giglio had voiced concerns the scrapping of the vessel could damage tourism in the region during the bust summer months.

Costa confirmed ten leading salvage companies had been invited to submit bids, with a decision expected at the end of March.

The operation to move the vessel is then likely to be completed in the first quarter of 2012.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 06, 2012, 03:08:10 PM


http://gcaptain.com/costa-concordia-interview-michael/?39203
Costa Concordia, Interview With Michael Crye of CLIA
By John Konrad
February 6, 2012

Interview: Michael Crye
Michael Crye is the executive vice president of the Cruise Lines International Association, the world's largest cruise association. In this interview, Crye responds to concerns that cruising is unsafe.


Video at Link

Full video interview:  http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/2011-2012/thewreckofthecostaconcordia/michaelcrye.html


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 06, 2012, 03:12:42 PM
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/06/hearing-set-for-italian-cruise-ship-captain-under-house-arrest/
Hearing set for Italian cruise ship captain under house arrest
February 6, 2012

A closed-door hearing to determine whether the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship should remain under house arrest is set for Monday.

Francesco Schettino faces possible charges of manslaughter, shipwreck and abandoning ship after the vessel struck rocks and rolled onto its side in the waters off the Italian island of Giglio on January 13.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 06, 2012, 03:14:23 PM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2097241/Costa-Concordia-Calls-Captain-Coward-Francesco-Schettino-face-2-697-years-jail.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Calls for Costa Concordia's 'Captain Coward' to face 2,697 years in jail... as prosecutors demand he is sent back to prison
February 6, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Last month an investigating judge granted Schettino house arrest and he is currently serving that at his home in Meta di Sorrento near Naples, which he shares with his wife Fabiola and teenage daughter.

Today, in a three hour closed door hearing in Florence before an appeal court judge, prosecutors argued he be sent back to jail as they fear he may well interfere with evidence and the fact that he fled his ship also raises the possibility he may try and avoid justice.

Lead investigator Francesco Verusio is looking for Schettino to be given 15 years for multiple manslaughter, ten years for causing a disaster and eight years for every passenger that was abandoned and the same sentence for those that died, with all terms running consecutively.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 06, 2012, 06:46:56 PM
http://www.leaderpost.com/Regina+woman+waiting+compensation+after+Concordia+disaster/6100732/story.html
Regina woman waiting for compensation after Concordia disaster
 
By Joe Couture, The StarPhoenix
 February 6, 2012

REGINA -- Though it has been three weeks since a Saskatchewan woman and her mother escaped the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship off the coast of Italy, they haven't received any reimbursement and they still aren't sure if they will.
 ::snipping2::
The company said it will cover the roughly $2,000 cost of flights and the cruise. But a letter detailing that settlement that was supposed to arrive Monday hadn't shown up by Friday. A call to the company indicated it could take more time, she said.

There is also still no clarity on what, if any, compensation Megan might receive for the belongings she had on the boat. She packed most of her clothes - for what was to be a two-week trip in total complete with formal dinners on the ship - as well as many other belongings.

"I have fantastic co-workers and fantastic friends, because nothing I'm wearing I actually own," Megan said. "They're lending me stuff. I work two jobs. Clearly, I don't have money to go out and replace thousands of dollars worth of clothes."

Meanwhile, the Transat travel insurance she bought through Marlin Travel doesn't seem to be helping either; the insurance company has offered to reimburse her the $2,000 and any possessions she has receipts for up to $1,500. But, that's on the condition that Costa doesn't pay her. If she gets money from the cruise line, she must pay all of the insurance back.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 07, 2012, 11:28:59 AM
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/02/06/italian-court-to-rule-by-thursday-on-shipwreck-captains-bail-conditions/
Italian court to rule by Thursday on shipwreck captain's bail conditions
February 6, 2012

FLORENCE, Italy -- The captain of the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise liner will find out by Thursday if he is to be released on bail, remain under house arrest or be sent to jail over last month's disaster, which claimed 32 lives.

Prosecutors told a hearing in Florence that Francesco Schettino -- who is accused of manslaughter and abandoning his ship ahead of his passengers -- is a flight risk and that he should be incarcerated rather than continue to be held under house arrest at his home in Meta di Sorrento, near Naples.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 07, 2012, 02:36:15 PM
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Undersea-prep-resumes-for-ship-s-oil-removal-3050516.php
Undersea prep resumes for ship's oil removal
February 5, 2012

ROME (AP) — Underwater operations have resumed aimed at readying the shipwrecked Costa Concordia for the removal of tons of oil from its tanks.

After days of stormy weather, seas off the Tuscan island of Giglio were calm enough Sunday to resume work.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 07, 2012, 02:38:38 PM
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/07/costa-concordia-captain-francesco-schettino-must-remain-under-house-arrest-court-rules/
Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino must remain under house arrest, court rules
February 7, 2012

FLORENCE, Italy — An Italian court ruled Tuesday that Francesco Schettino, the captain of the cruise liner that ran aground and capsized off the island of Giglio, killing at least 17 people, must remain under house arrest.
 ::snipping2::
In confirming that he must remain under house arrest, the Florence court rejected the pleas of both the prosecutors, who argued that he should return to prison, and Schettino’s lawyer, who had requested that he be completely set free.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 08, 2012, 07:17:34 AM
http://www.hydro-international.com/news/id5324-ROV_Survey_of_Grounding_Site_Costa_Concordia_video.html
ROV Survey of Grounding Site Costa Concordia (video)
 
February 8, 2012


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 08, 2012, 07:19:41 PM
http://www.petergreenberg.com/2012/02/08/no-one-should-have-died-a-passengers-account-of-the-costa-concordia/
No One Should Have Died: A Passenger’s Account of the Costa Concordia
February 8, 2012


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cookie on February 09, 2012, 08:27:20 AM
While on our cruise last week, I have to say that I was a lot more aware of what was going on around me for safety reasons because if this cruise accident. My mind wandered over and over again of the horror that these passengers went through...on our ship, safety was priority...the muster drill was right away. I listened intently....on another note, the cruise ship at Port Everglades that has had the virus on it was at port when we were leaving.  We did not know at that time what was going on but we knew that it was unusual for the ship to be there when it was...now we know why. That same ship was in port 2 days early again for the same reason..now it has to under go a totally thorough cleaning...don't think I would want to cruise any time soon after getting sick on board.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 09, 2012, 09:27:09 AM
Hi cookie!  ::HelloKitty::  I hope you and your husband were able to enjoy your cruise, despite the recent events with the Costa Concordia.  I too would have that on my mind and to think back on it would be only natural.  The passengers on the Costa Concordia would have been folks like you, going for a holiday.  However, I'm glad to see you report the muster drill was done immediately and that you listened to directions.  If this had been done on the Costa Concordia, it may have saved lives.

When I read about the outbreak of noro-virus on a couple of the cruise ships, I thought how awful this had to be for the passengers.  They paid money, set aside time and went off for a holiday cruise only to be cabin bound with illness.  And for some passengers, the virus can be life threatening.   ::MonkeyNoNo::  There's never a good time for virus's to strike a ship, but on the heels of the Costa Concordia grounding, it's really bad for the travel industry. 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: cookie on February 09, 2012, 10:05:41 AM
Hi Muffers...I also felt that the crew on our ship were professionals who would know what to do if a disaster struck...very good feeling to have after the Costa..we said to our friends more than once that the passengers on the Costa were just like us..on holiday to enjoy themselves, celebrate an occasion etc. How very sad and horrific for them....thank God for the survivors who managed to save themselves and other passengers.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 09, 2012, 10:42:06 PM
 ::teddybear::

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9072265/Costa-Concordia-divers-launch-rescue-mission-for-boys-teddy-bear.html
Costa Concordia: divers launch rescue mission for boy's teddy bear
By Nick Squires, Rome
February 9, 2012

The child's father told rescuers that the little boy had been unable to sleep since the disaster and desperately missed his toy.

He wrote to islanders who had given shelter to him and his son after they were brought ashore when the 950ft long vessel ran aground on the Italian island of Giglio on the night of Jan 13.

Islanders passed the letter to the island's mayor, Sergio Ortelli, who in turn gave it to rescue divers, who entered the hull on a special mission, finding the cabin where the boy had been staying and retrieving the soft toy – bedraggled but intact.

Bad weather has repeatedly forced divers to suspend their operations in the hull of the crippled ship but they took advantage of a break in the weather earlier this week to go back in – a welcome break from the grim task of looking for bodies.

They found the bear hidden in a tangle of debris – overturned tables, chairs, mattresses and scattered luggage.
Rescuers sent the teddy bear back to the boy, who lives with his father in Verona in northern Italy, having lost his mother some years ago.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 10, 2012, 08:38:26 AM
BBM - Schettino's career be d***ed at that point.  Instead of sulking around in a lifeboat he should have been on the ship helping save the passengers and crew.  Bringing the ship onto the rocks in the first place was one thing, but to me, his failure to take action to save  the over 4,000 souls on the ship he captained requires severe penalties for him.  How could he abandon those so in need that were entrusted to his care?   ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/10/uk-italy-ship-schettino-idUSLNE81900720120210
Captain at centre of cruise ship disaster
By Laura Viggiano and James Mackenzie
February 10, 2012

(Reuters) - Francesco Schettino, the captain of the doomed cruise liner Costa Concordia, knew as soon as his ship struck a rock off the island of Giglio on January 13 that he had made a catastrophic error and a 30-year career at sea was ending in disgrace.

Bringing the 114,500 tonne vessel to within a stone's throw of shore, he had intended to perform a "salute" to the island for the benefit of Antonello Tievoli, the ship's head waiter and a native of Giglio.

But as he came to within a quarter of a nautical mile of the coast, in water he believed to be deep enough to be safe, he saw foam breaking on what appeared to be a submerged outcrop and turned sharply, exposing the side of the hull to the sharp rock.
 ::snipping2::
Schettino himself insisted that he had tried unsuccessfully to return to the ship after falling on to the roof of a lifeboat, but he admitted that he had been devastated by the disaster.

"Everyone had lifevests on, but for me...well my life at that moment had been destroyed, I wasn't interested in lifevests ... it was over for me," he said.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 10, 2012, 08:42:19 AM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9073879/Cruise-ships-introduce-mandatory-pre-departure-safety-drills.html
Cruise ships introduce mandatory pre-departure safety drills
February 10, 2012

Cruise passengers will now be obliged to attend a pre-departure safety drill after the industry's governing bodies announced new safety measures following the Costa Concordia disaster.

The Cruise Lines International Association, European Cruise Council and Passenger Shipping Association said the muster drills would now be obligatory on their ships before departure.

Yesterday's announcement followed a review of safety measures prompted by the grounding of the Italian ship.
 ::snipping2::
Current legal guidelines under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea decree only that a muster drill should take place within 24 hours of embarkation.

If passengers arrive after the muster has been completed, they will be obliged to carry out individual or group safety briefings.

The new policy is effective immediately.

A full copy of the new rules can be viewed here: http://www.cruising.org/regulatory/cruise-industry-policies


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on February 10, 2012, 09:57:26 AM
You're so much faster than me, MuffyBee :-)  Thanks for keeping the topic updated so well.

http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/Cruise-industry-adopts-new-emergency-drill-policy-in-response-to-Concordia.html

 ::snipping2::

The Cruise Lines International Association, European Cruise Council and Passenger Shipping Association put forward the new policy with the support of their member cruise lines.

The new muster policy, which has been voluntarily initiated by the associations’ members and is effective immediately, exceeds existing legal requirements by calling for the mandatory muster of all embarking passengers prior to departure from port.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on February 10, 2012, 10:02:43 AM
http://cnd-cruiseblogger.blogspot.com/2012/02/video-why-fuel-cant-be-removed-from.html

Friday, February 10, 2012
Video: Why the Fuel Can't Be Removed from Costa Concordia
Smit Salvage has been ready to removed the fuel from the sunken Costa Concordia for two weeks, since January 28 (2012), but sea conditions have prevented the pumping phase of the operation from beginning. This video, shot late yesterday, very graphically shows the sea conditions at the wreckage and makes the delay very understandable.

New data released yesterday says that the ship has moved two feet since the January 13 accident. In the video, it's also easy to see why conditions inside the ship have deteriorated with so many access points now open (including the retractable dome over the swimming pool now disengaged) allowing so much water to move through the ship.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 10, 2012, 10:51:55 AM
http://cnd-cruiseblogger.blogspot.com/2012/02/video-why-fuel-cant-be-removed-from.html

Friday, February 10, 2012
Video: Why the Fuel Can't Be Removed from Costa Concordia
Smit Salvage has been ready to removed the fuel from the sunken Costa Concordia for two weeks, since January 28 (2012), but sea conditions have prevented the pumping phase of the operation from beginning. This video, shot late yesterday, very graphically shows the sea conditions at the wreckage and makes the delay very understandable.

New data released yesterday says that the ship has moved two feet since the January 13 accident. In the video, it's also easy to see why conditions inside the ship have deteriorated with so many access points now open (including the retractable dome over the swimming pool now disengaged) allowing so much water to move through the ship.


I watched the video clip in the article and the water really is rough.   ::MonkeyNoNo::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 10, 2012, 05:26:02 PM
http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=19815
Mass to mark sinking of Costa Concordia
February 10, 2012

Bishop Guglielmo Borghetti of Pitigliano, will celebrate Mass on the  island of Giglio to remember those killed on the cruise liner Costa Concordia.

The Mass will be celebrated in the church of St Lawrence on Monday February 13, exactly one month after the tragedy.

 Locals and families of those killed or injured on the ship are expected to attend. The Catholic maritime charity Apostleship of the  Sea provided assistance to passengers and crew through its cruise chaplain on board.  The AoS also assisted victims coming ashore in the nearby port of Savona.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 11, 2012, 12:58:33 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16995552
Concordia: New video footage shows confusion on bridge
February 12, 2012


Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 12, 2012, 01:49:16 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/02/12/fuel-removal-begins-on-italian-cruise-ship-costa-concordia/
Fuel removal begins on grounded Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia
February 12, 2012

Underwater pumping operations began Sunday to remove some of the 500,000 gallons of fuel aboard the Costa Concordia, officials said, nearly a month after the cruise ship ran aground off Tuscany.

After nearly two weeks of delays because of rough seas and bad weather, the pumping got under way on the first of 15 tanks that are believed to hold around 84 percent of the fuel on board, Italy's civil protection department said.

Officials say it will take 28 consecutive days of pumping to empty the tanks.

Dutch shipwreck salvage firm Smit is overseeing the operation, along with an Italian partner.

The fuel extraction process involves fixing valves on the underwater fuel tanks, one on top, one on bottom. Hoses are attached to the valves and as the oil -- which must be warmed to make it less gooey -- is sucked out of the upper hose, sea water is pumped in to fill the vacuum via the lower hose.

"We expect the next five days to be good weather, and we will work 24 hours a day to pump out the fuel," said Bart Huizing, Smit's salvage master. He said operations would initially focus on the six tanks in the front part of the ship where about 62-65 percent of the fuel is located.

"Hopefully by the end of the week we will have the majority out," he told The Associated Press in Giglio.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 12, 2012, 01:55:38 PM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/12/costa-concordia-video-crew-panicking?newsfeed=true
Costa Concordia video shows crew joking, then panicking
Video aired on Italian TV shows crew saying 'we'll make it' as boat starts to tilt
Tom Kington in Rome
February 12, 2012

A video has emerged showing crew members joking then panicking as the Costa Concordia capsized, shedding light on events on board the stricken cruise ship after it hit rocks on 13 January.

The clip, aired on Italian TV at the weekend and apparently shot on the bridge, shows employees joking "we'll make it" as the cruise ship gradually lists in shallow water after being holed by rocks onoff the island of Giglio.

Then a passenger falls into the water and crew members shout in panic as they struggle to release lifeboats and fight to stop a heavy metal gantry smashing into one boat.

An earlier section of the video, which was previously aired on Friday, appears to show the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, shrugging off the fate of passengers and saying "whatever" when told they were taking to lifeboats even though no order to do so had been given by the bridge.

Growing unease among officers is evident when one says: "What shall we do?"
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on February 12, 2012, 03:39:19 PM
:-(   :-(

The onboard structure is very military like in terms of there are rules and responsibilities and a hierarchy and strict chain of command with severe consequence.

The crew were really helpless to advise passengers differently than the the bridge was instructing. Although the previous article confirms that there were crew who joined with passengers to begin the evacuation before the order was given.

I do not know what emergency 'go back to your cabins and await further instruction' is a response to, but IMO, it should not be the response for a vessel taking on water.

I don't know when - or if - I would have disobeyed the captain.

So sad. didn't have to be :-(





Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 12, 2012, 05:51:29 PM
:-(   :-(

The onboard structure is very military like in terms of there are rules and responsibilities and a hierarchy and strict chain of command with severe consequence.

The crew were really helpless to advise passengers differently than the the bridge was instructing. Although the previous article confirms that there were crew who joined with passengers to begin the evacuation before the order was given.

I do not know what emergency 'go back to your cabins and await further instruction' is a response to, but IMO, it should not be the response for a vessel taking on water.

I don't know when - or if - I would have disobeyed the captain.

So sad. didn't have to be :-(





It had to be very difficult not only for the passengers, but also for the crew. 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 12, 2012, 11:26:07 PM
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/4124879/Brave-rescue-divers-of-Costa-Concordia.html
'Most drowned bodies are in swimsuits. This one was in an elegant dress'
Amazing courage of Costa
Concordia's rescue divers

February 13, 2012

Photos at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 13, 2012, 03:51:49 PM
http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=152770
Amended Complaint Filed By Costa Concordia Plaintiffs
Plaintiffs’ attorneys will hold a Press Conference February 14 upon filing of Amended Complaint.
February 13, 2012


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 13, 2012, 03:57:38 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/relatives-of-missing-concordia-crew-and-passengers-mark-1-month-anniversary-of-ships-disaster/2012/02/13/gIQAmbF1AR_story.html
Relatives of missing Concordia crew and passengers mark 1-month anniversary of ship’s disaster
February 13, 2012

GIGLIO, Italy — Tossing bouquets of red roses into the sea, the relatives of people still missing one month after the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster mourned in a private tribute Monday.

The family members boarded a small boat that took them 50 meters (yards) from the stricken cruise ship, which struck a reef Jan. 13 off the Tuscan coast when its captain made an unauthorized maneuver. Seventeen people died while trying to flee and 15 remain missing and are presumed dead.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 14, 2012, 04:00:05 PM
http://www.travelagentcentral.com/ocean-cruises/costa-extends-compensation-offer-deadline-33647
Costa Extends Compensation Offer Deadline
By Susan Young
February 14, 2012

Costa Crociere has extended the deadline for acceptance of its compensation proposal for guests involved in the Costa Concordia incident off the island of Giglio, Italy on Jan. 13. The new deadline is March 31, 2012.

The decision was taken to offer passengers more time to evaluate the proposal and to exercise their claims with less urgency.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 14, 2012, 04:02:43 PM
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/14/italy-shipwreck-florida-idUSL2E8DEBSF20120214
More shipwreck survivors sue Carnival, Costa
By Jane Sutton
February 14, 2012




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 15, 2012, 08:45:31 AM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/319640
Pumping out oil from Costa Concordia moving quickly
By Marcos Hondro
February 15, 2012




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 15, 2012, 08:48:03 AM

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/248146/pinoyabroad/281-pinoy-crew-members-of-stricken-concordia-ship-get-2-m-in-benefits
281 Pinoy crew members of stricken Concordia ship get $2-M in benefits
February 15, 2012

Out of the 291 Filipino crew members of the Italian cruise ship "Costa Concordia" which ran aground and sank in January, 281 crewmen have received $2.048 million in benefits.
 
The Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said the claims of the 281 Filipino crew members have been settled following the DOLE's Single Entry Approach (SENA) conciliation-mediation program.
 
In a news release, the DOLE said its National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) reported that the 281 crew members received their checks, "ranging from a low of $553 to as high as $12,610."
 
"Ten claimants were still in the provinces and, therefore, have yet to appear at the NCMB offices to receive their checks," the DOLE said.
 
The amount given to the seafarers represents the claims of the seafarers for:

    the unexpired embarkation contract or "Contract Honour Compensation," and
    loss of personal belongings.

 
The DOLE said the average claim of an affected seafarer was pegged at $7,000.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 15, 2012, 08:50:36 AM
http://www.marinelog.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1918:openletter12february2012j02&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=107
CLIA publishes open letter to assure public on cruise safety
February 12, 2012

Christine Duffy, CEO of the Cruise Lines International Asociation (CLIA) published an open letter on February 10 assuring the public of the industry's outstanding safety record and outlining some of the measures that the cruise industry has taken since the deadly Costa Concordia accident on January 13.

CLIA represents 26 cruise lines serving the North American market. Last year, more than 10 million North Americans took cruises.

 ::snipping2::




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 15, 2012, 09:02:39 PM
This has gotta be a blow for  Captain Schettino's ego, for sure.   :salut:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2101686/Costa-Concordia-captain-Francesco-Schettino-uniforms-sale-Italy.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Now you too can be the most unpopular man in Italy... with the Costa Concordia's captain Schettino uniform
February 15, 2012

In the city famed for its avant-garde fashion, it makes for an unusual must have item of clothing.

But in the run up to the Milan Festival, the Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino costume is the in-demand garment.

During the annual event, which takes place in the days after Shrove Tuesday, Milanese dress up as a host of famous public figures.

And this year, the usual Silvio Berlusconi parodies have been dropped in favour of the man branded 'Captain Coward' for fleeing the sinking ship after it struck rocks off the island of Giglio in the Mediterranean last month.
More...
Photos at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on February 19, 2012, 07:53:39 AM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/18/francesco-schettino-cocaine_n_1286374.html?icid=maing-grid7|maing7|dl3|sec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D136836

Costa Concordia Disaster: Francesco Schettino Hair Sample Showed Traces Of Cocaine On Outside Of Hair

ROME -- Lawyers for survivors of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship on Saturday pressed for new drug tests on the ship's captain after traces of cocaine were reportedly found on the outside of a hair sample.

But the consultant who did the analyses for prosecutors stood by results, which found no presence of the drug in urine samples or within the hair of Captain Francesco Schettino.

Italian consumer protection group Codacons is representing some survivors of the shipwreck of the cruise liner, which rammed a reef near a Tuscan island the night of Jan. 13. Under Italian law, those attaching civil suits to a criminal case must be informed of, and allowed to monitor, evidence and other developments in the probe.

Codacons said Saturday that some traces of cocaine were found on a hair sample and in an envelope containing the sample, but noted that a urine sample taken from Schettino and an analysis of the hair itself found no presence of the drug. It called that finding "very strange" and said it had asked prosecutors on Friday to order new testing to see if the samples might have been contaminated.

The Italian news agency ANSA quoted the forensic medical expert who carried out the toxicology test as dismissing Codacons' concerns about the external trace of cocaine.

The expert, Marcello Chiarotti, was quoted as saying the modest trace of cocaine "was a marginal problem that absolutely doesn't invalidate the results of the analysis" that found none of the drug inside the hair itself or in the urine. Traces of cocaine in the urine or inside the hair itself would have pointed to consumption.

The prosecutor's office in Grosseto, Tuscany, was closed Saturday, as was the law office of the attorney defending Schettino, who is under house arrest in his home near Naples while he is investigated for alleged manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship. The lawyer could not be reached by cell phone.

But ANSA quoted the lawyer, Bruno Leporatti, as saying the test results yielded nothing new. "We have always been sure that Schettino didn't take drugs," the Grosseto-based lawyer was quoted as saying.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 19, 2012, 02:12:54 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/02/19/lawyers-for-costa-concordia-request-new-drug-tests-for-cruise-captain-after/
Lawyers for Costa Concordia survivors request new drug tests for cruise captain after reports of traces of cocaine
February 19, 2012

ROME –  Lawyers for survivors of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship on Saturday pressed for new drug tests on the ship's captain after traces of cocaine were reportedly found on the outside of a hair sample.

But the consultant who did the analyses for prosecutors stood by results, which found no presence of the drug in urine samples or within the hair of Capt. Francesco Schettino.

Italian consumer protection group Codacons is representing some survivors of the shipwreck of the cruise liner, which rammed a reef near a Tuscan island the night of Jan. 13. Under Italian law, those attaching civil suits to a criminal case must be informed of, and allowed to monitor, evidence and other developments in the probe.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 19, 2012, 02:15:28 PM
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8422074/concordia-operator-says-victim-of-miscarriage-scam
Concordia firm says victim of miscarriage scam
February 19, 2012

Italian cruise ship operator Costa Crociere said Friday it was taking legal action against a woman who falsely claimed to have suffered a miscarriage as a result of the Costa Concordia tragedy last month.

"The company has confirmed that neither the woman nor her husband was on the Costa Concordia's guest list,
" Costa Crociere said in a statement, referring to a couple who had asked for 1.0 million euros ($1.3 million) in damages.

Costa Crociere said it "intends to file a complaint with the legal authorities and that it will take similar action in response to any similar scams or attempts at profiteering in the wake of the Concordia tragedy.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 19, 2012, 06:02:19 PM
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57381083/two-thirds-of-costa-concordia-fuel-removed/
Two-thirds of Costa Concordia fuel removed
February 19, 2012

(AP)

ROME - The first phase of fuel removal from the capsized cruise ship Costa Concordia has been completed off Italy's coast.

Italy's civil protection agency, which is monitoring the operation, said all fuel had been removed by Sunday evening from the tanks in the front part of the ship.

Those tanks held roughly two-thirds of the fuel.
 ::snipping2::
Fuel removal from less accessible tanks in the rear of the ship will follow, but choppy seas predicted for Monday could delay the start.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 20, 2012, 09:17:11 AM
http://maritimematters.com/2012/02/costa-concordia-conversations/
COSTA CONCORDIA Conversations
By Shawn Drake
February 19, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Meanwhile, new information continues to surface with regards to communications between the ship and Costa headquarters immediately following the wreck.  Costa Crociere CEO, Pier Luigi Fosci gave testimony in a hearing before the Italian Senate stating that Captain Francesco Schettino did keep the company informed of events during the 73-minutes between the ship’s grounding at 9:42 pm and the order to evacuate at approximately 10:55 pm.   Previously, Fosci stated that the captain contacted Costa’s shoreside operations at 10:05 pm but they could not assess the gravity of the situation because the captain’s conversation provided only vague information which “did not correspond to the truth.”  In the new testimony, the first call was placed at least eight minutes earlier to Costa’s head of marine operations, Roberto Ferrarini.  At least six calls were made before the order was given to abandon ship, with the line receiving updated information as events progressed.  Pier Luigi Foschi’s testimony included these excerpts:  “At 9:57,  Schettino said he had a huge problem on board, that a blackout was in course, that there wasn’t any electrical current.  He told Ferrarini that he hit a rock.  In that first call, the commander said that only one compartment was flooded.  In a second call, at 10:06, the captain reported the flooding of a second compartment but said the ship’s ability to float ‘wasn’t compromised.’”  Earlier at 9:49 pm, the Italian Coast Guard contacted the ship after being alerted through calls from passengers to shore.  “Concordia, we are calling to ask if everything is okay?”  Captain Schettino replied, “Yes, it’s just a technical thing.”  At 10:12 pm, the Coast Guard called again and was told “It’s all okay, it’s just a blackout, we’re taking care of the situation.”  Captain Schettino again contacted marine operations at 10:16 pm and continued his discussion with Mr. Ferrarini regarding “the size of the breach,” Foschi said and between 10:33 and 10:35 pm, Schettino informed Ferrarini the vessel was listing and that he planned to abandon ship.  The information provided by Pier Luigi Foschi was from a memorandum prepared by Ferrarini detailing the conversations with Captain Schettino.

While the new testimony does not absolve the captain of any wrongdoing, it does show that he was at least communicating the situation to the company, if not to the Coast Guard.  The most damning exchange of conversations that evening came much later at around 12:42 am, when Captain Schettino was already in a lifeboat.  The following is a complete transcript of the four-minute call from Italian Coast Guard Captain Gregorio De Falco to Captain Francesco Schettino.
 ::snipping2::
(See transcript at link)



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 17 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 21, 2012, 08:54:03 AM
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-carnival-legaltre81k06j-20120220,0,1008292.story
Insight: Laws leave cruise-ship victims at sea
February 21, 2012

 ::snipping2::
The cruise business - led by industry giant Carnival Corp. & PLC, whose Italian subsidiary owned and operated the doomed Costa Concordia - has put in place over the years a legal structure that ring-fences operators from big-money lawsuits.

The rules for seeking redress are spelled out in complex, multi-page ticket contracts that passengers may not receive until right before boarding. Victims are often required to file suits in remote jurisdictions. The wording has been the subject of decades of court battles.

Thomas Dickerson, a New York state judge who has written extensively on travel law, says the legal hurdles resulting from the industry's victories over the years give operators the upper hand in litigation and make the business highly profitable. The industry faces "fewer payouts because of all the roadblocks," he said.

Cruise industry officials say their contracts streamline the litigation process, prevent frivolous claims and lower cruise costs for passengers.

In the case of the Costa Concordia wreck, the ticket contract stated that "all claims, controversies, disputes, suits and matters of any kind whatsoever ... shall be instituted only in the courts of Genoa, Italy."

Many survivors are now discovering the challenges of the Italian court system.

Italian lawyers rarely accept cases on a contingency basis, so clients may have to pay them up front to take a case. And personal-injury cases can drag on for years, especially if there is a parallel criminal investigation. The Costa Concordia's captain is under investigation for allegedly abandoning ship. That probe must be completed before evidence will be made available to plaintiff attorneys in civil cases, said Alexander Guttieres, a Rome lawyer who has litigated major personal-injury cases.

"I've done cases that took seven years and are not nearly as complicated" as the Costa Concordia case, he said.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 22, 2012, 12:35:28 PM
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57382551/divers-find-8-more-bodies-on-costa-concordia/
Divers find 8 more bodies on Costa Concordia
February 22, 2012

(CBS/AP)

ROME - Divers searching the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship found eight more bodies Wednesday, including that of a missing 5-year-old Italian girl, authorities said.

Italy's national civil protection agency, which is monitoring the operation off a Tuscan island, earlier reported the discovery of four bodies. An additional four were found later Wednesday. Because of worsening weather, only three of the bodies were immediately recovered, that of a woman, a man and a child.

It did not identify the two, but only one child's name was on the list of the missing, 5-year-old Dayana Arlotti. She was on the Mediterranean cruise with her father and his girlfriend. The girlfriend survived; the father is listed among the missing.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 22, 2012, 12:46:22 PM
http://www.globaltvedmonton.com/world/divers+in+italy+find+8+more+bodies+in+concordia+cruise+ship+wreckage/6442586253/story.html
Divers in Italy find 8 more bodies in Concordia cruise ship wreckage
February 22, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Italy's national civil protection agency, which is monitoring the operation off a Tuscan island, said three of the bodies were recovered a few hours after being spotted by fire department divers. It said they are those of a woman, a girl and a man. Because of worsening weather, the divers were not able to immediately remove the other five bodies.

The bodies were being transferred to a hospital on the mainland for identification, a process which could take days. Before Wednesday's development, 15 people were listed as missing, but only one of them was a child, Dayana Arlotti. The 5-year-old girl was on the Mediterranean cruise with her father and his girlfriend. The girlfriend survived. The father was among the missing.

Including the missing — who are presumed dead — and bodies already recovered, the death toll in the accident stands at 32.
 ::snipping2::
Officials co-ordinating the search efforts said divers went into an area where survivors had told rescuers some passengers had been gathering to await evacuation. Many of the ship's lifeboats couldn't be launched after the ship leaned heavily on one side.

Diving search experts from France, Sweden and Britain planned to meet with the Italian diving teams to lend assistance. Decomposing refuse and floating furniture inside the submerged ship have complicated the divers' work.

On Wednesday, helicopters lowered the Italian divers onto the above-water section of the Concordia, and then the divers scrambled down the side and swam through openings into wreckage.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 22, 2012, 12:48:07 PM
http://icscotland.icnetwork.co.uk/news/scottish/tm_headline=navy-diver-joins-concordia-probe%26method=full%26objectid=30385728%26siteid=50141-name_page.html
Navy diver joins Concordia probe
February 22, 2012

A Royal Navy diver has flown to Rome to join the investigation into how the luxury Costa Concordia cruise ship capsized in the Mediterranean Sea.

Lieutenant Commander Kevin Stockton will offer his advice on the best way to recover bodies from water off the coast of Isola del Giglio.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 22, 2012, 12:51:29 PM
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1692322.php/Eight-bodies-located-inside-sunken-Costa-Concordia
Eight bodies located inside sunken Costa Concordia
February 22, 2012

Rome - Divers on Wednesday located at least eight bodies trapped inside the Costa Concordia, the cruise liner that sank off Italy's western coast on January 13, Italian media quoted officials as saying.

Several of the bodies, which have yet to be recovered and identified, were found inside the ship's Bridge 4. One of them is thought to belong to Dayana Arlotti, a 5-year-old Italian girl who had been on the cruise with her father. Her disappearance had grabbed the attention of many Italians.

Firefighters said they were able to locate the bodies after interviewing survivors about their whereabouts during the hours that the Concordia sank after hitting rocks near the small island of Giglio. They warned that efforts to pull the bodies out of the listed ship were complicated and would take time.

The latest discoveries increase the number of certified dead to 25, while the status of seven others remains unknown.

Meanwhile, prosecutors in Grosseto were reportedly planning to place seven more people under formal investigation. According to daily La Repubblica, the new suspects include four officers and three Costa Crociere employees.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 22, 2012, 07:54:09 PM
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1628863/More-bodies-from-Concordia-found
More bodies from Concordia found
February 23, 2012


Three executives from Europe's biggest cruise ship operator have been named in a probe into the firm's Costa Concordia tragedy, as eight more bodies - including a child's - were found in the wreck.
The managers at Costa Crociere received formal notifications they were under investigation along with four officers from the liner, joining captain Francesco Schettino and first officer Ciro Ambrosio as suspects.

"We have received seven formal notifications - four for officers on board, three for company employees on land," Costa Crociere's press office told AFP.

Italian news agency ANSA reported that the three Costa Crociere executives were the company's vice president Manfred Ursprunger, the head of the company's crisis unit Roberto Ferrarini and fleet superintendent Paolo Parodi.

Italian media reports said the seven face charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and failing to communicate with maritime authorities
.
 ::snipping2::
Schettino and Ambrosio are being investigated on charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship before all passengers were evacuated.

"We have full confidence in the work of prosecutors. We have offered complete cooperation and we are certain that the professionalism and capacity of the company will be confirmed," Costa Crociere said in a statement.

Italian consumer group Codacons, which is a plaintiff in the inquiry and is suing for damages, has called for Costa Crociere's chief executive Pier Luigi Foschi and for all the ship's officers to be put under investigation.

"We are satisfied with the decision taken by the prosecutors. Now we can finally clarify the responsibility of the officers and employees who were on board the ship when it sank," Codacons said in a statement.

It said Foschi should now be put under investigation "for his responsibility for selecting employees and officers on the Costa Concordia."
 ::snipping2::
Meanwhile, divers found eight badly decomposed bodies in the submerged part of the giant liner, including that of five-year-old Dayana Arlotti.

All eight were found on deck four of the ship close to the lifeboats, some of which failed to deploy during the chaotic night-time evacuation.

The location of the bodies were found thanks to testimony from survivors who remembered their last moments before leaving the sinking ship.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 22, 2012, 07:57:00 PM
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/eight-bodies-found-at-wrecked-italian-cruise-ship/story-e6frfku0-1226279217068
Eight bodies found at wrecked Italian cruise ship
February 23, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Today's grim discoveries mean that authorities have now recovered 25 bodies of the 32 believed dead in the January 13 tragedy.

Seven people are still unaccounted-for more than a month after the ship ran aground off Italy's Mediterranean coast with over 4000 on board.

The eight bodies were recovered just hours after scaffolding was set up at the wreck to allow divers to continue searching the decks of the vessel, which remains semi-submerged and lying on its side close to the island of Giglio's rocky shores.
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 22, 2012, 08:48:40 PM
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204778604577239583763500986.html
Italian Investigators Expand Cruise-Ship Sinking Probe
February 22, 2012

ROME—Italian prosecutors have placed seven further employees of Costa Crociere SpA, operator of the shipwrecked Concordia cruise ship, under formal investigation in connection with the ship's ill-fated journey, the company and investigators said.

Three company officials who were placed under investigation weren't aboard the giant ship when it ran aground off the coast of Tuscany, according to a statement by Costa Crociere, which is a unit of the U.S.-based Carnival Corp.

The seven were added to a group of people—including the ship's captain—whom prosecutors are already investigating as part of their probe into why the ship struck a rock off the island of Giglio, causing it to founder with more than 4,000 people aboard.
 ::snipping2::
Prosecutors are also investigating whether there were any unnecessary delays in the ship's evacuation.

The move by prosecutors in the Tuscan town of Grosseto allows the seven people, who haven't been charged, to retain legal counsel before a special court hearing is held in early March to review the contents of the ship's black-box recorder for the first time.
 ::snipping2::
Costa Crociere's CEO, Pier Luigi Foschi, has testified before the Italian Senate that Mr. Schettino phoned the company moments after the ship struck the rock and an hour before the evacuation alarm was sounded. That delay led to a disorderly evacuation with passengers jumping from the ship's decks into the cold sea.

In its statement, Costa Crociere said it maintained "complete trust and solidarity" in the seven employees under investigation, adding that the firm was "absolutely confident in their professional competence and ethical correctness."



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 23, 2012, 01:21:32 PM
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Costa+Concordia+captain+Francesco+Schettino+facing+charge/6196877/story.html
Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino facing new charge
February 23, 2012

ROME - The captain of the sunken Costa Concordia cruise liner is being prosecuted for failing to describe to maritime authorities the scope of the disaster, Italian media reported Thursday.

Captain Francesco Schettino and his first officer Ciro Ambrosio are already being investigated on charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship before all passengers were evacuated.

The new charge was reported by the Italian news agency ANSA and daily newspaper La Repubblica.
 ::snipping2::
Schettino is under home surveillance in his coastal village south of Naples.

According to leaked transcripts of his questioning by investigators, Schettino said Costa Crociere was aware of the scale of the disaster early on, but the company has indicated that he had deliberately misled executives.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 23, 2012, 01:29:34 PM
http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-ethics-of-disaster-tourism-20120221,0,2950405.story
The ethics of disaster tourism: What is the right thing to do? [Updated]
By Catharine M. Hamm Los Angeles Times Travel editor
February 22, 2012

Removal of fuel from the Costa Concordia, which ran aground last month off Tuscany, began last week and officials say that after it’s gone, it may take seven to 10 months to refloat the ship.

Meanwhile, Tuscan tourism officials are urging tourists to visit eight-square-mile Giglio, off whose coast the ship ran aground on Jan. 13, as a “gesture of love.”

Not long after the accident, which killed at least 17 people (15 are still missing), islanders said people came to Giglio to gawk and not because of their affection for Giglio, one of seven islets in the Tuscan Archipelago.

All of which raises this question: Is it love or is it lewd to visit a place after a disaster?
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 24, 2012, 01:47:29 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/tv-column/post/and-the-winner-in-the-italian-cruise-ship-disaster-documentary-ratings-race-is/2012/02/23/gIQAbcBXWR_blog.html
And the winner in the Italian cruise ship disaster documentary ratings race is...
By Lisa de Moraes
February 23, 2012

We have a ratings victor in The Great Costa Concordia Dueling Disaster Documentary Derby.

Discovery’s Costa Concordia documentary has slid past National Geographic Channel’s Concordia disaster doc. The premiere of Discovery’s “Cruise Ship Disaster: Inside the Concordia,” last Sunday averaged 1.83 million viewers.

One week earlier, the premiere of National Geographic’s “Terror at Sea: The Sinking of the Concordia” clocked 1.2 million viewers, according to numbers-crunching Nielsen.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 24, 2012, 01:49:31 PM
Here's a bit more information on the diver brought in for consultation on how to recover the bodies on the Costa Concordia.

http://www.helensburghadvertiser.co.uk/news/thisweek/articles/2012/02/22/424210-top-diver-jets-to-rome/
Top diver jets to Rome
February 22, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 24, 2012, 01:51:23 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9103705/Concordia-captain-changed-ships-speed-for-dinner-with-ex-dancer.html
Concordia captain 'changed ship's speed for dinner with ex-dancer
February 24, 2012

The captain of the Costa Concordia slowed the ship down so that he could enjoy dinner with a Moldovan ex-dancer and then speeded up as he approached the island of Giglio in order to make up time, prosecutors alleged today.
By the time the luxury liner came close to Giglio it was travelling at 16 knots, despite being in shallow water and dangerously near to the island’s rocky shore.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 24, 2012, 09:34:17 PM
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0223/breaking55.html
Prosecutor lists 'Concordia' errors
February 23, 2012

The captain of the Costa Concordia, the liner which capsized off the coast of Italy last month killing at least 25 people, made a series of errors that were compounded by failures onshore by the ship's operators, according to prosecution documents.

Prosecutors accuse the ships captain Francesco Schettino of causing the accident by bringing the giant vessel too close to shore where it struck a rock that tore a large gash in the hull, causing water to flood into the engine rooms.

He is under formal investigation in the case, accused of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship before the evacuation of more than 4,200 passengers and crew was complete.

Prosecutors today added two new counts to the charge sheet, accusing Mr Schettino of abandoning incapacitated passengers and failing to inform maritime authorities.
Officials confirmed that tests showed he was not on drugs at the time of the accident.

First officer Ciro Ambrosio and seven other ship's officers and executives of the operator Costa Cruises are also under investigation.
 ::snipping2::
Pre-trial hearings, including an investigation of the ship's "black box" recorders, are due to open on March 3rd.
 ::snipping2::
Mr Schettino is blamed for bringing the ship near to the rocky shore in order to perform a display manoeuvre known as a "salute," but prosecutors have also pointed to wider failures in the management of the accident.

In documents filed yesterday, notifying Mr Schettino of the impending investigation, prosecutors say he slowed the ship down while he was having dinner on the night of the crash, then sped up to 16 knots to make up time, despite being in shallow water.

They also say his nautical charts were not appropriate and not detailed enough to reveal obstacles including the rock on which the fatal impact occurred.

The report also points to the large number of people in the bridge area at the time of the incident, including Domnica Cermotan, a friend of Mr Schettino's. They say this "generated confusion and distraction for the captain."

It says he failed to perform appropriate manoeuvres to avoid the collision, did not activate procedures to seal the ship, and did not take charge of the crew during the operation. He also took too much time to sound the general alarm and order the evacuation of the ship.

The prosecutors also blame Costa's crisis unit of being "culpably unaware of the real situation on board the ship" and of falling to properly verify the information provided to it by Mr Schettino.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 25, 2012, 09:57:56 AM
http://www.agi.it/english-version/italy/elenco-notizie/201202242121-cro-ren1090-concordia_case_prosecution_demand_schettino_return_to_jail
Concordia case, prosecution demand Schettino return to jail
February 24, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 26, 2012, 09:41:32 AM
Were four of the recently discovered bodies on the Costa Concordia found in an elevator? This article is from Mumbai, and the term "capsule lift" is used to describe where four of the bodies were found, and that they had to "break open the glass" to remove the bodies."  ::MonkeyNoNo:: 

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2012/feb/260212-Rebello-family-keeps-fingers-crossed.htm
Missing Costa Concordia crewmember's kin anxious
By: Vinod Kumar Menon, Mumbai
February 26, 2012

After a lull of 42 days, the parents and relatives of missing Indian national Russell Rebello are anxious again, after they learnt that eight more dead bodies have been recovered from Italian Cruise liner Costa Concordia.
 ::snipping2::
Vikram Pinto, brother-in-law of Russell said, "We received a phone call from Kevin (Russell's elder brother) informing us about the recent development and we have been anxious since then. We are hoping for a miracle."

Speaking to SMD from Gigilo, Italy, Russell's elder brother Kevin said, "Out of the eight dead bodies recovered, two people have been identified Italian national Dayana Arlotti (5) and her father William Arlotti.
  ::snipping2::
According to Kevin, the rescue operators informed him that all eight bodies were traced on the fourth floor restaurant area of the crews.

Four out of them were stuck inside the capsule lift on the same floor and that they had to break open the glass to remove the bodies. The search for the remaining seven missing people continues.
   


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 26, 2012, 12:28:33 PM
Some of the articles are really heading toward being steamy tabloid pieces, imo.  Some of the details are important if there were people on the bridge that distracted the Captain, if he was seen imbibing alcohol, if he did in fact change the speed of the ship to accommodate his dinner, and this sort of thing.  Whether the Captain did or didn't have sex with Domnica Cemortan  or if they only kissed doesn't matter to me.  That would be between them and the Captain's wife imo. Innocent people depending on the Captain, the crew and ship have died and at least 7 are still missing.   ::MonkeyNoNo:: I don't care if Domnica was blonde or bald.  I wonder if she's courting any offers?  Magazine spread, interviews?  TV?  $$$   ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpps/news/costa-concordia-blonde-sets-record-straight-dpgonc-km-20120225_18230022
Costa Concordia Blonde 'Sets Record Straight'
February 26, 2012




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 27, 2012, 10:05:12 AM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/320266
As bodies examined, brother of Costa Concordia cook still hopes
By Marcus Hondro
February 27, 2012

The brother of a man who remains missing in the disaster that is the Costa Concordia says that six weeks after the Jan. 13 sinking he, and his family, continue to hold out hope that their loved one is alive.
Russell Rebello worked aboard the ship as a cook and remains the only missing person who is from India. His brother Kevin went to the island of Giglio in the days following the disaster in hopes of learning Russell was alive. He's been there since and has not given up, despite the reality that the odds of his brother being alive are extremely slim.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 27, 2012, 10:07:08 AM
http://www.cruisemates.com/articles/feature/Costa-Media-Massacre-in-Europe-120227.cfm
Costa Media Massacre in Europe
The reputation of Costa Cruises is likely in more danger than the cruise line's financial status.

By Paul Motter
February 27, 2012

Costa Cruises is very concerned about what has been termed the "Media Massacre" happening in Europe currently over the Costa Concordia tragedy. Apparently, the story of the disaster and the accompanying graphic pictures just won't go away. Making matters even worse is speculation that the company will not survive the onslaught of class action lawsuits arising from the incident.

The theory the European media is bandying about is that the exposure to class action lawsuits being filed in Italy and the U.S. will cost the company so much money that it will go bankrupt. Making matters even worse is the fact that all of this media speculation is becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Costa Cruise bookings are currently down 35% – and the more that gets reported the more the company suffers an image problem.

But the media is glossing over a few important aspects of the situation – mainly that Costa is insured against such lawsuits and most likely will not be paying out at all; the insurance company will have that obligation. Furthermore, although anything can happen in a courtroom there are limits in place to how much a family can recover after a death at sea.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 27, 2012, 10:08:17 AM
http://worldradio.ch/wrs/news/wrsnews/geneva-complaint-against-costa-concordia.shtml?29313
Geneva complaint against Costa Concordia
February 27, 2012

Two passengers from the sunken Costa Concordia cruise liner have filed a formal complaint in Geneva against the captain of the ship.

The couple are not Swiss and aren’t based in Geneva.

They say they’ve brought their complaint in the lakeside city because that’s where they bought their tickets.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 27, 2012, 10:09:45 AM
http://www.itij.co.uk/story/133
Carnival faces class-action suits
By Mandy Aitchison
February 27, 2012


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 28, 2012, 10:33:49 AM
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/45997416/displaymode/1247?beginSlide=1

Slide show with 75 Slides


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 29, 2012, 08:41:37 PM
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/29/world/advisory-cnn-wire-weekend-enterprise-digest/index.html
CNN Wire Weekend Enterprise Digest
February 29, 2012

(CNN) -- Weekend Supervising News Editors Samira Jafari and Sarah Aarthun - 404-827-1401

SATURDAY

Italy-Cruise-Ship

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Saturday to examine evidence from the Costa Concordia, which wrecked off the coast of Italy on January 13, killing at least 21 people.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on February 29, 2012, 08:43:10 PM
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/clia-ceo-christine-duffy-testifies-before-us-house-subcommittee-on-cruise-industrys-strong-commitment-to-safety-2012-02-29
CLIA CEO Christine Duffy Testifies Before U.S. House Subcommittee on Cruise Industry's Strong Commitment to Safety
February 29, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 01, 2012, 10:50:41 AM
http://www.canada.com/Costa+Concordia+survivors+tell+Congress+they+felt+betrayed/6233358/story.html
Costa Concordia survivors tell U.S. Congress they felt 'betrayed'
 
By Bart Jansen, USA Today
March 1, 2012

WASHINGTON - In the wake of the sinking of the Costa Concordia that killed 25 people in January, a Senate panel Thursday will look into safety, tax and environmental laws governing a cruise ship industry that carried 11 million North Americans last year.

"I believe we must ask why an industry that earns billions pays almost no corporate income tax," says Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the transportation committee having the hearing. "The environmental practices of the industry are unconscionable."
The industry is a popular one, and it’s thrived through down economic times. In 2010, it generated nearly $38 billion in economic activity and 330,000 jobs in the USA, according to the Cruise Lines International Association.
 ::snipping2::
The disaster Jan. 13 has put the industry under the microscope. Thursday’s hearing is the second on Capitol Hill in as many days on the Costa Concordia, which ran aground off the Italian island of Giglio.
 ::snipping2::
In Wednesday’s hearing, Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., who chairs the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced plans for a roundtable with the Coast Guard to develop new laws for cruise lines.
 ::snipping2::
Vice Adm. Brian Salerno, deputy commandant for operations, told the House subcommittee on maritime transportation that the Coast Guard is interviewing U.S. passengers from the ship to better understand what happened.

On Jan. 27, the industry began reviewing safety procedures and its operations for possible improvements, according to Christine Duffy, president of the Cruise Lines International Association.

One of the industry’s first decisions, on Feb. 9, was to voluntarily begin safety briefings for passengers when they board a ship, rather than sometime during the first 24 hours of a cruise, as is current law.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 01, 2012, 02:05:57 PM
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-03-01/costa-concordia-hearing/53317694/1
Senator rips Costa Concordia's parent company on taxes
By Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
March 1, 2012

WASHINGTON – A Senate chairman blasted Costa Concordia's parent company on Thursday for paying no federal taxes last year and a small fraction of taxes on its $11.3 billion in profit during the last five years.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., argued at a transportation committee hearing that cruise ship companies should pay their share of the burden on 22 federal agencies such as the Coast Guard, rather than the 1.1% in federal, state, local or foreign taxes that Carnival Corp. & plc averaged over five years. He invited the companies to move to other countries, if they didn't want to pay.

"The fact is that 1.1% on five years, $11.3 billion in profits is absolutely unthinkable to me," Rockefeller said. "We're not very happy when they don't pay taxes. To me, it's amazing."

Carnival Corp. & plc, which is incorporated in Panama, is the parent company of the Florida-based Carnival Cruise lines and Costa Crociere of Genoa, Italy, which operated the Costa Concordia.
 ::snipping2::
Carnival Corp. spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz said in a statement that the majority of Carnival's income was earned outside of the United States, but that "virtually all jurisdictions where our ships call" impose taxes or fees that the company pays.

Because it's impossible to develop an income tax system that fairly apportions taxes to the countries, she said, countries impose taxes on guest counts, ship tonnage or some other measures.

Christine Duffy, president of the industry group Cruise Lines International Association, said she couldn't comment on Carnival, but that companies pay taxes domestically and internationally according to the law.

"I think what is appropriate is that the cruise industry pays its taxes based on the current laws," Duffy said.

When Rockefeller pressed Duffy about whether current policy is fair, she said the companies pay for services.

"Don't think I'm being mean; I'm being fair," Rockefeller said. "You are a world unto yourself."
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 02, 2012, 09:22:51 AM
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-03/italy-shipwreck-captain-crashed-before/3866330/?site=newcastle
Italy shipwreck captain crashed before in 2010: report
Posted March 2, 2012, Updated March 3, 2012

The captain of a tragedy-struck Italian cruise ship had crashed a luxury liner before while sailing too fast in a German port, according to leaks from an investigation into the disaster published on Friday.

Captain Francesco Schettino "manoeuvred at a speed of 7.7 to 7.9 knots during entry into the port of Warnemunde, causing damage to the Aida Blu cruise ship," his employer notified him in a letter published by La Stampa daily, referring to an incident in June 2010.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 03, 2012, 07:46:05 AM
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/03/us-italy-ship-idUSTRE8220CN20120303
Victims' families want truth at Italy shipwreck hearing
By Silvia Aloisi/GROSSETO, Italy
March 3, 2012

(Reuters) - Survivors and relatives of victims of the Costa Concordia shipwreck clamoured for truth at a pre-trial hearing in Italy on Saturday, with some still waiting for identification of the remains of their loved ones 1-1/2 months after the disaster.

The giant cruise liner capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio after hitting a rock on January 13, killing at least 25 people. Seven people are still unaccounted for, and eight of the bodies found have yet to be identified.
 ::snipping2::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 03, 2012, 07:50:22 AM
I think the Captain Schettino should be at this pre-trial hearing and each and every hearing after.  JMHO

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/02/us-italy-ship-idUSTRE8211QF20120302
Captain of capsized liner could be in danger at hearing: lawyer
By Hanna Rantala/GROSSETO, Italy
March 2, 2012

 ::snipping2::
A hearing will be held in a theatre in the Tuscan town of Grosseto on Saturday, when judges will question experts about the wrecking of the 114,500 ton liner.

His lawyer Bruno Leporatti said Schettino would not travel to the pre-trial hearing from his home in the town of Meta di Sorrento near Naples.

"It is not of use or any help if he embarks on a return trip of 850 km from where he is held under house arrest, just to be present, which would be unnecessary and perhaps with this climate that has been created around him, also a little dangerous for him," he told Reuters Television in an interview this week.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 03, 2012, 02:36:17 PM
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/03/italy-ship-captain-idUSL5E8E30BB20120303
UPDATE 1-Italy shipwreck captain "was not wearing glasses"
By Silvia Aloisi and Silvia Ognibene
March 3, 2012

 ::snipping2::
"That evening Schettino had left his reading glasses in the cabin and repeatedly asked Ambrosio to look at the radar to check the route," Ambrosio's lawyer Salvatore Catalano told Reuters outside a pre-trial hearing on the accident on Saturday.

Ambrosio had made the allegation about Schettino, 51, to investigating magistrates at previous hearings, lawyer Salvatore Catalano added.
 ::snipping2::
Catalano said first officer Ambrosio ordered the evacuation of the listing vessel before the captain had made up his mind to do it.

"He ordered the lifeboats to be put to sea from deck number four," Catalano said.

None of those under investigation attended the closed-door hearing in the Tuscan city of Grosseto, which was held in a theatre to accommodate hundreds of victims' relatives, survivors and lawyers for all sides.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 03, 2012, 02:46:22 PM
http://www.app.com/article/20120303/NJNEWS18/303030023/Concordia-voice-recorder-analysis-may-take-months?odyssey=nav|head
Angry survivors attend 1st hearing on shipwreck
Written by
TRISHA THOMAS, Associated Press
March 3, 2012

GROSSETO, ITALY — The first hearing of the criminal investigation into the Costa Concordia’s shipwreck was held in a theater Saturday instead of a courthouse because of high demand, with angry survivors seeking compensation, justice and the truth.

The judge at the hearing assigned four experts to analyze the cruise ship’s data recorder and ordered them to report their findings in July, confirming predictions by Prosecutor Francesco Verusio that examination of the data, as well as of conversations involving officers on the ship’s bridge, could take months.

Prosecutors must decide whether to seek a trial against the captain, other top officers and officials of Italian cruise company Costa Crociere SpA, which is owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp. Crucial to their decision could be the experts’ conclusions on several details, including the Concordia’s velocity when it slammed into a reef the night of Jan. 13 off Giglio island, its exact route and what commands were given by whom and when.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 03, 2012, 02:59:37 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9120902/Costa-Concordia-pianist-When-we-hit-the-rock-4000-people-screamed.html
Costa Concordia pianist : 'When we hit the rock, 4,000 people screamed'
A pianist on board the Costa Concordia has told how he was playing the piano to entertain guests before the ship hit a rock.

March 3, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 04, 2012, 02:29:04 PM
 ::MonkeyNoNo:: This just doesn't seem right.   ::MonkeyNoNo::  The eight bodies that have been recovered must wait further testing of DNA for identification until all the other bodies (believed to be seven) are recovered.   ::MonkeyNoNo::


http://www.mid-day.com/news/2012/mar/040312-Costa-identification-process-faces-roadblock.htm
Costa identification process faces roadblock
Identification of eight bodies that were recovered from the ill-fated ship has been suspended by a local Italian court
By: Vinod Kumar Menon    
March 4, 2012

An Italian court on Friday suspended the identification of eight bodies found last week on board the Costa Concordia. Another seven bodies however still remain to be found. The bodies will continue to remain in the Gorseto hospital mortuary, 60 kilometres from Gigilo Island in Italy.
 ::snipping2::
While Costa has reportedly provided legal aid to all those under probe, Bongiovanni has refused to take legal assistance from the company and has instead appointed a private lawyer from Imperia in Italy. The lawyer has moved a petition asking to put all DNA testing on hold, until the remaining missing people are either traced or their bodies recovered. The court has reportedly acquiesced.

Out of the eight bodies recovered, two are reported to be those of Italian national Dayana Arlotti and her father William Arlotti. However confirmation can only be obtained once DNA examinations are conducted.
"The Arlotti family members were hoping to claim the bodies. But now even they have to wait until the court lifts the order," said Rebello.

Terming it an unfair decision, he added, "The dead are being deprived of the right to a decent burial. We have been waiting for over 50 days to learn about our missing loved ones. And when they have recovered eight dead bodies, the process of identifying them has also been put on hold. This is inhuman."
  ::snipping2::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 04, 2012, 02:31:20 PM
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/117eabfc-6615-11e1-979e-00144feabdc0.html
Costa Concordia experts set July deadline
By Guy Dinmore in Rome
March 4, 2012

Court-appointed experts have until July 21 to complete investigations into the Costa Concordia‘s “black box” voyage data recorder, which should reveal vital information on what happened on the night of January 13 when the cruise liner hit rocks and sank off the coast of Tuscany.
More...





Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 04, 2012, 06:58:24 PM
The Italian Navy Divers continue to search for the missing passengers and crew of the Costa Concordia. 

http://www.agi.it/english-version/italy/elenco-notizie/201203042303-cro-ren1074-costa_concordia_inspections_move_from_bow_to_stern
Costa Concordia inspections move from bow to stern
March 4, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Over the next few days, the underwater research will move to the still non explored areas at the stern; the pathways previously prepared and inspected the Firemen's divers will allow the Navy divers to go deeper. . .
   ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 06, 2012, 11:46:39 PM
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=raise-it-or-raze-it-how-will-italian-cruise-ship-be-salvaged
Raise It or Raze It?: How Will the Stranded Italian Cruise Ship Be Salvaged?
Possible methods to move the massive Costa Concordia, twice as big as the Titanic, include multiple cranes, inflatable bags and even buoyant objects like ping-pong balls used by Donald Duck
By Charles Choi
March 6. 2012


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 07, 2012, 06:36:57 PM
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/51ada0a0-6487-11e1-9aa1-00144feabdc0.html
Costa crew facing alleged settlement pressure
By Cynthia O’Murchu in London
March 6, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 08, 2012, 01:31:06 PM
http://www.cadalyst.com/testing-analysis/could-crash-modeling-have-saved-concordia-14334
Could Crash Modeling Have Saved the Concordia?
By Robert Yancey
March 8, 2012

Viewpoint: Event simulation helps automobile manufacturers design safer vehicles — and it can do the same for shipbuilders.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 09, 2012, 10:17:53 AM
http://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/six-plans-submitted-removal-costa-concordia-34043
Six Plans Submitted for Removal of Costa Concordia
By Susan Young
March 9, 2012

Costa Cruises (www.costacruises.com) said six plans have been submitted by suppliers to remove the hull of Costa Concordia from its rocky perch near Giglio, Italy.

Of the 10 salvage companies asked to bid on the contract, three opted not to bid due to previous commitments. In addition, two have joined forces to present a joint project, Costa said in a statement.
 ::snipping2::
Technical assessments of the six plans are already under way and a short list will be drawn up by mid-March. Costa said the final decision will be made public in late March or early April.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on March 10, 2012, 07:27:18 AM
http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/Arison-opens-up-about-Costa-Concordia-says-ship-is-a-total-loss.html

Arison opens up about Costa Concordia, says ship is a total loss

Costa Concordia will not sail again for Carnival Corp. & plc, Micky Arison told Seatrade Insider on Friday in one of his first interviews after the deadly wreck. He also described the ‘terrible feeling’ of first hearing about the accident, underscored the staying power of the Costa brand and praised the crew for evacuating more than 4,000 people.

Arison said the cost of repairing Concordia would be greater than the value of the ship, which will become the property of the underwriters who’ll decide whether to sell or scrap it.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on March 10, 2012, 07:29:55 AM
http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story.asp?StoryId={4557648f-3822-4eaa-b16e-823c51b2b529}&src=MWHEAD

Mickey Arison on Costa Concordia accident "I am very sorry it happened"


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on March 10, 2012, 07:32:15 AM
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2012/03/09/choppy-waters-ahead-for-carnival-ceo-speaks-out/

Choppy Waters Ahead For Carnival; CEO Speaks Out

DORAL (CBSMiami) – The fire-damaged Costa Allegra will never again sail for Costa Cruise lines, the subsidiary of Doral based Carnival Cruise Lines said Friday, but despite the line’s problems including the sinking of the Costa Concordia Carnival CEO Mickey Arison said Costa will remain part of Carnival.

In his first interview since the Concordia smashed into rocks near the Italian island of Gigli, damaging the hull and sending it on it’s side to the bottom, Arison defended his personal silence after the disaster, telling CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald that his appearance at the crash site would have been a diversion.

Arison said he didn’t feel it was necessary to “get in front of a camera” after the sinking. “Obviously, I am very sorry it happened,” he said. “When you have 100 ships out there, sometimes unfortunate things happen, but as I said, it was an accident.”

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 10, 2012, 08:45:35 AM
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2012/03/09/choppy-waters-ahead-for-carnival-ceo-speaks-out/

Choppy Waters Ahead For Carnival; CEO Speaks Out

DORAL (CBSMiami) – The fire-damaged Costa Allegra will never again sail for Costa Cruise lines, the subsidiary of Doral based Carnival Cruise Lines said Friday, but despite the line’s problems including the sinking of the Costa Concordia Carnival CEO Mickey Arison said Costa will remain part of Carnival.

In his first interview since the Concordia smashed into rocks near the Italian island of Gigli, damaging the hull and sending it on it’s side to the bottom, Arison defended his personal silence after the disaster, telling CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald that his appearance at the crash site would have been a diversion.

Arison said he didn’t feel it was necessary to “get in front of a camera” after the sinking. “Obviously, I am very sorry it happened,” he said. “When you have 100 ships out there, sometimes unfortunate things happen, but as I said, it was an accident.”

 ::snipping2::

BBM

The article is saying the Costa Allegra will never sail again for Costa Lines, but it doesn't really say what will happen to the ship.  Maybe insurance will take care of the loss for Costa and then it will be resold, repaired and it will sail again under a different name under a different company. 
From what I've read about the Allegra, she was older, smaller and from the pictures I've seen, not that luxurious.  The fire on board that caused the ship to strand passengers in poor conditions would be remembered by prospective passengers if the Allegra went back into service for Costa imo. Coupled with the Costa Concordia tragedy, I think maybe Costa is trying to move past all the bad mojo.  Not putting the Allegra back into service with Costa is part of distancing from that.  JMHO 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 10, 2012, 08:47:08 AM
http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/Arison-opens-up-about-Costa-Concordia-says-ship-is-a-total-loss.html

Arison opens up about Costa Concordia, says ship is a total loss


Costa Concordia will not sail again for Carnival Corp. & plc, Micky Arison told Seatrade Insider on Friday in one of his first interviews after the deadly wreck. He also described the ‘terrible feeling’ of first hearing about the accident, underscored the staying power of the Costa brand and praised the crew for evacuating more than 4,000 people.

Arison said the cost of repairing Concordia would be greater than the value of the ship, which will become the property of the underwriters who’ll decide whether to sell or scrap it.

 ::snipping2::

It doesn't surprise me the Costa Concordia is considered a total loss.  What a mess.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 10, 2012, 01:36:47 PM
http://www.agi.it/english-version/italy/elenco-notizie/201203101903-cro-ren1067-concordia_fuel_pumping_operations_stalled_by_strong_winds
Concordia fuel pumping operations stalled by strong winds
March 10, 2012

19:03 10 MAR 2012

(AGI) Roma - Fuel tank pumping operations at the Costa Concordia were suspended due to bad weather. Engineers in charge of operations informed that strong northerly winds have hindered progress. Navy and Fire Brigade divers inspected the ship's hull, inside and out, as part of routine searches and to remove measurement instruments deployed during dives in the week.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on March 11, 2012, 09:02:24 AM
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2012/03/09/choppy-waters-ahead-for-carnival-ceo-speaks-out/

Choppy Waters Ahead For Carnival; CEO Speaks Out

DORAL (CBSMiami) – The fire-damaged Costa Allegra will never again sail for Costa Cruise lines, the subsidiary of Doral based Carnival Cruise Lines said Friday, but despite the line’s problems including the sinking of the Costa Concordia Carnival CEO Mickey Arison said Costa will remain part of Carnival.

In his first interview since the Concordia smashed into rocks near the Italian island of Gigli, damaging the hull and sending it on it’s side to the bottom, Arison defended his personal silence after the disaster, telling CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald that his appearance at the crash site would have been a diversion.

Arison said he didn’t feel it was necessary to “get in front of a camera” after the sinking. “Obviously, I am very sorry it happened,” he said. “When you have 100 ships out there, sometimes unfortunate things happen, but as I said, it was an accident.”

 ::snipping2::

BBM

The article is saying the Costa Allegra will never sail again for Costa Lines, but it doesn't really say what will happen to the ship.  Maybe insurance will take care of the loss for Costa and then it will be resold, repaired and it will sail again under a different name under a different company. 
From what I've read about the Allegra, she was older, smaller and from the pictures I've seen, not that luxurious.  The fire on board that caused the ship to strand passengers in poor conditions would be remembered by prospective passengers if the Allegra went back into service for Costa imo. Coupled with the Costa Concordia tragedy, I think maybe Costa is trying to move past all the bad mojo.  Not putting the Allegra back into service with Costa is part of distancing from that.  JMHO 

I'll keep my ears open if I hear what will become of the Allegra. I agree that the damage (at least what I've seen reported) would not warrant the 'destruction' of the vessel. And I agree that Costa is very 'image' concerned and is probably being advised what 'damage control' to put in place.

This week the annual global industry 'convention', called 'Sea Trade', will be held in Miami Beach. I'll check to see if anything of interest is released from there. There's a 'state of the industry' panel on Tuesday morning (usually all of the large cruise line Presidents or COO's participate) - I don't have a pass to watch the panel discussion this year, but I'm sure I'll hear about it after the fact as I do have a pass to get into the Exhibits.



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 11, 2012, 09:18:32 AM
Thank you Sharon. If you can find out the fate of the Costa Allegra and any news you can share with us about what's going on in the cruise industry would be interesting and also appreciated.   ::MonkeyCool::  


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 11, 2012, 11:46:28 PM
http://www.agi.it/english-version/italy/elenco-notizie/201203111856-cro-ren1057-bad_weather_delays_costa_concordia_fuel_recovery_ops
Bad weather delays Costa Concordia fuel recovery ops
March 11, 2012

 ::snipping2::
In a separate story, Italian navy scuba divers have been preparing a small radio controlled robot (Remote Operator Vehicle) capable of exploring areas of the ship that cannot be reached by divers. . .


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 12, 2012, 05:00:59 PM
http://www.agi.it/english-version/italy/elenco-notizie/201203121943-cro-ren1084-operations_to_empty_costa_concordia_s_fuel_tanks_resume
Operations to empty Costa Concordia's fuel tanks resume
March 12, 2012

AGI) Rome- Conditions at sea have improved near the vessel, allowing technicians from Smit Salvage and Neri to resume their work. Sources in the Civil Defence confirmed that operations recommenced at the crack of dawn on Monday following a notable reduction in winds from the North; the Meloria pontoon, flanked by the Caronte vessel, was brought back to the Costa Concordia's central hull, allowing the two companies' teams to continue the fuel evacuation procedures.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 12, 2012, 05:02:27 PM
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2012/03/12/robot_like_equipment_to_aid_search_for_ship_bodies/
Robot-like equipment to aid search for ship bodies
March 12, 2012

ROME—Italian authorities say they are planning to use "sophisticated robot-like equipment" to help rescuers find the bodies of seven people still missing in the wreckage of the Costa Concordia cruise liner.

The Italian Civil Protection agency says the goal is to use the machines to search areas that divers have difficulty accessing.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 12, 2012, 07:03:49 PM
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/italy/120312/costa-concordia-robots-called-retrieve-remaining-bodies
Costa Concordia: robots called in to retrieve remaining bodies
March 12, 2012

Navy and fire department divers have for weeks been scouring the submerged half of the cruise liner but seven bodies, believed to be in inaccessible areas, have yet to be found. ::snipping2::




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 13, 2012, 01:38:57 PM
http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Costa+Concordia+French+German+victims+Italy+shipwreck+identified/6294210/story.html
Costa Concordia: French, German victims of Italy shipwreck identified
Agence France-Presse
March 13, 2012

ROME - The bodies of a young French couple and three German tourists on board the shipwrecked Costa Concordia cruise liner have been formally identified, local authorities said in a statement Tuesday.

Officials also identified the bodies of a five-year-old Italian girl, Dayana, and her father Williams Arlotti.
 ::snipping2::
The families of the French couple, 25-year-old Michael Blemand and 23-year-old Mylene Litzler, have been in Italy for weeks awaiting news of their loved ones and visiting the scene of the disaster on Giglio Island.
 ::snipping2::
The three German victims were identified as Elisabeth Bauer, Brunhild Werp and Margrit Schroeter, according to a statement from the prefecture in Grosseto, the town closest to Giglio, where an investigation is under way.

Eight people are still officially reported as missing, including three Germans, an American couple, two Italians and an Indian crew member.

The 24 identified so far are nine Germans, six French, five Italians, two Peruvians, one Hungarian and one Spaniard.
 ::snipping2::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 13, 2012, 05:44:53 PM
http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory/cruise-industry-leaders-emphasize-safety-15911798
Cruise Industry Leaders Look Past Concordia Deaths
By Mitch Stacy, Associated Press
March 13, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on March 13, 2012, 09:06:02 PM
http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/Carnivals-Frank-speaks-from-the-heart-about-Concordia.html

Carnival’s Frank speaks from the heart about Concordia

The deadly Costa Concordia capsize deeply affected Carnival Corp. & plc and the entire industry, said vice chairman Howard Frank, who delivered the Cruise Shipping Miami keynote address as chairman of Cruise Lines International Association.

‘As a shipowner, there is nothing more heart-wrenching than the loss of your passengers and crew members,’ Frank told the CSM audience in a voice sometimes cracking with emotion.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 15, 2012, 10:59:45 AM
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/03/15/costa-concordia-wreck-could-be-salvaged-by-dutch-company-but-it-will-cost-far-beyond-e100m/
Costa Concordia wreck could be salvaged by Dutch company, but it will cost ‘far beyond’ €100M
March 15, 2012

AMSTERDAM — Dutch maritime services company Boskalis has made a bid to salvage the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise liner, which capsized off the Italian coast in January, Boskalis’ chief executive Peter Berdowski said on Thursday.
 ::snipping2::
It will cost “far beyond” US$130-million (€100-million) to raise the 114,500 metric tonne (126,215 tons), 290 metre long ship in one piece, Berdowski told reporters.

“This is an operation without precedent. You have to imagine a big fat whale the size of a block of flats lying on its side, accidentally supported by two rocks,” Berdowski said.
 ::snipping2::
It will take up to a year to remove the Costa Concordia, the ship’s owner Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival Cruises & Plc, said last week.

Six companies submitted offers to salvage the wreck. Among them are believed to be Titan Salvage, owned by U.S. group Crowley Maritime Corp, and Denmark’s Svitzer, owned by Maersk.

Berdowski said Boskalis, and possibly some rivals, had proposed to refloat it whole, which is the more expensive option, while others had offered to cut up the lighter upper decks and refloat the heavier hull.

Insurers will play an important part in deciding which option is preferable.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 15, 2012, 11:02:44 AM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17384396
Ship's bell 'goes missing' from sunken Costa Concordia
The ship's bell of the Costa Concordia, which ran aground off Italy two months ago, is reported to have gone missing.
March 15, 2012

(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/59093000/jpg/_59093758_137422643.jpg)

An investigation has been launched into the disappearance, the Italian news agency Ansa reports.

Pictures of the bell, taken underwater by divers soon after the vessel sank, became a well-known image associated with the disaster.
 ::snipping2::
Soon after the Costa Concordia capsized, images taken by divers showed the bell still hanging in position on the wreck, but several metres under water.

The location of the wreck, off the island of Giglio, is considered a crime scene and is continually patrolled by coastguard launches.

The BBC's Rome correspondent, Alan Johnston, says this would make it almost impossible for any diver intending to loot the wreck to enter and steal the bell.

He says it is likely that if the bell's disappearance is confirmed, suspicion will focus on the search-and-rescue teams, who have constant access to the wreck.


It would have been difficult to get the large, heavy and gleaming bell onto the shore unnoticed - and it is possible that it has simply dislodged itself, he adds.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 15, 2012, 04:23:38 PM
I think the theft of the bell has to do with $$$.  JMHO

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-57398141-503543/thieves-take-bell-from-costa-concordia-wreck/
Thieves take bell from Costa Concordia wreck
March 15, 2012

ROME, March 15 - Thieves have stolen the shipwrecked Costa Concordia's bell, evading an array of lasers and 24-hour surveillance by the Italian coast guard and police, Reuters reported Thursday.

The bell, with the words Costa Concordia written around it, is believed to be have been taken two weeks ago from one of the ship's decks, which is submerged in 26 feet of water.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation and suspect multiple people were involved in stealing the heavy bell.
 ::snipping2::
Giglio mayor Sergio Ortelli told Reuters, "I can only guess that someone took it as a sort of morbid memento."

"In my mind, the missing bell is of no importance," Ortelli said. He said divers had found the ship's statue of the Madonna from the chapel which "for us has much more symbolic meaning."


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on March 17, 2012, 11:27:34 AM
Interesting change, as previously Coast Guard only observed/inspected crew boat drills. Now they will observe/inspect pax boat drills as well.


http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/Post-Concordia-USCG-observes-passenger-drills-plans-no-new-rules-ahead-of-Italys-probe.html

Post-Concordia, USCG observes passenger drills, plans no new rules ahead of Italy’s probe

After the Costa Concordia wreck, the US Coast Guard has begun observing passenger muster drills as part of its routine cruise ship inspections but does not plan to institute any new safety rules prior to the completion of Italy’s accident investigation, a USCG official said at Cruise Shipping Miami.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on March 17, 2012, 11:29:25 AM
http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/CLIA-urges-IMO-to-stress-mandatory-reporting-of-casualties.html

CLIA urges IMO to stress mandatory reporting of casualties

In the latest action to spring from the cruise industry’s post-Costa Concordia operational safety review, Cruise Lines International Association has asked the International Maritime Organization to emphasize the timely reporting of marine casualties.

At a Cruise Shipping Miami session on Thursday, CLIA evp Michael Crye said more transparency in the reporting of casualties would benefit IMO Member States in their efforts to improve maritime safety while also benefiting the maritime industry and the public.


 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: sharon on March 17, 2012, 11:38:00 AM
Not really related to the Concordia, but I've been following this story since it broke.  WTF was this passenger thinking ?  ::MonkeyMad::  ::MonkeyMad::  I hope he is banned from ever being allowed onboard ANY cruise line ever again  ::MonkeyMad::



http://cnd-cruiseblogger.blogspot.com/2012/03/video-of-passenger-releasing-anchor.html

Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Video of Passenger Releasing Anchor aboard Holland America Ryndam in 2010

A man was sentenced yesterday in Federal court for entering a restricted area aboard Holland America's Ryndam in November 2010 and deploying the ship's 18-ton stern anchor while the ship was traveling at about 18 knots through the Gulf of Mexico.

According to the US attorney, the ship could have been severely damaged to the point it would have sunk. Fortunately, the ship was in water more than a mile deep, and the anchor chain was only about 600 feet long, so there was no damage to the ship.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 17, 2012, 12:27:00 PM
Not really related to the Concordia, but I've been following this story since it broke.  WTF was this passenger thinking ?  ::MonkeyMad::  ::MonkeyMad::  I hope he is banned from ever being allowed onboard ANY cruise line ever again  ::MonkeyMad::



http://cnd-cruiseblogger.blogspot.com/2012/03/video-of-passenger-releasing-anchor.html

Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Video of Passenger Releasing Anchor aboard Holland America Ryndam in 2010

A man was sentenced yesterday in Federal court for entering a restricted area aboard Holland America's Ryndam in November 2010 and deploying the ship's 18-ton stern anchor while the ship was traveling at about 18 knots through the Gulf of Mexico.

According to the US attorney, the ship could have been severely damaged to the point it would have sunk. Fortunately, the ship was in water more than a mile deep, and the anchor chain was only about 600 feet long, so there was no damage to the ship.

 ::snipping2::


ITA!!  I hope he's banned too!!


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 18, 2012, 03:06:38 PM
http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/dubaisat-takes-stunning-shot-of-costa-concordia-2012-03-18-1.449047
Dubaisat takes stunning shot of Costa Concordia
EIAST sympathises with victims of disaster and their families

March 18, 2012

Dubaisat-1 took an image of Costa Concordia, the ill-fated cruise liner that partially sank on the night of 13th January 2012 during dinner time. The ship hit a reef off the Italian coast near Tuscany.

(Photo at Link)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 20, 2012, 01:37:45 PM
What an insult to the victims!  ::MonkeyNoNo::

Perhaps  proceeds from the book could be a source of income for the victims if and when they bring suits against the Captain. And maybe what he writes will be used against him in court. JMHO

http://www.agi.it/english-version/italy/elenco-notizie/201203201605-cro-ren1057-costa_concordia_captain_writing_book_and_his_memoirs
Costa Concordia captain writing book and his memoirs
March 20, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Part of one chapter is going to be dedicated to his 24-year-old Moldavian dancer girlfriend, Domnica Cemortan.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 25 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 22, 2012, 03:29:34 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17472345
Costa Concordia: Five more bodies found
March 22, 2012

More than two months after the cruise ship Costa Concordia capsized off the Italian coast, a team searching the wreck has found five more bodies.
Italian authorities say they were found outside the ship, in a small space between the wreck and the sea bed.

Altogether 30 bodies have now been found since the vessel ran aground off the island of Giglio on 13 January.
 ::snipping2::
Eight more bodies were found in late February, but forensic authorities are still working on formally identifying them.

A crew member from India and passengers from the US, Italy and Germany are reported to be among those as yet unaccounted for.
 ::snipping2::
Salvage experts say they are close to completing the operation to remove all the oil from the ship's 17 tanks. Work began on 12 February and the team involved said they would stop on Friday night.

Although they said that some fuel remained in the bulkheads of the tanks, the oil involved was in "such small quantities as to pose no significant environment risk".

The next stage of the salvage operation will involve cleaning up the sea bed and the area around the ship's hull before work begins to lift the wreck. Removing the Costa Concordia is expected to take up to a year.






Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 22, 2012, 03:32:23 PM
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/22/us-italy-costa-idUSBRE82L0VO20120322
Five more bodies found in wrecked Italian ship
March 22, 2012

(Reuters) - Five more bodies have been found in the half-submerged wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise liner, bringing the number of confirmed dead to 30, Italy's Civil Protection agency said on Thursday.

The giant vessel capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio after hitting rocks on January 13. Two people are still unaccounted for.

A spokeswoman for the agency said all the bodies were discovered at the rear of the vessel. It would probably be several days before they could be removed as it would be a complicated operation using robots, she said.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 22, 2012, 03:34:35 PM
http://www.qas.co.uk/company/data-quality-news/costa_concordia_raises_doubts_over_ecdis_data_quality_8471.htm
Costa Concordia raises doubts over ECDIS data quality
March 22, 2012

The tragic sinking of cruise ship Costa Concordia has raised questions over the data quality of the electronic chart display information system (ECDIS).

The ECDIS is a database of information that includes data from radar about other ships in the area, as well as water hazards that have been documented over many years to help avoid collisions. This is mandatory equipment on all vessels, but the data it holds has recently been called into question by trade union Nautilus International.

According to the union, the data validation could be very outdated and out of touch with current hazards. Maxim van Norden, who spent 36 years in the Naval Oceanographic Office and now works in the department of marine science at the University of Southern Mississippi, says approximately 50 per cent of the chart data provided by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration used by ECDIS was collected before 1940.

This brings up a point of contention in relation to the calculated risks businesses take, and shows that outdated information can lead to traffic consequences. Taking risks is often a necessity in business, but they must be calculated risks based on sound data management.

More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 23, 2012, 05:27:32 PM
http://www.agi.it/english-version/italy/elenco-notizie/201203232027-cro-ren1093-costa_concordia_fuel_removal_predicted_to_end_tonight
Costa Concordia fuel removal predicted to end tonight
March 23, 2012

(AGI) Rome- Operations to remove fuel from the Costa Concordia should end tonight, Civil Defense officials stated. The operations conducted by technicians from the companies Smit Salvage and Neri lasted the entire day; once they are concluded and a plan to remove the vessel is defined, the caretaking phase to clear the sea floor of debris will begin. This phase could last 30 to 60 days and will also be handled by Smit Salvage in collaboration with Tito Neri, both hired by Costa Crociere. Eight vessels will be used, including ships with equipment to purify the water, as well as various containter, cranes, rubber dinghys and a team of 42 people.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & Some Still Missing
Post by: MuffyBee on March 24, 2012, 09:41:55 AM
http://www.myfoxal.com/story/17239688/divers-find-5-more-bodies-in-costa-concordia-wreckage
Divers find 5 more bodies in Costa Concordia wreckage
March 23, 2012

 
 ::snipping2::
Divers who located the three bodies on Thursday were not able to immediately determine the age or sex of the victims, according to Piero De Milito, an official with Italy's Civil Protection Coordination department.

"The bodies were found on the exterior side of the wreck facing the island, between the wreck and the rocks," De Milito said. "In the next 48 hours, we'll be able to bring them on the mainland."
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 25, 2012, 07:12:04 PM
http://www.smh.com.au/world/fuel-cleared-from-costa-concordia-wreck-20120325-1vsep.html
Fuel cleared from Costa Concordia wreck
March 26, 2012

Authorities say they have removed all the fuel that was left aboard the Costa Concordia cruise ship that capsized off Italy.

The process of getting more than 2000 tonnes of fuel and sewage was completed on Saturday.

There had been fears that any fuel leaking from the ship would pollute the pristine waters off the Tuscan island of Giglio, where the ship rammed a reef on January 13. But authorities say no significant pollution has been detected.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 26, 2012, 09:49:36 AM
http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/story/2012-03-26/Divers-recovering-5-bodies-from-Italy-cruise-wreck/53781188/1
Divers recovering 5 bodies from Italy cruise wreck
March 26, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Italy's Civil Protection Agency said that by early afternoon Monday divers had brought up four of the five bodies located by search crews last week in the wreck off Giglio island.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 26, 2012, 10:05:36 PM
http://www.agi.it/english-version/italy/elenco-notizie/201203261914-cro-ren1079-the_5_corpses_found_on_sunken_concordia_on_3_22_recovered
The 5 corpses found on sunken Concordia on 3/22 recovered
March 26, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 27, 2012, 02:08:53 PM
Article from Corpus Christi, TX area:
http://www.kristv.com/news/local-coast-guard-investigators-contribute-to-costa-concordia-investigation/
Local Coast Guard Involved in Costa Concordia Investigation
March 27, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 28, 2012, 11:47:40 PM
http://www.supplychainbrain.com/content/nc/logisticstransportation/ocean-transportation/single-article-page/article/100-years-after-titanic-disaster-marine-insurer-warns-that-hazards-remain/
100 Years After Titanic Disaster, Marine Insurer Warns That Hazards Remain
Allian
March 29, 2012

Despite greatly improved safety records in the century since Titanic, the maritime industry faces new challenges driven by the continued growth of worldwide shipping, according to specialist marine insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 28, 2012, 11:49:22 PM
http://www.ceoforum.com.au/article-detail.cfm?cid=12175&t=/Andrew-OKeeffe--Hardwired-Humans/Costa-Concordia-Leadership-lessons/
Costa Concordia: Leadership lessons
Andrew O'Keeffe - Principal - Hardwired Humans

As the Costa Concordia tragedy continues to play out in the world’s media attention is now shifting to what lessons can be learned.  Andrew O’Keeffe, Principal of Hardwired Humans, has made of the most insightful analyses in a recent newsletter, which we have reproduced below for CEO Forum readers.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 29, 2012, 02:22:44 PM
http://www.easier.com/101137-cruise-companies-reassure-customers-on-safety-standards.html
Cruise companies reassure customers on safety standards
March 29, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 30, 2012, 10:48:21 PM
http://www.agi.it/english-version/italy/elenco-notizie/201203302121-cro-ren1097-search_for_bodies_of_2_cruise_liner_passengers_suspended
Search for bodies of 2 cruise liner passengers suspended
March 30, 2012

(AGI) Rome - The search for the bodies of 2 passengers of cruise liner Costa Concordia who are still missing has been suspended. Searching operations were called off and will not resume until the results of the DNA tests carried out to identify the 5 bodies retrieved from the ship wreck on Monday are ready.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 30, 2012, 10:49:14 PM
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-31/texas-judge-orders-cruise-ship-seizure-in-costa-concordia-suit.html
Texas Judge Orders Cruise Ship Seizure in Costa Concordia Suit
By Laurel Brubaker Calkins
March 30, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 31, 2012, 02:00:49 PM
http://galvestondailynews.com/story/303386
Carnival Triumph ordered held in Galveston
By Laura Elder, The Daily News
March 31, 2012

GALVESTON — Officials with Florida-based Carnival Cruise Lines are meeting with attorneys this morning and scrambling to ensure that the 2,758-passenger vessel Carnival Triumph can sail from Galveston as planned today.

Meanwhile, Port Director Mike Mierzwa recommends that passengers continue on with plans to sail today in the event Carnival can resolve legal issues.

On Friday, a U.S. judge ordered the cruise ship held in Galveston as part a $10 million lawsuit filed by the family of a German tourist who died aboard the Costa Concordia shipwreck off the Italian coast, according to Bloomberg news service.

“The court finds that the conditions for an attachment of defendants’ joint and collective property within this district, mainly the MS Carnival Triumph, appear to exist upon an admiralty and maritime claim,” U.S. Magistrate Judge John Froeschner of Galveston said in the warrant, Bloomberg reports.

The Carnival Triumph would be allowed to unload passengers and cargo and move between berths within the port until a “prompt hearing” can be scheduled, at which “the plaintiff shall be required to show why the attachment and garnishment should not be vacated,” according to the order, Bloomberg reports.

The Triumph was scheduled to sail today for a five-day cruise to Yucatan and Cozumel, according to a Carnival website.
 ::snipping2::
Mierzwa said he hoped by early afternoon to know more about whether Triumph would sail from the island.

This is a developing story. Check back fore more information this afternoon.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 31, 2012, 02:02:46 PM
http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=4793
Judge Orders Carnival Triumph Held in Galveston
March 31, 2012

(12:45 p.m. EDT) -- Questions are swirling around today's scheduled departure of the 2,758-passenger Carnival Triumph after a judge ordered the ship held in Galveston, according to the Bloomberg news service. The move comes as part of a $10 million lawsuit filed in federal court in Galveston by relatives of a German tourist who died in the Costa Concordia disaster.

The ship is scheduled to leave at 6 p.m. EDT for a five day Western Caribbean voyage. The Galveston Daily News is reporting that the port director is advising passengers on the next cruise to carry on with their plans, and at this time, Carnival cruise director John Heald says on his Facebook page that embarkation has begun.

According to a statement provided to Cruise Critic by Carnival, "We are aware of the situation and are working through the appropriate legal channels to resolve it. The litigation in question relates to a matter that involved a European-based cruise line that is a sister line to Carnival Cruise Lines. We are optimistic that the issues regarding the Carnival Triumph will be resolved and the ship will depart on its scheduled voyage later today."
 ::snipping2::
Bloomberg reports that the warrant ordering the ship held in port states that the “court finds that the conditions for an attachment of defendants' joint and collective property within this district, mainly the MS Carnival Triumph, appear to exist upon an admiralty and maritime claim.”

Furthermore, Bloomberg says,Triumph would be allowed to unload passengers and cargo and move between berths until a “prompt hearing” can be scheduled.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: sharon on April 01, 2012, 08:27:02 AM
http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/Carnival-works-to-vacate-Triumph-arrest-order-related-to-Concordia-suit.html

Carnival resolves Triumph arrest order related to Concordia suit

Carnival Corp. resolved the arrest order for Carnival Triumph related to a lawsuit over the death of a German woman on Costa Concordia and the ship sailed from Galveston as scheduled Saturday.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 01, 2012, 09:01:28 AM
I wondered how the seizure order originated.  This article gives some information.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-03-31/carnival-ship-released-to-sail-as-deal-struck-lawyer-says
Carnival Ship Released to Sail From Port as Deal Is Struck
By Laurel Brubaker Calkins
April 1, 2012

 ::snipping2::
U.S. Magistrate Judge John Froeschner released the MS Carnival Triumph today from a seizure order holding the cruise liner in its home port of Galveston, said John Eaves Jr., a lawyer for the victim’s family.

The Triumph, which is owned by the same company that owns the Costa Concordia, was sought as security in a lawsuit (CCL) that was also filed March 30 in Galveston federal court by the family of Siglinde Stumpf, a German tourist who died in the shipwreck.


 ::snipping2::
Shot Over the Bow

Eaves said in a telephone interview earlier today that the Triumph could be freed from the seizure order if the cruise line agreed to post a $10 million security bond in the German tourist’s lawsuit. Details of the resolution, which was reached about 30 minutes before departure time, are confidential, Eaves said in an e-mailed statement.

Eaves, based in Jackson, Mississippi, said he’s part of an international consumer movement lobbying for increased oversight and safety standards in the global cruise industry. He said 16 cruise ships have sunk worldwide in the past 20 years. At least 25 people died after the Costa Concordia ran aground off Italy in January.

Eaves said he filed Stumpf’s lawsuit in Galveston to target the Triumph, which he said has “the same inadequate safety standards as the Costa Concordia, exactly the same.”

“We’ve not been able to get Carnival’s attention, so this is our shot over the bow to let them know we’re serious about changing the law and maritime standards,” Eaves said. “We want a uniform set of safety standards, and we won’t stop until we get it.”


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 02, 2012, 04:18:21 PM
http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16200962
Huge Operation To Refloat Costa Concordia
April 2, 2012

 ::snipping2::
The method used to refloat the 114,000 tonne Costa will involve sealing up the holes in the structure of the hull, as well as the huge gash and sealing off sections into airtight compartments.

From there huge pontoons and cranes will be brought in, while pipelines are fixed to the Costa and air will be pumped into the compartments to give it buoyancy before it is straightened and then towed away to a dock, most likely its home port of Genoa where it was launched in 2006.

This option is expected to cost around $300m (£187m) - about half of what the ship is worth - and the insurers will then have to decide whether to scrap the vessel or refit it and put it back into service, although the most likely option is for it to be sold on.
 ::snipping2::
The other possibility was for the Concordia to be cut into sections of 100 to 500 tonnes and carried away on huge barges but this plan was opposed by locals and the Italian authorities as it carried the most risk of environmental pollution.

John Noble of the International Salvage Union, said: "This will be one of the biggest ever removal jobs in maritime history. Removing a ship of this size and weight intact will be very expensive and it also could be very dangerous.

"The companies involved will have had to carry out underwater surveys to check out the ship and the area around where it is resting - in essence the holes will all be sealed up and water pumped out and air pumped in to the compartments to get her buoyant again."

Cristiano Pellegrini, spokesman for Giglio council, said: "The removal intact of the ship was always the solution that we and the regional authorities wanted because it ensured the least impact on the environment.

"It also respects the memory of those who died - to have the ship cut up into pieces with two people still missing would have not seemed correct. We do still have plans for a permanent memorial and among those being considered but it is still premature."


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 02, 2012, 04:19:59 PM
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/costa-concordia-update-salvage-bid-continues-salvage-operation-confirmed
Costa Concordia Update: Salvage Bid Continues, Salvage Operation Confirmed
April 2, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Work by salvage teams and engineers is scheduled to start in May with an estimated total completion time ranging at one year. The cost of the salvage operation is expected to reach around US$288 million.

It would be far less expensive to break the ship into 300 ton sections, but with this option, the surrounding area may be negatively impacted. The area near Giglio Island where the wreck is located is designated as a maritime reserve and is home to various mammals, marine animals and plant species.

Costa company officials did state that the vessel will be removed in its entirety, but have not decided on who will get the contract yet. Ten companies are in the race for the rights to the project. Now that the procedure has been confirmed, Costa will narrow down their options to three companies in the next week. A few U.S. salvage firms are in the running, but Netherlands-based Smit maybe be in the lead, as they just finished removing over 2,000 tons of diesel fuel from the capsized liner.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 02, 2012, 04:21:14 PM
http://www.propertycasualty360.com/2012/04/02/carnival-posts-851m-insurance-recoverables-from-co
Carnival Posts $851M Insurance Recoverables from Costa Concordia
April 2, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 04, 2012, 02:07:45 PM
http://www.marinelink.com/news/concordia-removal-salvage343545.aspx
Costa Concordia Removal – Salvage Tenders in Hand
April 3, 2012

Owners considering tenders for flotation, removal of Costa Concordia wreck with hull in one piece
The Company has set up a technical committee with representatives from Costa Crociere, Carnival Corporation & plc, Fincantieri shipyard, RINA (the Italian shipping register) and experts from industry and academia to determine the best plan for removal of the ship, in coordination with the relevant authorities.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 04, 2012, 02:11:32 PM

 :2thinky:
http://fortlauderdale.injuryboard.com/mass-transit-accidents/carnival-cruise-line-has-its-passenger-cruise-ship-arrested-in-texas.aspx?googleid=299654
Carnival Cruise Line has its Passenger Cruise Ship Arrested in Texas
Posted by Brett Rivkind
April 4, 2012





Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 09, 2012, 12:11:15 AM
http://www.agi.it/english-version/italy/elenco-notizie/201204081927-cro-ren1056-costa_concordia_clean_up_operations_continue
Costa Concordia clean-up operations continue
April 8, 2012


(AGI) Florence- Operations to clean the waters around the Costa Concordia at Giglio Island continued even on Easter Sunday.
  Underwater inspections and procedures in the caretaking phase of the Concordia aftermath proceeded as technicians from Smit Salvage and Neri carried on with their efforts to clear debris and objects that fell out of the sunken vessel.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 09, 2012, 12:19:34 AM

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/04/05/treacherous_waters
Treacherous Waters
The latest bad publicity for the global cruise industry is just the tip of the iceberg.
April 6, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Given the number of incidents, it's surprising that major cruise lines can still be so lax when it comes to safety precautions. That the Costa Concordia was at sea without a functioning black box -- imagine an airplane being allowed to fly passengers without a black box -- is a testament to the less-than-conscientious attitude of the industry to passenger safety and security. (There were subsequent news reports suggesting the black box was recovered, but these appear to refer to bridge voice recordings, which are quite different.)

Unfortunately, ship accidents are not the only safety concerns facing cruise passengers. Between Oct. 1, 2007, and Sept. 30, 2008, the FBI received 421 reports of onboard crime from cruise ships, including 115 simple assaults, 16 assaults with serious bodily injury, 101 thefts, and 154 sex-related incidents. Cruise ships made these crime reports following March 2007 congressional hearings in which the cruise industry made a commitment to report to the FBI all crimes against U.S. citizens (though the data also include some reports regarding foreign nationals). The rate of sexual assault on Carnival Cruise Lines in 2007 and 2008 was a surprisingly high 115 per 100,000 passengers.
 ::snipping2::

More...
(3 pg. article)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 10, 2012, 04:32:14 PM
http://www.agi.it/english-version/italy/elenco-notizie/201204101357-cro-ren1046-concordia_prosecution_files_for_schettino_house_arrests
Concordia Prosecution files for Schettino house arrests
April 10, 2012

AGI) Rome - Prosecution has filed requests that Costa Concordia's Schettino remain under house arrests. With the former cruise ship captain facing last-instance hearings on several charges of negligence and manslaughter under Italian Navigation Law, Rome-based supreme Cassation Court prosecutors are essentially requesting that the February 6 Florence Appeal Court's house arrest rulings be left standing. The Prosecution's requests oppose those of the Grosseto Prosecutor's Office - requesting that Francesco Schettino face jail - and of the defence - which is requesting Schettino's release from house arrests.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 10, 2012, 04:33:59 PM
http://www.news24.com/World/News/Concordia-captain-house-arrest-challenged-20120410
Concordia captain house arrest challenged
April 10, 2012

Rome - Italy's top appeals court began hearing on Tuesday an appeal against a house arrest order issued to the captain of the Costa Concordia, the cruise ship that sank in January.

The Rome-based Court of Cassation was expected to announce its decision by Wednesday.
 ::snipping2::
Schettino faces charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship before all passengers were evacuated.

Lawyers representing Schettino want his house arrest lifted pending the outcome of an investigation into the sinking of the ship.

Prosecutors have also lodged an appeal with the Cassation arguing that Schettino should be held in prison and not under house arrest. The prosecutors say the captain may attempt to flee from justice or tamper with the evidence in the case.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 10, 2012, 04:37:02 PM
http://www2.wspa.com/news/2012/apr/10/italy-court-rule-cruise-ship-captains-house-arrest-ar-3579072/
Italy Court To Rule On Cruise Ship Captain's House Arrest
By Kristy Charles/CNN
April 10, 2012

ROME --

Italy's highest court is expected to rule Tuesday on whether the captain of the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship will remain under house arrest.

Prosecutors want Capt. Francesco Schettino to be held behind bars while he is investigated for possible criminal charges, but his lawyers argue he should be given his freedom.

Italy's Supreme Court, known as the Court of Cassation, is also expected to rule on the admissibility of the captain's phone intercepts at the police station following his detention right after the shipwreck.
 ::snipping2::
The five-judge panel met Tuesday morning in Rome to consider Schettino's house arrest and is expected to give a verdict later.

The hearing was closed to the media.

The court may decide to uphold a previous lower court ruling that the captain should remain under house arrest.

Alternatively, he could be released, be put in jail, or remain under house arrest but with fewer restrictions on his movement.
 ::snipping2::
Schettino's first officer, Ciro Ambrosio, and six other officers both on the ship and from the firm Costa in Genova are under investigation over allegations including manslaughter, shipwreck and failure to report the accident, the prosecutor said.

No one has yet been charged in connection with the incident.

Italy's Civil Protection agency said Tuesday that 30 bodies had been recovered from the wreck, of which 25 have been identified and five are still in process of identification.

Two people remain missing.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 10, 2012, 04:38:14 PM
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2017948779_webcruiseships11.html
Stop rearranging deck chairs: Cruise industry needs big changes
Commentator Ross A. Klein says the cruise industry needs much tougher oversight and legislation for passenger safety, environmental issues and workers' rights.
April 10, 2012


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 10, 2012, 04:41:27 PM
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/10/world/europe/italy-cruise-ship-captain/?hpt=ieu_c1
Court: Italy cruise ship captain must stay under house arrest
From Hada Messia, CNN
April 10, 2012

Rome (CNN) -- Italy's highest court ruled Tuesday that the captain of the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship must remain under house arrest while he is investigated for possible criminal charges.

Prosecutors wanted Capt. Francesco Schettino to be held behind bars while the investigation continues, but his lawyers had argued he should be given his freedom.
 ::snipping2::
Italy's Supreme Court, known as the Court of Cassation, met Tuesday morning in Rome to consider Schettino's house arrest at a hearing closed to the media. The five-judge panel's ruling was delivered Tuesday evening.
 ::snipping2::
The court was also expected to rule on the admissibility of the captain's phone intercepts at the police station following his detention right after the shipwreck.
 ::snipping2::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 11, 2012, 11:03:30 AM
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/326639/20120411/costa-concordia-captain-francesco-schettino-house-arrest.htm
Costa Concordia: Captain Schettino House Arrest Upheld By Italian Court
April 11, 2012

Captain Francesco Schettino of the ill-fated Costa Concordia cruise ship will remain under house arrest, Italy's Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday.
 ::snipping2::
Captain Schettino was immediately arrested after the incident on informal charges of manslaughter, abandoning ship and failure to report an accident, and placed under house arrest in Meta di Sorrento, on the bay of Naples. After a three-hour hearing on Tuesday, the five-judge panel of Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation upheld the Court of Review of Florence's decision, and Schettino will remain detained as an investigation continues.
According to Italian daily Corriere Della Sera, Schettino was allowed to leave his home for Easter dinner with his sister, for three hours.
 ::snipping2::
Although he has admitted to taking the ship off course, Schettino has said that he should be praised because of a quick maneuver that saved thousands of lives; as the ship began to list, he turned the boat to shore, eventually landing on the rocky reef where the vessel still sits. But, Schettino was also the first one off the ship and failed to lead the emergency evacuation efforts, a duty that his required by his title.

A new report in Vanity Fair details for the first time a number of other mistakes made by the captain, including the “jaw-droppingly stupid" one of dropping the anchor with too much slack, which made the ship tilt further.

Additionally, Giglio police chief Roberto Galli told the magazine that Shettino did not flee the scene by taxi as earlier reported, but instead sat on shore watching the ship sink.
 ::snipping2::




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 13, 2012, 10:06:33 AM
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2012/04/13/243247.htm
Costa Concordia Salvage to Begin in May
April 13, 2012

The salvage operation to move the capsized Costa Concordia away from the island of Giglio, where it ran aground three months ago, will begin next month, an official said on Thursday.

Civil Protection official Fabrizio Curcio told reporters at a conference on the island that he expected contracts to be signed by the end of April and the operation to begin in mid-May.

Sources close to the operation said two consortia were on the short list to carry out the salvage work. One was composed of Smit Salvage of the Netherlands and Italy’s Neri and the other by Titan Salvage of the United States and Micoperi of Greece.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 14, 2012, 06:22:38 PM
http://www.agi.it/english-version/italy/elenco-notizie/201204142229-cro-ren1073-concordia_commissioner_says_recover_of_materials_continues
Concordia Commissioner says recover of materials continues
April 14, 2012

(AGI) Rome -The Commissioner for the Concordia has said that the activity to recover materials from the ship is continuing.
  "The activities tied to the 'caretaking' phase, which have seen the Smit Salvage and Neri companies busy in the recovery from the seafloor of materials and objects coming from the Costa Concordia, are continuing.". The Managing Commissioner's group for the shipwreck emergency made the announcement, underlining how "the negative weather-sea conditions have prevented the motor barge "Marzocco", carrying the load recovered in recent days, from going to the Volta di Talamone.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 17, 2012, 09:28:49 AM
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/r/30905396/detail.html
Last 5 Cruise Ship Bodies Identified; 2 Americans Named
April 17, 2012

(CNN) -- The last five bodies recovered from the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise liner have been identified, the mayor's office in the Italian city of Grosseto said Tuesday.

Two Americans, Gerald and Barbara Heil, were among those named in the statement from the mayor's office.

The others are identified as two Germans, Christina and Norbert Ganz, and an Italian crew member, Giuseppe Girolamo. Two people remain missing, the mayor's office said.


At least 30 people died when the cruise liner struck rocks and turned on its side off the Italian island of Giglio January 13.

Recovery teams have spent weeks searching the submerged decks and cabins for those who failed to escape the sinking vessel.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 17, 2012, 09:30:47 AM
http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/S2584687.shtml?cat=10151
WBL Couple Identified in Italian Cruise Wreck
April 17, 2012

 ::snipping2::
In a posting on its website Tuesday, the Interior Ministry named Barbara and Gerald Heil of Minnesota, the sole American victims of the Jan. 13 disaster, as among the bodies retrieved from the wreck.

The ministry posting also identified Christina Mathi Ganz and Norbert Josef Ganz, of Germany, and an Italian crewman after weeks of DNA testing and other exams.

Divers are still searching the wreck for a female Italian passenger and an Indian crewman who are missing and presumed dead. The two have already been included in the death toll of 32.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 17, 2012, 09:34:09 AM
http://www.expatica.com/de/news/german-news/german-us-italian-victims-of-italy-shipwreck-identified_221758.html
German, US, Italian victims of Italy shipwreck identified
April 17, 2012

 ::snipping2::
A total of 32 people are believed to have died when the ship crashed into rocks off an Italian island in January, with two people -- an Italian passenger and Indian crew member -- still unaccounted for, according to the prefecture in Grosseto.

Of the 30 identified victims, 12 are German, six French, six Italian, two Peruvian, two American, one Hungarian and one from Spain.
 ::snipping2::

Nine people are under investigation for manslaughter, including captain Francesco Schettino, who is also accused of abandoning ship before everyone on board could be evacuated.

Three of those being investigated are executives from the ship's company, Costa Crociere, Europe's biggest cruise operator.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 19, 2012, 08:36:36 AM

 ::MonkeyAngel::
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/04/17/newly-identified-costa-concordia-victim-gave-up-his-place-on-lifeboat-for-a-child/
Newly identified Costa Concordia victim gave up his place on lifeboat for a child
April 17, 2012

ROME — Officials investigating the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise liner on Tuesday identified the bodies of five people including an Italian drummer who gave up his place on a lifeboat to a child.

Thirty-year-old Giuseppe Girolamo who played in a band on the vessel was last seen on the ship’s bridge as it keeled over on the night of January 13
Witnesses were quoted by Italian media as saying they saw the long-haired rocker, who started working on the ship in October, give up his place for a boy.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: sharon on April 20, 2012, 12:43:47 PM
http://cruisecommunity.com/News/News-Headlines/Arison-Concordia-salvage-will-be-technological-wonder.html

Arison: Concordia salvage will be ‘technological wonder’

Removing Costa Concordia from its rocky perch at Giglio will be ‘a technological wonder to pull off,’ Micky Arison told shareholders at this week’s Carnival Corp. & plc annual meeting.

‘This will be an unprecedented salvage operation. It’s never been done before,’ the Carnival chairman and ceo said, adding that a number of movies will be made. Arison said refloating the ship (instead of cutting it apart) is the best option, for environmental reasons.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 21, 2012, 09:00:01 AM
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-21/concordia-ship-removal-awarded-to-titan-salvage-micoperi.html
Concordia Ship Removal Awarded to Titan Salvage, Micoperi
By Chiara Remondini
April 21, 2012

Carnival Corp. (CCL)’s Costa Crociere SpA said the removal of the shipwrecked Costa Concordia from Giglio island in Italy was awarded to Titan Salvage and Micoperi.

The operation, subject to final approval by Italian authorities, will begin early next month and is expected to take about a year, the company said today in a statement.

The wreck will be removed in one piece, re-floated and towed to an Italian port, Costa Crociere said. Fuel removal was completed on March 24 and throughout the operation environmental protection will have “top priority,” the company said.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 21, 2012, 09:02:45 AM
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Costa+Concordia+refloated+towed+away/6497506/story.html
Costa Concordia to be refloated, towed away
April 21, 2012




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 22, 2012, 10:43:52 AM
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/85debf7e-8b12-11e1-912d-00144feab49a.html
Safety crackdown for cruise operators
By Robert Wright, Shipping and Logistics Correspondent
April 22, 2012






Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 23, 2012, 01:54:29 PM
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-04-22/news/fl-costa-concordia-titan-salvage-20120422_1_costa-cruises-italian-island-resolve-marine-group
Pompano company to refloat capsized Costa Concordia
By Mike Clary, Sun Sentinel
April 23, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Costa Cruises, which is owned by Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines, said in a statement that the contract went to Titan after a review of six qualified bids "of a very high standard."

Among other companies submitting bids was Fort Lauderdale's Resolve Marine Group.

Joseph Farrell, Resolve's founder and CEO, said in a news release Sunday, "Rolling and refloating the ship in one piece rather than dismantling it piece-by-piece will be quite a feat. The main concern will be to not further compromise the ship's structural integrity, so that it can be maneuvered off the coast and to another port."

The plan calls for Titan Salvage, working with the Italian company Micoperi, to refloat the ship, and then tow it to an Italian port.

The job is expected to take about a year, the company said.
 ::snipping2::
Among the objectives stated by Costa when the contract was put out for bid were removal of the wreck in one piece, minimal risk and minimal environmental impact, the company said.

Costa said environmental protection will be a "top priority" during the ship's removal. The island of Giglio is in fishing grounds and a dolphin sanctuary.

Once the main work is complete, the sea bottom will be cleaned and marine flora replanted, according to the company.
 ::snipping2::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 23, 2012, 01:55:36 PM
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/costa-concordia-structural-integrity-key-to-success-of-salvage-operation-2012-04-23
Costa Concordia: Structural Integrity Key To Success Of Salvage Operation
Environmental Issues & Regional Economic Impacts Among Top Concerns

April 23, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: sharon on April 24, 2012, 08:28:29 AM
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/23/2763818/costa-ceo-to-retire-carnival-says.html

Costa Cruises CEO to retire, Carnival says

The chief executive officer of Costa Cruises, set to retire in July, will be replaced by the president of Germany-based AIDA Cruises. Both are owned by Carnival Corp.

By Hannah Sampson
hsampson@MiamiHerald.com

After a disastrous start to the year, the head of Costa Cruises will retire on July 1, parent company Carnival Corp. announced Monday.

Pier Luigi Foschi’s exit from the CEO job is unrelated to the fatal crash of the Costa Concordia in January, according to Carnival spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz, who said he had been in talks about the retirement for more than a year.

“Pier has made it known for some time that he intended to retire once he turned 65 and today’s announcement is part of our longtime succession plan that allows us to tap into our talented management team to find qualified individuals to oversee our brands,” said Carnival Corp. Chairman and CEO Micky Arison in a statement.

Michael Thamm, who is president of Carnival Corp.’s German cruise operator AIDA Cruises, will move to Genoa, Italy and replace Foschi as CEO of the Costa group. That includes Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises and the Spanish Ibero Cruises line.

Gianni Onorato will continue to serve as president of Costa Cruises. Michael Ungerer, a longtime senior executive at AIDA Cruises, will become president.

Foschi, who turned 65 last fall, will stay on as chairman and a managing director of the Costa group and remain on Carnival’s board of directors. He joined Costa as CEO in October 1997 and became chairman in January of 2000.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/23/2763818/costa-ceo-to-retire-carnival-says.html#storylink=cpy

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 28, 2012, 10:37:36 PM
http://news.investors.com/article/609503/201204271729/what-is-social-media-benefit-for-consumer-companies.htm?
Cool Social Networking Turns Consumers Into Brand Fans
By BRIAN DEAGON, INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
April 27, 2012

BD Special Report: Social Media

When the Carnival Cruise ship Costa Concordia struck a rock and sank in shallow water off Italy on Jan. 13, killing 32, critical comments exploded on social media sites such as Facebook (FB) and Twitter.

Carnival had no apparent plan to respond to the wave of negative comments. For six days its Facebook page looked as though Carnival didn't know the shipwreck existed. The cruise firm continued to post typical updates on travel, special deals and features.
All the while more negative comments flooded in.

It took six days for Carnival to reverse course and react to the comments, helping calm the uproar.

Unlike times past when companies could control the flow of information, the Internet has turned that concept on its head.

Social media sites create a two-way street where consumers post views — good and bad — to a potential audience of millions.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 28, 2012, 10:39:12 PM
http://cruisefever.net/0428-costa-concordia-to-be-floated-to-a-port-in-italy/
Costa Concordia Update: U.S. Salvage Company Wins Bid



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 30, 2012, 04:53:43 PM
http://www.agi.it/english-version/italy/elenco-notizie/201204292047-cro-ren1066-search_for_missing_bodies_at_stricken_cruise_ship_goes_on
Search for missing bodies at stricken cruise ship goes on
April 29, 2012

(AGI) Florence - Rain and a choppy sea didn't stop operations to recover items that fell out of cruise ship Costa Concordia.
  Today, the staff of companies Smit Salvage and Neri have continued recovering materials and items that fell out of the capsized cruise liner. The search for 2 bodies that are still missing in the sunken side of the ship will resume in the next few days.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 30, 2012, 04:55:48 PM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/323917
Final 2 bodies from Costa Concordia may soon be recovered
By Marcus Hondro
April 29, 2012

When the Costa Concordia, the massive Italian cruise liner that sunk Jan. 13, went down, over 4,200 passengers and crew were aboard. Thirty-two did not survive the tragedy but only 30 bodies have been recovered.
There is hope the two bodies still missing will be found, and found soon. The Italian news agency, Agenzia Italia (AGI) has been filing ongoing reports on the tragedy off the island of Giglio, and their latest suggests an area of the ship not yet searched may contain the missing bodies. Some areas of the ship, which lies half-submerged in the water, have not been easy, or safe, to access because they rest up against the rocky ledge the ship leans upon.
Costa Concordia balconies being checked for bodies
AGI reported that "targeted" checks of balconies on ship levels 6, 7 and 8 were done in the past few days but the bodies were not found. However, AGI adds that "the fire brigade and the state police will now have to check, from inside the ship, some cabins whose balconies can't be accessed, as they are located near the rock ledge the hull is resting on."
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 30, 2012, 04:58:06 PM
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/take-up-issue-with-mea-rebello-family-to-cm/943728/
Take up issue with MEA: Rebello family to CM
May 1, 2012

The family of missing Indian national Russell Rebello (32) has written to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan urging him to take up the issue with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Rebello had gone missing when Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia had run aground near the island of Giglio in Italy on January 13 this year.

Rebello’s elder brother Kevin submitted a letter to the Chief Minister’s office in this regard. “I have urged the CM to ensure that he takes up the issue with New Delhi. It has been more than three months since the incident took place and we are yet to hear from the Italian authorities on my brother’s whereabouts,” said Kevin.
 ::snipping2::
“They conducted search operations, but did not find him. I am afraid they may call off the search,” he said. Russell worked as a waiter aboard the ill-fated cruise liner. He had joined the liner in October last year, after initially working with leading hotels in the city.

“He is married and has a four-year-old son. We are waiting for some news about him,” said Kevin.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 05, 2012, 01:53:26 PM
Here's another viewpoint about what to do with the ship:

http://www.wellandtribune.ca/2012/05/04/scuba-diver-concordia-should-be-sunk
Scuba diver: Concordia should be sunk
May 4, 2012

The Costa Concordia, the wrecked liner which has been half-submerged near the Italian island of Giglio since it hit a rock in January, could be a paradise for recreational scuba divers from around the world - if sunk instead of salvaged.

"Every night I light a candle and say a prayer for it to sink," Aldo Baffigi, a Giglio native, says of the 290-metre-long ship with its towering smokestack and four swimming pools.

Most of the Tuscan island's 1,500 residents want the modern-day Titanic to be hauled away as soon as possible, but Baffigi is an underwater guide and owner of Deep Blue Diving College, and he knows the fascination shipwrecks have for scuba divers.

"It would be the most popular shipwreck in the world. We wouldn't know what to do with all the divers. It would be like manna from heaven."

With the salvage set to begin this month, Baffigi's prayers have not yet had the desired effect.

But he has not lost hope because such a massive ship has never been salvaged in one piece, and a strong storm could still send the cruise liner, precariously perched on an undersea ledge, sliding down into deeper waters
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 05, 2012, 01:55:49 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-17941992
Costa Concordia payout offer 'an insult', says dancer


A dancer who was caught up in the Costa Concordia cruise disaster has said the amount of compensation offered by the ship's owners is "insulting".

Rose Metcalf, of Dorset, was performing on the ship when it ran aground off Italy, resulting in 32 deaths.

She has been offered 6,000 euros, which she believes to be a third of the value of the possessions she lost.

Miss Metcalf, 23, has joined a class action lawsuit in the US against the ship's operators, Carnival Group.

Carnival Group said Miss Metcalf had not been directly employed by the firm.

A spokesman said because she was a concessionaire, it was not up to Carnival to decide how much she was given in compensation.
 ::snipping2::
Carnival also suspended Miss Metcalf's salary on 16 January, despite her contract running for a further two months, she said.

She returned to London to audition for West End shows but was hindered by a torn tricep she said she suffered when she was airlifted.

Miss Metcalf said: "I'd been left penniless so was sofa-surfing with friends, but was unable to contribute to bills.

"I'd no intention of suing Carnival until I received the compensation offer from Lloyds of London, on behalf of Carnival.
The Costa Concordia near the island of Giglio The Costa Concordia hit a sandbar near the island of Giglio on Friday 13 January

"They said they'd only honour my remaining two months of wages if I accepted the package which was nowhere near what my belongings were worth."
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: sharon on May 06, 2012, 08:27:05 AM
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/05/2785392/costa-cruise-lines-announces.html

Costa cruise lines announces safety changes, new ship Fascinosa

By Robert Jenkins

Venice, Italy -- -- Even as it christened its new flagship Saturday, May 5, the venerable Costa Crociere line announced several changes in its safety procedures. The impetus for those changes was hardly noted during the christening, yet the tragic crash of Costa Concordia less than four months earlier had to be on most everyone's mind.

Indeed, Costa Chairman and CEO Pier Luigi Foschii alluded to the Concordia obliquely, never by name:

"The delivery of the Costa Fascinosa is an important stepping stone on our company's road to recovery ...After the recent incident, despite the economic downtown and the impact on consumption (of cruises), Costa has bounced back and booking volumes are back to the same levels recorded this time last year."

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/05/2785392/costa-cruise-lines-announces.html#storylink=cpy

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 08, 2012, 05:53:27 PM
It sounds like a lot of money until we see it's $11,700.00 to each survivor.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Costa+Concordia+owner+doles+million+euros+French+survivors/6587154/story.html
Costa Concordia owner doles out 2 million euros to French survivors
May 8, 2012

PARIS - The owner of the Costa Concordia cruise liner that ran aground off northwest Italy in January has paid more than two million euros to French survivors in a settlement, their lawyer said Tuesday.

Costa Crociere, owned by U.S. giant Carnival Corp., paid 9,000 euros ($11,700) each to 235 survivors, their lawyer Bernard Courtois told AFP.

Thirty-two people were killed when Costa Concordia capsised on January 13 with some 3,200 passengers aboard.
Out of these, 456 were French and  ::snipping2:: some 20 joined a class-action suit in the United States and another 20 are pursuing legal action independently, Courtois said.

The settlement agreed by the 235 remaining survivors was paid by the company on May 4, he said, adding that the settlement did not preclude further legal action.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 09, 2012, 07:56:35 PM
http://www.theworld.org/2012/05/removal-costa-concordia-italy/
Removal of Capsized Costa Concordia to Begin in Italy
By Megan Williams
May 9, 2012

 ::snipping2::

So it’s good news for residents that the American company Titan Salvage will team with Italian contractor Micoperi to tow away the ship in one piece. The two companies will work together to tug the 114,000-ton ship upright onto an underwater platform, where they’ll repair the gash on its side.

They’ll then attach two air-filled flotation devices to keep the vessel buoyant as it’s towed to a nearby port. The year-long, $300 million removal project is set to start this month.


Mayor Ortilli says the plans respects the community’s wishes. “It respects the environment,” says Ortilli. “It won’t interfere with tourism, and it will keep the ship whole, so any contaminated liquids will not be spilled.”

Those liquids include paint, cleaners and cooking oil normally used on the cruise ship. They’re still held in plastic and metal containers aboard the ship.

Marcello Mossa Verre, the head of Tuscany’s Environmental Protection Agency, is worried that those containers which could begin to degrade in the corrosive sea water.

“If they can remove the ship quickly, and by quickly, I mean months or a year at the most,” says Mossa Verre, “then the containers can hold. But they can’t hold indefinitely. We’ve analyzed the plastics and know that if the ship stays there longer, it will be a problem.”
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 09, 2012, 07:59:06 PM
http://www.hardenexpress.com.au/news/national/national/general/come-closer-again-we-love-you-tourism-chiefs-tell-cruise-lines/2547824.aspx
Come closer again, we love you, tourism chiefs tell cruise lines
NICK PISA
May 8, 2012

ROME: Tourism chiefs and hotel bosses have asked for cruise ship ''sail-by salutes'' - which became infamous following the Costa Concordia tragedy - to resume.

Officials said the practice should be allowed ''safely and securely'' as it was fundamental to the tourist trade which Italy relies upon, especially in the summer, when it has more than 40 million visitors a year.

In January the cruise liner Costa Concordia capsized after it struck rocks while carrying out a salute. Thirty-two people died, and the captain, Francesco Schettino, is under house arrest charged with multiple manslaughter and causing a shipwreck.

At the time there was outrage when it emerged that cruise ships regularly carried out sail-by salutes, or inchinos as they are known in Italian, for publicity, coming dangerously close to the shoreline in order to promote tourism and cruise holidays.

In the days after the disaster off the island of Giglio, footage emerged of ships sailing close not only to that island but also Procida near Naples and the coast of Sicily - their huge superstructures dwarfing holidaymakers watching from harbour walls and the beach.

Ermando Mennella, the president of the federation of hotel owners of Ischia, a popular holiday island close to Naples, said: ''The inchino should be allowed to continue but obviously with safety and security guaranteed for all.
More...
(2 pages)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 11, 2012, 09:06:12 AM
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2012/may/10/charles-de-garmo-four-mistakes-cost-captain-the/
Charles de Garmo: Four mistakes cost Captain Francesco Schettino the Costa Concordia and 32 lives
Four mistakes on the Costa Concordia led to 32 deaths, loss of massive ship Grounding of $570 million ship on island of Giglio could have been avoided by Captain Francesco Schettino

    Charles de Garmo of Sewall's Point is a graduate of Quinnipiac (Conn.) University and has a Coast Guard master's license.
May 10, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 11, 2012, 09:08:00 AM
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/18307188/musical-troupe-sues-for-200m-over-costa-concordia-disaster
Musical troupe sues for $200M over Costa Concordia disaster
May 11, 2012

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Four performers who entertained passengers on the doomed Costa Concordia are suing the luxury liner's owners and operators for $200 million.

The musicians and dancers -- all from Hungary -- accuse operator Carnival Corp. and the Italian Costa Crociere cruise line of "gross negligence" in the deadly Jan. 13 crash off the coast of Italy.

Court papers allege that the crew was not properly trained to operate and evacuate the ship, which capsized after ramming a reef, killing 32 people.

The White Plains, N.Y., federal court filing seeks $50 million per plaintiff for physical injuries, "mental anguish" and lost wages, along with punitive damages.

A fifth member of the troupe, musician Sandor Feher, did not make it off the boat alive.

Initial reports said Feher drowned after returning to his room to retrieve his violin, but plaintiff lawyer Peter Ronai said Thursday that Feher died of blunt trauma to the head after apparently slipping during a heroic rescue effort.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 16, 2012, 11:51:54 PM
http://www.agi.it/english-version/italy/elenco-notizie/201205152114-cro-ren1108-costa_concordia_removal_plan_approved
Costa Concordia removal plan approved
May 15, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 16, 2012, 11:53:43 PM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/324951
Plans to refloat the Costa Concordia cruise ship given approval
By Marcus Hondro
May 15, 2012

The plans to remove the cruise ship the Costa Concordia were approved by Italian civil authorities Tues., May 15. The two companies undertaking the project, Titan Salvage of the U.S. and Micoperi of Italy, intend to refloat the entire ship.
 ::snipping2::
There was a conference about the plans in Rome at the Civil Defence Department Tuesday, the AGI news agency of Italy reports, chaired by Franco Gabrielli, the Commissioner for Emergencies. Others attending included officials from the environment, health care, cultural heritage and infrastructure and transport ministries.
Parameters around the removal were drawn up and approved and the two salvage companies now have the green light to begin operations. Refloating the Costa Concordia is expected to take up to a year and once completed the ship will be sailed to a port and scrapped.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 16, 2012, 11:55:09 PM
http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2012/05/seabourn-cruise-ship-safety-drill-/694399/1
Elderly cruiser kicked off Seabourn ship for skipping drill
By Gene Sloan, USA TODAY
May 16, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 16, 2012, 11:56:39 PM
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-italy-shipbre84f0wu-20120516,0,2516868.story
Italy court rules Concordia captain unfit for command
May 16, 2012

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's top appeals court ruled on Wednesday that Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia, was unfit to command the cruise liner which ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio in January, causing at least 30 deaths.

In a written explanation of its decision to maintain a house arrest order against Schettino, the Court of Cassation said he had shown "little resilience in performing command functions or in handling responsibility for the safety of persons under his care."
 ::snipping2::
Investigators also accuse Schettino of delaying evacuation and losing control of the operation, during which he abandoned ship before all 4,200 passengers and crew had been taken off the vessel.

He has been charged with multiple manslaughter, causing the accident and abandoning ship prematurely. A pre-trial hearing was held in Grosseto, near Florence, in March.

The Court of Cassation said Schettino had shown himself unable to manage a crisis and to ensure the safety of his passengers and crew and said there would be a risk of a repeat of the disaster if he were given a command again.

That part of the ruling justified the decision to keep Schettino under house arrest at his home in Meta di Sorrento, near Naples in southern Italy, as a concrete danger of a recurrence must be shown for the arrest order to be upheld.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 18, 2012, 03:09:13 PM
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/18/world/europe/italy-cruise-ship/index.html
Wrecked Costa Concordia to be raised from Italian sea bed
May 18, 2012

Rome (CNN) -- Salvage experts outlined their plan Friday to raise the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise liner from the sea floor off Italy in one piece and tow it from the disaster site.

The complicated operation is expected to start in the next few days and take up to a year, the ship's owner, Costa Cruises, said in Rome.

It will be a joint effort by Titan Salvage, an American-owned specialist marine salvage and wreck removal company, and Italian marine contractor Micoperi.
 ::snipping2::
The search for two people who remain missing will continue alongside the removal operation, said Franco Gabrielli, head of the Italian Civil Protection agency. The 30 bodies recovered have all been identified.

The ship cannot stay in its current position, as it represents a danger for the environment, he added.

"The plan to re-float the hull in one piece gives top priority to minimising environmental impact, to protecting Giglio's economy and tourism industry, and to maximum safety of the work," Costa Cruises said in a statement.

"Once removal is complete, the sea bottom will be cleaned and marine flora replanted."

The operation will be divided into four basic stages, Costa said in its statement.

First, once the ship has been stabilized, an underwater platform will be built and watertight boxes, or caissons, fixed to the side of the ship that is above water.

Two cranes fixed to the platform will pull the ship upright, helped by the weight of the caissons, which will be filled with water.

When the ship is upright, caissons will be fixed to the other side of the hull to stabilize it.

Finally, the caissons on both sides will be emptied, after the water inside has been purified to protect the marine environment, and filled with air, Costa said.

Once the giant ship has been refloated, it will be towed to an Italian port, probably in Tuscany, to be dismantled and disposed of according to local regulations.

No exact cost was given by the officials who presented details of the recovery operation.

But a Costa Cruises representative said that the figure would probably be about $300 million.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: sharon on May 20, 2012, 09:45:35 AM
http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/south-florida-travel/2012/05/18/costa-cruises-to-reveal-concordia-salvage-plans-friday/

Costa Cruises: Salvage work on Concordia to begin within days
by: Arlene Satchell May 18th, 2012 | 9:09 AM

Updated: 10:42 a.m.

Pompano Beach-based Titan Salvage in partnership with its Italian partner Micoperi outlined plans for the salvage and removal of the capsized Costa Concordia ship at a press conference in Italy Friday.

The Costa Cruises cruise ship capsized off the coast of Italy near the Tuscan island of Giglio in January killing 32. 

The salvage work is expected to begin in a few days and should last about a year, company officials said.

Titan and Micoperi won the bid to upright and refloat the Concordia based on plans their plans to remove the vessel in one piece to minimize environmental impact and protect Giglio’s economy and tourism industry.

 ::snipping2::

Here are some key details from Friday’s press conference:


Operations will be divided into four basic stages:

After stabilizing the ship, a subsea platform will be built and caissons that can be filled with water will be fixed to the side of the ship that is out of the water.

Two cranes fixed to the platform will pull the ship upright, helped by the caissons, which will be filled with water

When the ship is upright, caissons will also be fixed to the other side of the hull

The caissons on both sides will then be emptied, after treating and purifying the water to protect the marine environment, and filled with air.

Once floated, the wreck will be towed to an Italian port and dealt with in accordance with the requirements of Italian authorities.

 ::snipping2::

 




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 24, 2012, 10:28:24 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/the-navigator-cruise-safetys-improvements--or-lack-thereof/2012/05/23/gJQAAaiHnU_story.html
The Navigator: Cruise safety’s improvements — or lack thereof
By Christopher Elliott,
May 24, 2012

As Carnival Corp. announced plans to salvage the Costa Concordia last week, the world’s attention focused again on cruise safety — or rather, lack of it.

The Concordia struck a reef off the coast of Italy in January and partially sank, claiming the lives of 32 passengers. Carnival will refloat the hull in a $300 million salvage operation said to be the largest in history.
Coincidentally, it’s been almost two years since the passage of the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, a law that promised to make cruising safer by requiring cruise lines to install peepholes in cabin doors, improve the handling of crime evidence and report crimes to the Coast Guard and the FBI.

Given that travelers are thinking about security on cruise ships and that the summer vacation season is just around the corner, there’s no better time to ask whether the rules are working as intended. But that’s a hard question to answer.

The law couldn’t have prevented the sinking of the Concordia, for example. That was reportedly caused when its captain, Francesco Schettino, foolishly steered his vessel away from its programmed route to do a maneuver known as a sail-by salute. And common sense can’t be legislated, as they say.

But what about some of the other provisions? David Peikin, a spokesman for the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), a trade group that represents the major cruise lines, wouldn’t comment on whether the law is working but insisted that cruising is safe and that passenger safety remains the industry’s “number one” priority.

Peikin pointed to several independent studies that showed even before the law went into effect that the cruise experience was exceedingly safe and said that cruise lines are reporting crimes to the government as required.

I wondered what others thought, so I revisited some of my sources from a 2010 column on the act. Interestingly, that story also featured a quote from a CLIA spokesman about safety being a No. 1 priority.

Kendall Carver, chairman of the International Cruise Victims Association, a passenger advocacy group, doesn’t think that the law has helped passengers. “It’s a travesty,” he said.

In just the past month, several stories have raised serious concerns about cruise ship safety.
More...
(2 pg article.)
87 comments at time of this posting
Link to slideshow:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/cruise-ship-costa-concordia--runs-aground-off-italy/2012/01/14/gIQA6PEYyP_gallery.html


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 25, 2012, 07:33:48 PM
http://hamptonroads.com.nyud.net/2012/05/exhibit-features-va-beach-survivors-sinking
Exhibit features Va. Beach survivors of sinking
May 25, 2012

A Virginia Beach couple who were rescued after the sinking of a luxury cruise ship off the Italian coast are featured in a Mariners' Museum exhibit about survivors of marine catastrophes.

Mariners' Museum officials say Costa Concordia survivors Karen Kennedy and Rick Langlands have a part in a new exhibit, Abandon Ship: Stories of Survival. The life vest Kennedy wore during her escape as well as photographs taken by the couple are part of the exhibition, which opens Saturday.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 25, 2012, 07:40:45 PM
http://www.handyshippingguide.com/shipping-news/salvage-team-for-costa-concordia-appointed_3696
Salvage Team for Costa Concordia Appointed 
Familiar Names Collaborate to Recover Stricken Vessels Hull

May 25, 2012

ITALY – US – The tragedy of the sunken cruise liner Costa Concordia off the coast of the Isle of Giglio is beyond our normal coverage involving as it does that carriage of passengers, not freight. The recovery of the stricken vessel is however within our brief and this week the contract to salvage the wreck, a sensitive environmental matter, was awarded to a coalition from two countries.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 25, 2012, 07:41:52 PM
http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/survival/stories/what-went-wrong-on-the-costa-concordia-9119062?click=pm_news
What Went Wrong on the Costa Concordia
The sight of behemoth pleasure vessel Costa Concordia sideways in the sea became an indelible image around the world. Here's the full story of how this entirely avoidable vacation-turned-nightmare unfolded.
By Barbara S. Peterson
May 25, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 28, 2012, 10:17:50 AM
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120528/world/But-you-guessed-he-is-not-the-right-man-for-the-job-.421641
But (you guessed) he is not the right man for the job!
May 28, 2012

Welcome Aboard was shot on the Costa Atlantica, which was captained by Francesco Schettino (bottom) at the time.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 02, 2012, 09:34:46 AM
http://www.ksby.com/news/massive-undertaking-is-underway-to-salvage-the-capsized-costa-concordia/
Massive undertaking is underway to salvage the capsized Costa Concordia
June 1, 2012

Salvage operations for that capsized Italian cruise ship began today and are expected to take a year.
 ::snipping2::
Salvage operators plan to re-float and remove the ship from the rocks on the coast.

It is believed to be the most ambitious effort of its kind and is expected to cost $300 million.

The operation is a joint effort between U.S. and Italian companies.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 03, 2012, 04:31:57 PM
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/costa-concordia-sun-sea-sand-and-shipwreck-7811689.html
Costa Concordia: Sun, sea, sand... and shipwreck
The plan to remove the Costa Concordia is finally taking shape. But there's an unexpected snag: some of the locals have fallen for the new attraction
June 2, 2012





Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 08, 2012, 11:41:44 PM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/326231
Dutch film company making time-lapse movie of Costa Concordia
June 8, 2012

A Dutch movie company has begun filming the events taking place at the site of the sunken Italian liner, the Costa Concordia. The goal is to produce a time-lapse movie of the refloating and towing-away of the ill-fated cruise ship.
Bo de Visser of Prorama Films, has told Digital Journal in an email interview that he has twice gone to the ship, which went down off the shore of the island of Giglio on Jan. 13. The time-lapse filmmaker said the "main challenge lies within being able to contact the right people in Italy" while 1600km (1100 miles) away in the Netherlands. His first visit was to get permits and take care of electricity needs and other technical requirements, his second saw him begin the filming.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 08, 2012, 11:43:16 PM
http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-giglio-20120610,0,5945112.story
Life returning to normal on Giglio Island after Costa Concordia
Giglio, a tiny vacation island off the Tuscany coast, is dotted with charming villages, clean beaches, quiet accommodations and waterside trattorias.
June 10, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 11, 2012, 02:53:15 PM
http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/south-florida-travel/2012/06/11/report-environmental-training-connected-to-concordia-wreck-starts/
Report: Environmental training connected to Concordia wreck starts
June 11, 2012

Environmental emergency training connected to the Costa Concordia wreck is underway on the Tuscan island of Giglio, according to a recent tweet from @SjaakSeen.

According to @SjaackSeen’s  Twitter profile, he’s a United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) member and chief safety and operations fire department, safety region in the Rotterdam area of The Netherlands.
 ::snipping2::





Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 14, 2012, 08:29:44 AM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9329217/Costa-Concordia-rock-which-ripped-hole-in-liner-to-be-memorial.html
Costa Concordia rock which ripped hole in liner to be memorial
A massive chunk of rock which ripped a hole in the side of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, causing it to capsize six months ago, is to be removed and made into a permanent memorial to the victims of the disaster.
By Nick Squires, Rome
June 13, 2012

(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02247/costa_2247337b.jpg)
Sergio Ortelli, the mayor, said the plan had been agreed with Costa Cruises, the Genoa-based company that owns the Concordia Photo: AP
The 80-ton rock was wrenched off a reef when the luxury cruise liner veered too close to the island of Giglio, off the Tuscan coast, on the night of Jan 13.

The mayor of the island announced on Wednesday that it will be prized out of the Concordia's hull as part of the ongoing operation to recover the wreck.

It will then be installed as a monument to the 32 people of a dozen nationalities who died in the tragedy
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 15, 2012, 01:28:43 PM
http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/south-florida-travel/2012/06/15/work-on-costa-concordia-salvage-gets-underway/
Work on Costa Concordia salvage gets underway
June 15, 2012

 ::snipping2::
In an email Thursday Costa’s Head of Corporate Communications Cristiano De Musso provided this timeline of the project:

Now through July 31: On-going site inspections of the ship and its position

Aug.1-31:  Securing of the Costa Concordia wreck to ensure on-going safety and stability

Sept. 1-Nov. 15: Installation of caissons on left side of vessel and construction of submarine platforms

Dec. 1: Sensitive stage of salvage begins with rotation of wreck with the installation of boxes on its right side

Jan. 15:  Ship to be up-righted above waterline

Jan. 31: Ship delivered to an Italian port for processing according to regulations.

April 30:  Cleaning and replanting of marine flora expected to be completed
 ::snipping2::

Photo gallery:  Salvage Plans
Costa Concordia salvage titan pictures (26 images)
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-costa-concordia-salvage-titan-pictures-20120518,0,3836741.photogallery
( Titan-Micoperi, courtesy / May 18, 2012 )
Costa Concordia salvage



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 16, 2012, 11:50:12 AM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/326737
Costa Concordia salvage team brings in Microperi 61 platform
June 15,2012

A platform, the Microperi 61, has arrived on scene at the island of Giglio to help refloat the stricken Costa Concordia. The platform has arms to work undersea and set up scaffolding to build a foundation to keep the ship stable.
The platform is a rectangle and 40.5 meters by 28.65 meters. It has 4 'legs', each 47 meters by 1.8 meters in diameter, which can be extended down into the sea to a depth' of 32 meters. The goal is to block the ship from sliding downward and then attach a massive balloon to the side still above water, and pull it upright. They must also repair breaks in the hull that occurred when the Costa Concordia hit the rocks.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 18, 2012, 01:36:20 PM
http://maritimematters.com/2012/06/capturing-costa-concordia-by-mike-tattoli/
Capturing COSTA CONCORDIA by Mike Tattoli

Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 by Peter Knego
Globe-trotting ship enthusiast Mike Tattoli was in Italy this past week and took a side trip to Isola del Giglio where the wreck of COSTA CONCORDIA still lies, awaiting salvage.  Mike was kind enough to share his photos and and a brief recap with MaritimeMatters.
(Photos at Link)

Comments:
3 Responses to Capturing COSTA CONCORDIA by Mike Tattoli   

    Glenn L.

    June 18, 2012 at 4:03 am

    Thanks for sharing, great photos. It will really be something to see her refloated after being partially submerged after all this time. I’ve read that the rock was estimated to weigh 80 tons! I believe that the stabilizers were deployed after the strike as the volume of water rushing in made the ship unstable. The port anchor was also released when she came to rest.

    Bob Graham

    June 18, 2012 at 4:59 am

    Might the stabilizer have deployed automatically following the impact in response to the increasing list?

    I had expected to see salvage activity around the vessel.

    Altogether, a very depressing sight. The testimonial phase of the wreck investigation should make for a real media circus.

    Kenneth Eden

    June 18, 2012 at 5:05 am

    How utterly sad to see this magnificent ship wasting away and looking sadder with each passing hour.

    Mike has presented the best pictures of the ship to date, up close and personal, and superbly done, the best that I have seen.

    Nothing – not even these great photos – can truly convey the sadness that will live on forever, the losss of those passengers, whose lives were lost in such a short passage of time.

    Thanks Mike for sharing.

 ::MonkeyAngel::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 20, 2012, 01:20:17 PM
http://www.marinelink.com/news/concordia-salvage-costa345590.aspx
Costa Concordia Salvage to Take a Year
June 19, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 20, 2012, 01:22:07 PM
http://www.ecology.com/2012/06/19/costa-concordia-salvage-operation-begins/
Salvage of the Capsized Costa Concordia Gets Underway off Italy’s Tuscan Coast
By Bob Petz, June 19, 2012   


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 20, 2012, 01:23:55 PM
I think about the 2 persons still missing from the Costa Concordia often.  I hope their remains are recoverable and they can be found soon.   ::MonkeyAngel::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 21, 2012, 04:01:48 PM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2161954/Raising-Costa-Concordia-Italian-sunseekers-look-salvage-team-start-year-long-operation-refloat-tow-away-stricken-vessel.html
Raising the Costa Concordia: Italian sunseekers look on as salvage team start year-long operation to refloat and tow away stricken vessel
June 20, 2012

    Engineers move a salvage rig into place next to the luxury cruise liner off the Isola del Giglio, Italy
    Operation to refloat the 114,000-ton liner and tow her away will take one year to complete
    32 died when Costa Concordia sank in January, after hitting a submerged reef

(Photos of Salvage Rig at Link)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 24, 2012, 10:09:40 AM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/327218
Costa Concordia: Radar equipment, mast removed from deck of ship
June 23, 2012

 ::snipping2:: ... companies working on the Costa Concordia began removing items from the deck. ::snipping2::
Among other items, salvage workers this week removed much of the mast, the giant 'C' for the name of the ship, the slide for the swimming pool and parts of the radar equipment. The work, being done jointly by the American firm, Titan Salvage and the Italian firm, Micoperi, is necessary now so vessels needed to work close to that area of the boat can do so.
“The preliminary work has begun before the ship is stabilized, which will happen in the next few months,” Sergio Ortelli, mayor of Giglio, told media on Wednesday. The operation will see the ship refloated, towed away and then scrapped at an as yet undetermined port; it's expected to cost $300 million.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 27, 2012, 08:24:04 AM
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/263250/economy/companies/us-firm-sues-carnival-over-flawed-design-of-cruise-ship-concordia
US firm sues Carnival over 'flawed design' of cruise ship Concordia
June 27, 2012

ROME—A US law firm said Tuesday it is suing Carnival, the American owner of the cruise liner shipwrecked off Italy this year, for allegedly leading its designers to sacrifice safety for profits.
 
The Eaves law firm said it was suing for punitive damages in California over the design of the doomed luxury Costa Concordia and hoped that a win would see all similarly designed cruise ships declared unseaworthy.
 ::snipping2::
Eaves, who said he is part of a collective of lawyers representing around 150 claimants from the liner, said the ship's design was fatally flawed "because it was top-heavy and had a propensity to roll."
 ::snipping2::
The firm alleges Carnival "controlled or at least heavily influenced the design of the MV Costa Concordia to suit its commercial needs as opposed to best or even good marine practices."
 
It also brought legal proceedings against the architects, named simply as "John Does," for "designing the vessel to maximize passenger carrying capacity, but at the expense of seaworthiness, and passenger safety."
 
"The ship's shallow draught, the area below the waterline, made it unstable, so that it tilted quickly over and many lifeboats became useless," Eaves said.
 ::snipping2::
Eaves said the ship's designers had "followed outmoded standards" for a vessel that size, adding that he hoped a win on this case would force the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to bring in up-to-date rules.
 
"The problem at the moment is that the IMO's rules are just guidelines. There are no punitive consequences for those who flaunt the rules," he said.
 
The suit calls on the court to award plaintiffs "at least $10,000,000 and punitive damages" and Eaves said he expects a ruling within a year.
 
Should the court find the corporation guilty of using a dangerous design for the Concordia, the ruling may mean "a significant if not majority of the existing cruise fleet would be suspended," he said.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 27, 2012, 08:26:12 AM
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/article/215883/288/Lawyer-says-Concordia-had-faulty-design
Lawyer says Concordia had faulty design
June 26, 2012

ITALY (CBS) -- A lawsuit against the world's largest cruise operator Carnival Corp alleges the company profited from an unsafe ship design, lawyer John Arthur Eaves said on Tuesday (June 26).
 ::snipping2::
n a new lawsuit, Eaves claimed the design of the ship was at fault and had played a part in the slow and problematic evacuation of the vessel."We filed a claim against Carnival, and against the architects and designers for the propensity of Costa Concordia to roll and list and because of the maze-effect within the vessel," Eaves said.

Eaves is representing clients from several countries and has urged survivors and victims' relatives to sue the parent company in the United States rather than the subsidiary in Italy to increase compensation payments and help push through worldwide changes. Carnival is based in Miami.

The lawsuit, filed in California, seeks a minimum of $10 million U.S. dollars (USD) for two unnamed plaintiffs plus punitive damages.
More...

Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 28, 2012, 08:22:57 AM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/327490
Titan Salvage says Costa Concordia removed by early in New Year
June 27, 2012

The American marine salvage company that is working to refloat the Costa Concordia, says work is going well. Initial reports suggested the boat would be gone by the spring of 2013, but Titan Salvage said it will be earlier.
Titan, working with Micoperi of Italy, is refloating the boat and will then tow it away to an as yet undetermined port to be scrapped. Their timeline now says that the boat should be fully removed from the waters off the shore of the Italian island of Giglio early in the New Year. There will be further work at that time to clean debris from the ocean floor.
 ::snipping2::
A Dutch film company, Prorama, has a camera in place on the shore and is filming the entire salvage operation. Company director Bo de Visser, says they will create time-lapse movies of the boat's refloating and removal. They have a website, The Last Salute, where a live feed of the activities around the ship can be viewed during daylight hours.
 ::snipping2::

The Last Salute Website:  http://thelastsalute.eu/


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 29, 2012, 08:16:35 AM
http://www.maritimejournal.com/news101/cruise-industry-announces-new-safety-measures
New safety measures for cruise industry
June 27, 2012

In the wake of the Costa Concordia incident, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the European Cruise Council (ECC) has adopted two new safety policies - the latest in a series of recommendations that will be submitted to the IMO.

The policies relate to the recording of passenger nationality and common elements of musters and emergency instructions, resulting from the Cruise Industry Operational Safety Review launched in January 2012.

The Nationality of Passengers policy was developed in response to the request of governments at the May meeting of the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee meeting.

It details that the nationality of each passenger onboard should be recorded and made readily available to search and rescue personnel as appropriate. Under the Common Elements of Musters and Emergency Instructions policy, member cruise lines have specified twelve common elements that will be communicated to passengers in musters and emergency instructions - including a description of key safety systems and features and an explanation of emergency routing systems and recognising emergency exits. Both new policies exceed current international regulatory requirements.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 03, 2012, 09:23:12 PM
http://www.news24.com/World/News/Faulty-instruments-on-Costa-Concordia-20120703
'Faulty instruments' on Costa Concordia
July 3, 2012

Rome - The Italian cruise ship which crashed in January killing 32 people was sailing with its sealed doors open, unapproved maps and faulty instruments, a newspaper reported on Tuesday citing investigators.

Some of the technical apparatus on board the Costa Concordia had been broken since 9 January - four days before the tragedy on the Italian island of Giglio, Corriere della Sera said, citing leaked documents from the inquiry.

The report quoted a response from ship owner Costa Crociere saying that it was not aware the sealed doors were open, that the maps were the captain's responsibility and that the glitches did not stop the ship from sailing.

A court hearing is due on 21 July at which the full results of technical analysis will be revealed. Captain Francesco Schettino and eight others including three executives from Costa Crociere are under investigation.
 ::snipping2::
The black box was also reportedly out of action at the time of the impact, meaning investigators have to rely on a computer that was switched off at 23:36 and may never be able to piece together the exact events of that night.
More...



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 03, 2012, 09:24:31 PM
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/costa-concordia-fincantieri-awarded-contract-to-build-caissons
Costa Concordia: Fincantieri Awarded Contract to Build "Caissons"
July 3, 2012

The contract provides for the construction in different Fincantieri shipyards of 30 steel watertight boxes, which will be used to right and refloat the vessel.

As part of the salvage plan to remove the wreck of the Costa Concordia, to be carried out by the Italo-American Titan-Micoperi consortium appointed by Costa Crociere, Fincantieri has been awarded a contract worth tens of millions of euros for the building of the watertight boxes, known as caissons, to be used in the operation to refloat the ship.

A total of 30 steel caissons, with combined weight of approximately 11,500 tonnes, will be built in different Fincantieri shipyards.

The Costa Concordia salvage plan entails the use of these caissons in order to right and refloat the wreck so that it can be removed in one piece.

Once the ship has been stabilized, caissons will be fixed to the upper side of the hull and gradually filled with water as part of the operation to right the ship; righting will be performed using a system of “strand jacks” – a hydraulic mechanism for pulling cables – fixed to an undersea platform.  When the ship is upright, caissons full of water will also be fixed to the other side of the hull.  Then the caissons on both sides will be emptied to refloat the wreck; once floated, the wreck will be towed to an Italian port.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 03, 2012, 09:26:54 PM
http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/tv-and-radio/terry-wogan-breached-broadcasting-guidelines-with-costa-concordia-jokes-1-2389840
Terry Wogan breached broadcasting guidelines with Costa Concordia jokes
July 3, 2012

COMMENTS made by Terry Wogan, where he appeared to joke about the Costa Concordia tragedy on Radio 2, breached broadcasting guidelines, the BBC Trust has found.

Listeners complained the comments, nine days after the cruise ship ran aground in January, were “inappropriate and offensive”,

It was reported that at least 11 people had died at the time the comments were made and the search for survivors was still ongoing. The number of casualties later rose to 32.

Sir Terry made a joke after disco track Rock The Boat was played on his two-hour live Sunday morning show, Weekend Wogan.

As the song faded, he mused on whether it had been an appropriate song and joked about the ship’s captain and wanting to be the first in the lifeboat if the BBC went down.

“Frankly if I had my time over again, and given the boating tragedy in Italy, I mightn’t have picked that as an opening song,” he chuckled.

“Rock The Boat, argh, Captain Coward,” he added.

Later, after the news bulletin he said to the announcer: “I don’t know about you ... but I’ll be the last to leave the BBC.”

He added later: “Not sinking is it? Me first, never mind the women and children, I’m not even Italian.”
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 03, 2012, 09:37:38 PM
http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/03/costa-concordia-survivors-recall-disaster-for-cnn-documentary/
Costa Concordia survivors recall disaster for CNN documentary
July 3, 2012

CNN senior international correspondent Dan Rivers reports for a compelling new documentary investigation into what could have prevented the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster on January 13, 2012, that killed at least 32 passengers and crew members.    Rivers interviews passengers who lived to describe how they survived the disaster, and how they are coping with their experiences.
More...

CNN Presents: Cruise to Disaster debuts Wednesday, July 4 at 8:00pm and 10:00pm ET and PT on CNN/U.S.  It replays on Sunday, July 8 at 8:00pm and 11:00pm ET and PT on CNN/U.S.  It airs on CNN International on Saturday, July 7 at 9:00pm ET.

Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 05, 2012, 10:55:57 AM
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/costa-concordia-captain-released-from-house-arrest/article4391355/
Costa Concordia captain released from house arrest
July 5, 2012

The captain of the wrecked cruise liner Costa Concordia was released from house arrest by Italian judges on Thursday who ordered him not to leave his hometown while the case against him continues.
 ::snipping2::
Magistrates in the Tuscan town of Grosseto who are handling the case said Mr. Schettino would no longer have to remain confined to his home in Meta di Sorrento near Naples but would have to remain in the town.

He would also no longer be bound by the strict conditions of house arrest which prevented him from communicating with anyone apart from his lawyer and close family.

The judges’ ruling said that the period Mr. Schettino had spent under house arrest had already had a deterrent effect and he would remain under adequate supervision by authorities.

Mr. Schettino faces charges of multiple manslaughter, causing the accident and abandoning ship prematurely. A pre-trial hearing was held in Grosseto, near Florence, in March.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 05, 2012, 10:57:26 AM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/05/costa-concordia-disaster-tv_n_1651036.html
Costa Concordia Disaster Examined In New TV Special (VIDEO)
July 5, 2012

A television special airing this weekend will shed new light on January's Costa Concordia disaster in which 32 people were killed.

"Cruise to Disaster" is CNN's sweeping look at the crash, the circumstances that led to the accident and industry's reaction.

The special draws from nearly six months of investigative work and comes on the heels of reports that systemic problems aboard the ship -- rather than solely the alleged negligence of Capitan Francesco Schettino -- might have contributed to the catastrophe.
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 05, 2012, 10:58:29 AM
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/costa-concordia-disaster-update-faulty-black-box-discovered-captain-released-from-house-arrest
Costa Concordia Disaster: Faulty Black Box Discovered, Captain Released from House Arrest
July 5, 2012

Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 06, 2012, 12:02:01 AM
http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/1095-other/236341-sen-rockefeller-cruise-ships-are-too-large-to-be-safe-
Sen. Rockefeller in Costa Concordia documentary: Cruise ships too large to be safe
By Keith Laing
July 5, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) said in an interview with CNN for an upcoming documentary about the January crash of the Costa Concordia cruise ship in Italy that large ships are harder to evacuate in cases of emergency.

"The bigger they build those boats, the more likely people are not going to be able to escape when they have serious incident," Rockefeller says in a preview for CNN's special, titled "Cruise to Disaster."

Rockefeller is chairman of the Senate's Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Lawmakers in both chambers have called for reviews of the safety of U.S. cruise ships after the Costa Concordia accident, in which at least 30 people died when the ship ran into a reef off the coast of Isola del Giglio.  
 ::snipping2::
CNN will air the special on July 8 at 8 and 11 p.m.

( Video Preview of the special at Link)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 06, 2012, 12:04:32 AM
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/04/world/covering-costa-concordia/
Covering a cruise ship disaster
By Dan Rivers, CNN
July 5, 2012

Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: sharon on July 06, 2012, 11:06:38 AM
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/06/2884218/costa-concordia-captain-guided.html


Posted on Friday, 07.06.12

Costa Concordia captain guided by ‘divine hand’

After his release from house arrest Thursday, the captain of the capsized Costa Concordia defended his actions the night of the shipwreck.

By Gretchen Kelly and Bev Fearis

Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia ship which ran aground killing more than 30 people, claims a "divine hand" guided him during the disaster, preventing greater tragedy, reported Travel Mole, a British industry newsletter.

In a letter explaining his version of events, published in Italy’s La Corriere della Sera newspaper, he defended his actions after the ship struck rocks and capsized off the coast of Tuscany in January.

He was able to make the claims after being released from house arrest Thursday.

Schettino faces charges of manslaughter, shipwreck and abandonment of his vessel.

He has publicly denied all these charges, claiming the reef that tore into the Concordia was not on his navigational charts.

In the letter, Schettino said it was only when he saw "white foam" that he realised how close the ship was sailing to the rocks.

“ That was the sign that led me to give the order to steer starboard, by pure instinct. In that moment a divine hand no doubt rested upon my head. If I had continued on that path we would have hit the rocks with the bow. It would have been a catastrophe,’’ he said.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 09, 2012, 01:59:57 PM
Any money made from films, interviews, books etc., should go to the victims. Schettino should not  personally profit.  JMHO

http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/costa-concordia-captain-negotiating-%E2%82%AC50-000-deals_786049.html
Costa Concordia captain negotiating €50,000 deals
July 7, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Captain Francesco Schettino, who is suspected of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship ahead of his passengers, is negotiating two EUR 50,000 interviews, one with a TV channel and another with a news magazine.

Schettino's lawyer, Paul Bastianini, confirmed to La Stampa, that lucrative deals were currently being brokered on behalf of his client, The Independent reports.

“There are no signed agreements yet. We want to maximise the interests of Captain Schettino so that the two exclusives go out together in order that one doesn't devalue the other,” the paper quoted Bastianini, as saying.

The news follows unconfirmed rumours that a US publisher was looking into a book deal with Schettino.

Meanwhile, Carlo Rienzi, the president of the Codacons consumer group, which is leading a class action against Costa Cruises, the owners of the Concordia, said that they would try taking ‘every euro Schettino earns and give it to families of those who've lost loved ones’.



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 09, 2012, 09:39:51 PM
http://rockcenter.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/09/12645216-costa-concordia-survivors-fighting-over-shipwreck-settlement?lite
Costa Concordia survivors fighting over shipwreck settlement
July 9, 2012

 ::snipping2::
While the family of a plane crash victim is usually offered between $2 and $5 million, those who lost someone in the Costa Concordia incident have been offered $75,000, said Attorney John Eaves who represents more than 100 Costa Concordia survivors. Of the 4,000 passengers, 30 people died in the incident.

Citing pending litigation, Carnival declined Rock Center's request for an interview.

Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 09, 2012, 09:41:16 PM
http://www.sparpointgroup.com/News/Vol10No29-Laser-scanning-aboard-the-Costa-Concordia/
Laser scanning aboard the Costa Concordia
By Justin Toland

The Costa Concordia made headlines around the world when it ran aground in January after some ill-advised showboating by the ship's captain. What many people following the story of the luxury cruise liner's calamity did not know was the important role that 3D data capture played in the rescue efforts. This hidden "tale of an (extra)ordinary day of survey" was revealed by Marco Bacchiochi, Application Specialist - 3D Imaging Products, Codevintec, in a presentation he gave at the Optech Terrestrial Laser Scanning Users' Meeting in Nice last week.

Bacchiochi explained that Codevintec was called in by the Italian Fire Brigade, which managed the initial intervention, to provide know-how on a broad range of (terrestrial and seaborne) surveying methods that would be used to give a complete overview of the site of the incident. The emergency response team was particular keen to know exactly what the Costa Concordia was resting on, as there were fears it might move during the rescue operation.

In addition to a Reson multibeam echosounder and a PSS Orion position and altitude measurement system, Codevintec brought in its Optech ILRIS terrestrial lidar unit to collect data on the part of the ship visible above the waterline. The lidar and bathymetric data were processed using Reson PDS2000 software to produce a working 3D model of the scene of the shipwreck.

The survey instruments were installed on the Milan Fire Brigade's research vessel Nereide and, following some calibration and synchronisation checks, scanning began at 10:00 a.m. By 3 p.m., the results were being shown to the crisis team, illustrating the speed with which useful lidar data can be made available in an emergency response situation.

"It was really amazing," said Bacchiochi.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 10, 2012, 02:42:48 PM
http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=158610
Updated Lawsuit Filed By Costa Concordia Victims
July 10, 2012

New York, NY, July 10, 2012, for immediate release:  This week, victims of the doomed Costa Concordia Cruise Ship that capsized off the Italian coast in January filed a new Complaint against Miami headquartered Carnival Corp., the builder of the Costa Concordia, for product liability, against Carnival’s Miami-based architect for defective ship design and against Carnival for a pattern and practice of concealing and/or delaying notification of life threatening situations to passengers on board their cruise ships, amongst other causes of action. Another claim, alleging wrongful death on behalf of several other parties, is to be filed shortly.

The suit alleges that Carnival was aware that the ship’s hull design and power systems were defective. In February 2010 the hull of Carnival’s Costa Europa was punctured against a dock in Egypt creating a small hole, roughly 1/30th (6 feet) the size of the hole in the Costa Concordia’s hull, yet that ship flooded and listed severely at the cost of multiple lives.  To date, the company refuses to release the incident report relating to the Europa accident to the public.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 11, 2012, 04:12:53 PM
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/10/2890244/updated-lawsuit-in-costa-concordia.html
Updated lawsuit in Costa Concordia incident claims defective ship design
July 10, 2012

Carnival Corporation and its Costa Cruises unit face a new lawsuit in January’s deadly wreck of the Costa Concordia.

Lawyers filed a new claim recently in state court in Miami that alleges the ship had a defective design and the company had a practice of concealing or delaying notification of life threatening situations to passengers.
 ::snipping2::
According to a news release, plaintiffs in the lawsuit are seeking at least $2 million each in compensation and attorneys say they will demand another $590 million in punitive damages.

Two American law firms are handling the case: Napoli Bern Ripka Shkolnik & Associates, with offices in New York and Florida, and New York-based Proner & Proner. They are working with Italian firm CODACONS. They filed an earlier suit in January in Miami.
 ::snipping2::




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 11, 2012, 04:14:19 PM
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/07/10/costa-concordia-captain-says-sorry
Costa Concordia captain says sorry
July 10, 2012

ROME -- The captain of the wrecked cruise liner Costa Concordia apologized on Tuesday for the accident in which as many as 32 people died and said he had been distracted when the vast ship struck the rock which holed it.

In his first full television interview since the accident on January 13, Francesco Schettino acknowledged his responsibility as captain and said he thought constantly about the victims of the disaster.

“When there’s an accident, it’s not just the ship that’s identified or the company,” he told Italy’s Canale 5 television, speaking calmly but with a pronounced tic in one eye. “The captain is identified and so it’s normal that I should apologize as a representative of this system,” he said.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 11, 2012, 04:16:50 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9391021/Costa-Concordia-captain-says-crash-was-banal-accident.html
Costa Concordia captain says crash was 'banal accident'
July 11, 2012

Francesco Schettino said he was distracted by a phone conversation shortly before the cruise liner crashed into a reef off an Italian island and capsized, killing 32 people.
 ::snipping2::


Prosecutors have alleged that the Concordia cruised too close to the island in a publicity stunt, and shortly before it rammed the reef Schettino was on the phone with a retired sea captain on Giglio.

"I blame myself for being distracted," Schettino said when asked about the phone call.

Schettino on Tuesday appeared to want to lessen his role, insisting that another official, and not he, was at the helm of the ship at the moment it rammed the reef.
 

"At that moment, I went up to the bridge. I ordered the navigation to be manual, and I didn't have the command. The navigation was being directed by a (lower) official," Schettino said

"This is a banal accident in which destiny found space right in the interaction among human beings," Mr Schettino added, apparently referring to the various officials on the bridge involved in the manoeuvre.

He said that for a captain of a ship, "there is no measure of sorrow" for losing a vessel. However, he said "it's much less" painful than losing a child – a reference to a young Italian girl who was among the dead.

A court hearing later this month in Tuscany on evidence in the case, including information from the ship's "black box" data recorder, could shed light on what went wrong and on who or what is to blame, and likely will figure in a judge's decision on whether Schettino should be ordered to stand trial.

Schettino called the events in the accident "complex," saying "everyone has his own truth," about what happened.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 11, 2012, 04:18:49 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9392618/Costa-Concordia-captain-was-in-command-of-ship-when-it-crashed.html
Costa Concordia captain 'was in command of ship when it crashed'
The captain of the Costa Concordia admitted to his superiors "I f-----" up in the moments after the huge cruise liner slammed into a rocky shoal.  (http://The captain of the Costa Concordia admitted to his superiors "I f-----" up in the moments after the huge cruise liner slammed into a rocky shoal.)
By Nick Squires, Rome
3:50PM BST 11 Jul 2012

The audio recording undermines his attempts to pin the blame for the disaster on a junior officer.

Evidence gathered from the black box data recorder of the Costa Concordia appears to contradict his insistence that he was not in charge of the ship when it smashed into the rocky outcrop off the Tuscan island of Giglio.

In his first media interview since the disaster, Francesco Schettino insisted on Tuesday that he was not in command of the cruise ship when it careered into the reef on Jan 13, tearing a huge gash in its hull and leading to the deaths of 32 people, including a five year old girl.

He had dinner with friends, including an ex-dancer from Moldova, then went up onto the bridge, he said.

But he maintained that he did not immediately take charge, telling an Italian television channel that at the time of the collision the 1,000ft ship was being steered by another officer.
"I went up to the bridge. I ordered the navigation to be manual, and I didn't have the command. The navigation was being directed by another officer," Mr Schettino said.

But data recovered from the black box by forensic investigators showed that the captain disabled the automatic pilot and took control of the ship at 9.39pm that night – six minutes before the collision at 9.45pm.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 13, 2012, 10:30:04 PM
Six months later, the Costa Concordia still lies on her side, with 30 dead and two souls still missing.   ::MonkeyAngel::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 14, 2012, 02:18:30 PM
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/106060/costa-concordia-victims-remembered-6-months-on
Costa Concordia victims remembered, 6 months on
July 13, 2012

Residents of this Tuscan island and relatives of victims of the Costa Concordia disaster prayed and ships' horns sounded on Friday to mark the six months since the cruise liner ran aground, killing 32 people.
Church bells pealed in the port section of the island at 9:42 p.m. (1942 GMT), the time the 114,500-tonne vessel hit rocks on Jan. 13 after its captain Francesco Schettino brought it too close to shore.

 ::snipping2::

A huge chunk of rock which had been lodged in the ship's hull was cut and lifted out by crane on Friday and is due to be taken to the island, where part of it will become a memorial to the victims.
It had to be removed in order for the ship, which has lain on its side since the disaster, to be rotated upright before being towed away.
The salvage operation is expected to be completed by the end of the year.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 16, 2012, 09:44:29 PM
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/15/2897054/raising-the-costa-concordia-is.html
Raising the Costa Concordia is expected to be a delicate, difficult job
July 16, 2012

 ::snipping2::
For now, workers from Pompano Beach-based Titan Salvage and Italian marine firm Micoperi are performing inspections that will wrap up by the end of the month. Exterior portions of the ship have been cut off, and the rock stuck in the ship’s port side is also being removed.

Before attempting to move the ship, the companies will attach heavy cables that are connected to poles in order to keep it from sliding, according to a plan that was released publicly in May.

Once the ship is stabilized, an undersea platform will be built and anchored to the sea floor. Watertight boxes that, like the platform and holdback system will be specially made for the operation, will be attached to the side of the Concordia that is out of the water. The installation of those platforms and boxes, called caissons, is scheduled to be finished by Nov. 15.

On December 1, one of the most sensitive steps of the process is scheduled to start. Two cranes that are fixed to the undersea platform will pull the ship to an upright position in one piece. The boxes on the ship’s side will be filled with water to help it roll.

Once the ship is up, a set of caissons will be attached to the other side as well. Both will be emptied of water and filled with air to help the vessel float again — which is expected to happen by Jan. 15.

If all goes as planned, Concordia will be delivered to an Italian port by Jan. 31. The ship has been declared a constructive total loss, which means the cost of repairing the Concordia would be greater than its value.

Once the ship is gone, the sea floor will be cleaned and flora will be replanted. Work should be fully finished by April 30.

Between 30-200 people will be working on the project at any given time, depending on the phase, Vercellone said.
More...



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 20, 2012, 02:38:35 PM
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2012-07-19/business/fl-costa-concordia-broward-lawsuit-20120719_1_concordia-passengers-concordia-survivors-costa-concordia
Concordia survivors file lawsuit in Lauderdale
Warrick siblings each seeking $75,000-plus in damages

July 19, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 22, 2012, 04:03:29 AM
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-21/costa-concordia-black-box-to-be-revealed-in-court/4145998
Costa Concordia black box to be revealed in court
Updated July 22, 2012 07:02:33


Findings from the black box of the Costa Concordia cruise ship will be revealed on October 15, an Italian judge said Saturday at a hearing where the data was due to have been presented.

Lawyers representing survivors were at the technical hearing in Grosseto in central Italy where investigative judge Valeria Montesarchio said there had been delays in analysing all the data from the instruments on the ship.
 ::snipping2::
Nine people are being investigated including three executives from owner Costa Crociere, Europe's biggest cruise operator, and captain Francesco Schettino, who is also suspected of abandoning the ship before the evacuation was completed.

Investigators are probing why the ship was sailing so close to the island at high speed in a "salute" manoeuvre and why the evacuation was delayed for more than an hour after the crash when the giant ship was already tilting badly.

No trial is expected until the beginning of next year at the earliest.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 22, 2012, 04:06:13 AM
http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=4924
Costa Concordia: Black Box Findings Delayed Until October
July 21, 2012

(2:30 p.m. BST) -- The black box recordings of the Costa Concordia will not be revealed until mid-October, an Italian judge said at a hearing today where the data was due to be made public.

Delays in analysing all the data from the ship's instruments mean the pre-trial hearing -- which was opened and adjourned today -- will have to be put back until October 15, Judge Valeria Montesarchio confirmed at a courthouse in Grosseto, central Italy
 ::snipping2::

Earlier this month, an Italian newspaper published leaked reports claiming the black box recorder was faulty. Watertight doors designed to prevent flooding were left open, the ship had faulty instruments and was using unapproved maps were also cited in the report published by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

One e-mail quoted Costa's technical director Pierfrancesco Ferro telling a repair firm: "The VDR (Voyage Data Recorder) has broken down for the umpteenth time... The situation is becoming unbearable."

Costa Cruises admitted there was report of a fault with the VDR but that it was working on the night that the ship hit a rocky reef and sank off the island of Giglio.

No trial is expected until the beginning of next year at the earliest.
 ::snipping2::
In a separate development, an Italian newspaper has reported the cruise line has reached a “six-figure” settlement with the family of the youngest victim Dayana Arlotti, 5 years old, who died with her father, Williams Arlotti.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 07, 2012, 04:45:10 PM
http://blogs.wsj.com/emergingeurope/2012/08/07/law-firm-seeks-400-million-compensation-for-hungarians-death-in-costa-concordia-accident/
Law Firm Seeks $400 Million Compensation for Hungarian’s Death in Costa Concordia Accident
August 7, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 10, 2012, 02:09:50 PM
http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/19245646/boom-in-day-trippers-at-site-of-costa-concordia-wreck
Boom in day-trippers at site of Costa Concordia wreck
August 10, 2012

Tourists visiting the former fishing port of Santo Stefano on Italy's sun-drenched Tuscan coast are being offered a new experience, albeit a slightly macabre one.

For as little as 10 euros ($12), visitors can take a day trip to see the ghostly white wreck of the 114,500-tonne luxury cruise liner Costa Concordia, lying on its side after running aground off Giglio Island on January 13, killing 32 people.

Ticket touts in Santo Stefano, about 15 kilometres (10 miles) east of tiny Giglio, yell out prices as eager day-trippers in shorts and flip-flops wait to board numerous boats heading for the huge shipwreck.
 ::snipping2::
Giglio's mayor, Sergio Ortelli, who helped provide emergency assistance to the thousands of shocked passengers coming ashore in the hours after the wreck, said the disaster had sparked a day-tripper boom.

"There has been a rise in the number of tourists coming for the day, with curious people taking photos of the giant sprawled on the rocks," he said, adding that Giglio has become in some sense "a sort of museum."

But Ortelli, who also runs a holiday-home and scooter rental agency, said the new day-trip tragedy tourism was doing the picturesque island little good.

"We prefer tourism that's based on the sea and the environment," he said, adding that hotel and holiday let reservations had been hard hit.

The island's environment councillor, Alessandro Centurioni, said he hoped the wreck would be removed as soon as possible.

"The Concordia has become part of our landscape, but it has also spoiled it. Every time I see it, I feel the pain and sadness once more," he said.

If all goes to plan, and weather conditions remain good, the wreck should be stabilised, refloated and removed by spring next year, Ortelli said.
 ::snipping2::
Investigators are probing why the ship was sailing so close to the island at high speed, and why the evacuation was delayed for more than an hour after the crash when the vessel was already listing badly.

No trial is expected until the beginning of next year at the earliest.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 13, 2012, 07:20:08 PM
http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/story/2012-08-13/Costa-Concordia-salvage-may-be-delayed-until-spring/57033624/1
Costa Concordia salvage may be delayed until spring
August 13, 2012

ROME – Officials say the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship will not be moved from its resting place off Italy's Tuscan coast as quickly as planned.
Giglio island Mayor Sergio Ortelli told reporters Monday that the timetable for removal of the liner, now lying on its side off the island's port, has been pushed back.

The Italian government office overseeing removal said in a statement that the Concordia should be set upright and able to float again by the end of spring 2013, ahead of Giglio's next tourist season.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Cordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 16, 2012, 07:05:00 PM
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/16/2955041/costa-concordia-removal-delayed.html
Costa Concordia removal delayed
August 16, 2012

 Removal of the Costa Concordia shipwreck, originally scheduled for completion by January of 2013, will be delayed until spring.

The consortium hired to refloat and remove the wreck from the waters off the coast of Italy told the Osservatorio, the entity supervising the operations, about the new timeline this week.
 ::snipping2::

The Italian cruise operator, owned by Carnival Corp., said the timeline also allows time for subcontractors to deliver all the parts needed for the complicated job.

Costa said the plans are being constantly updated, including revisions needed to the installation of underwater supports and drilling techniques.
 ::snipping2::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 18, 2012, 09:30:32 AM
http://ohsonline.com/articles/2012/08/15/italian-agency-receives-costa-concordia-removal-plan.aspx?admgarea=news
Italian Agency Receives Costa Concordia Removal Plan
Titan Salvage and Micoperi, the two companies hired to remove the cruise ship, presented their engineering plan to the agency supervising the removal.

April 15, 2012

The Costa Concordia, a giant cruise ship grounded on an Italian island since Jan. 13, may finally be moving again. The two companies hired to remove the ship, the U.S. company Titan Salvage and the Italian company Micoperi, announced they presented their engineering and design plan Aug. 13 to Osservatorio and the Italian Civil Protection Department.

Osservatorio is the "entity responsible for supervising and monitoring the Costa Concordia’s wreck removal operations," according to Titan's Aug. 14 news release.
 ::snipping2::
The removal plan has a new timeline, with refloating of the wreck to be completed by spring 2013. "The time schedule is dependent in part upon subcontractor deliverables and schedules, and will preserve the upcoming summer season," the release stated.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 06, 2012, 02:58:39 PM
The Costa Concordia possibly still has the remains of two of the missing.  It should be considered a grave until the bodies are recovered imo.  The bodies could possibly be on the seabed also, but until the bodies are found, folks should be mindful of the two missing. 

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/332231
Costa Concordia contest unsanctioned by Giglio Island or company
September 5, 2012

A contest from an architectural research group at Italy's Università degli Studi di Catania seeks creative things to do with the partially submerged Costa Concordia. However, the island the ship sits 300 meters from won't be listening to the winner
The Italian news agency, ANSA, upon hearing of the contest to find the best idea of what to do with the ship, contacted the mayor of Giglio and discovered the research group is conducting the contest on its own and results won't be implemented. "Giglio Island has no need for any ideas contest on the future of its landscape," Mayor Sergio Ortelli told ANSA.
ICSplat is a research 'platform' at the Università degli Studi di Catania (Univ. of Catania) in Sicily - one of the world's oldest universities - that focuses on landscape and new forms of architecture. The deadline for submission is Sept. 25. The website for ICSplat says that the competition "has the aim of stimulating new future visions for the Giglio Island and the shipwreck, which will become as part of the same landscape and with the same identity."
 ::snipping2::




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 06, 2012, 03:00:12 PM
http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/11717/Costa-Concordia-anchoring-marks-first-phase-of-ship-recovery.html
Costa Concordia anchoring marks first phase of ship recovery
September 6, 2012

(ANSA) - Grossetto, September 6 - Preliminary work to remove the doomed Costa Concordia cruise liner from Giglio Island began Thursday. Workers are attempting to anchor the wreck with cables so that it can be carefully turned upright and then re-floated away from the island. It is expected that this first phase of anchoring the wreck will be completed by Sept. 19.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 06, 2012, 03:01:41 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9525715/Costa-Concordia-captain-Madonna-what-have-I-done.html
Costa Concordia captain: 'Madonna, what have I done?'
The captain of the Costa Concordia told passengers that the giant cruise ship was simply suffering a power cut despite suspecting that it was rapidly sinking after it smashed into a reef off the Italian island of Giglio in January.

September 6, 2012

n fresh evidence that emerged on Thursday, recorded conversations from the bridge of the cruise liner show that Capt Francesco Schettino feared that the ship was "going down".

"Madonna, what have I done?" he was recorded as saying just seconds after the huge ship rammed into the reef at 9.45pm.

In a frantic call to the officer in command of the ship's engine room, he asked: "So are we really going down?"

But three minutes later, at 9.54pm, he told an officer on the bridge not to tell passengers of the true extent of the disaster. "Say that there has been a blackout," he ordered.

Eight minutes later he allegedly made a similarly false assurance to the Italian Coast Guard. "We've had a blackout, we're just evaluating ... at most we're going to need a tug boat."
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 14, 2012, 09:11:11 PM
http://www.toledoblade.com/World/2012/09/13/Italian-experts-fault-captain-crew-owner-for-grounding-of-Costa-Concordia.html
Italian experts fault captain, crew, owner for grounding of Costa Concordia
September 13, 2012

ROME — Court-appointed experts have pointed the finger of blame primarily at the captain of a cruise ship that ran aground off Italy, but also faulted the crew and ship owner for a series of blunders, delays and security breaches that contributed to the disaster and the deaths of 32 people.

The Costa Concordia ran aground and capsized Jan. 13 off the Tuscan island of Giglio after Capt. Francesco Schettino took it off course in a stunt. He is accused of causing the shipwreck, manslaughter and abandoning the ship before all passengers were evacuated.

Eight other people are also under investigation, and the court in Grosseto ordered the expert investigation to help it determine which if any should be put on trial. A hearing is scheduled for next month.

In a 270-page analysis, the experts said a series of problems hobbled the response to Schettino's maneuver and contributed to the botched evacuation: crew members bungled directions, didn't understand orders and weren't trained or certified in security and emergency drills.

And they said ship owner Costa Crociere delayed alerting coastal authorities about the emergency — a charge Costa denied Thursday.

In a statement, Costa said by law it was Schettino who was supposed to have alerted authorities about the accident, and that the captain assured the Costa crew on land that he had done so. And regardless, Costa said, Schettino's reports to Costa's headquarters were so delayed, partial and confused that the company couldn't discern how serious the emergency was.

And Costa firmly rejected the experts' claims that the crew was unprepared for emergencies, saying the "alleged defects in the certifications of some of the crew" didn't affect the evacuation.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 14, 2012, 09:13:23 PM
http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=4990
After Concordia: Court Experts Broaden Blame for Disaster to Crew, Cruise Line
September 14, 2012

(4:40 p.m. EDT) – Court-appointed experts say that the captain of the Costa Concordia is almost entirely to blame for the January disaster that left 32 people dead. But they also found significant fault with Costa Crociere and the ship's crew.

The experts, ordered by an Italian court to help determine who else beyond the captain should be held accountable for the tragic event, accused the cruise line and ship's crew for "blunders, delays and security breaches that contributed to the disaster," the New York Times reported.

According to ABC News, the findings of the four experts were released in a 270-page analysis, in which the accident is described in second-by-second detail. In the report, Costa Crociere is accused of delaying the emergency alert sent to coastal authorities, while crewmembers are said to have bungled directions and not understood orders. Moreover, experts also contend some crew were not adequately trained or certified in security and emergency drills.

Costa Crociere, meanwhile released its own statement, refuting several of the experts' findings.

The cruise line says that all the blame lies with the captain and that it did not delay emergency alerts. Instead, the cruise line contends it is the legal responsibility of the ship's captain to alert all authorities and that Costa officials were told by Captain Schettino that he had done so.

The line further proclaims its ignorance of the severity of the situation, saying "It is also clear from the records that the communication made by the Master to the crisis department were on the whole not timely, partial and confused, not allowing it to scale a clear perception of the seriousness of what was actually happening."

The line also refuted the claim that ship's crew were not adequately trained, stating the "defects in certifications of some of the crew" were not key to emergency management.  ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 17, 2012, 09:31:37 AM
http://old.post-gazette.com/pg/12261/1261849-499.stm
Lawsuits target Carnival in Italy cruise ship crash
September 17, 2012

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Despite legal obstacles that might force them to sue in Italy, hundreds of Costa Concordia passengers and up to 1,000 businesses on the island where the capsized cruise ship ran aground are pressing ahead with U.S. lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in damages from Miami-based Carnival Corp.

The lawsuits filed in both federal and state courts contend that Carnival is the corporate parent of the Costa brand, which operated the vessel, and is ultimately responsible for any safety violations, negligence or recklessness that may have led to the Jan. 13 accident that claimed 32 lives. Investigators say the ship rammed a reef while passing too close to Giglio Island, off Italy's Tuscan coast.
More...






Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 20, 2012, 09:57:21 AM
Kind of a mock up thing I suppose.  But what you won't see is the water, the tons of rotting food, how dark it is inside and of course, there are still two people missing.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://gothamist.com/2012/09/19/step_inside_the_sinking_concordia_c.php#photo-1
Step Aboard The Sinking Concordia Cruise Ship, Now Listing In Chelsea


Thomas Hirschhorn "Concordia, Concordia," 2012 Gladstone Gallery, New York September 14 – October 20, 2012
Photo gallery at link.

The abandoned remnants of the Costa Concordia cruise ship are still listing on its side off the coast of Italy, and officials say it may take a year to remove it. Despite the horrible consequences of the wreck, in which 32 people were killed (but not the captain—he saved his own ass), there is a certain tragic grandeur to the sight of the ship stranded in shallow waters near the Island of Giglio. But you don't have to fly all the way to Tuscany to contemplate this sinking metaphor for yourself—artist Thomas Hirschhorn has recreated part of it right here in NYC.

Hirschhorn, whose sprawling cardboard cave installation Cavemanman was one of the most memorable gallery shows in Chelsea's history, has installed a giant banquet hall inside Chelsea's Gladstone Gallery, tipped halfway over on its side. The large-scale show, which is open to the public through October 20th, is inspired by photos Hirschhorn saw showing the inside of the ship. The artist explains:   (see more of article at above link)



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 21, 2012, 10:01:07 AM
http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2012/09/cruise-ship-lifeboat-policy/70000796/1
Cruise industry pledges more lifeboat training for crew
September 20, 2012

Cruise ships around the world will hold a drill with a fully loaded lifeboat at least once every six months as part of a new safety policy announced today by groups representing the industry.

The new Life Boat Loading for Training Purposes policy, announced jointly by the Cruise Lines International Association and European Cruise Council, will apply to all ocean-going vessels operated by member lines such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess and Holland America. Nearly every major cruise line in the world is a member of one or both groups.

Only crew members who have been assigned a role in operating or loading of lifeboats will be required to attend the drills. The training will involve lowering a lifeboat into the water, filling it to capacity with crew members and then maneuvering it in the water to familiarize the crew to lifeboat operations. The crew will not practice lowering a fully loaded lifeboat.

"Under this policy, only the crew that is essential for operating the lifeboat will be onboard when it is lowered," Cruise Lines International Association spokesperson David Peikin tells USA TODAY. "The additional crew members will be loaded once it is in the water, which is a more appropriate way to conduct the training called for under this policy."

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: sharon on September 22, 2012, 08:27:09 AM
http://www.seatrade-insider.com/News/News-Headlines/Strang-outlines-goal-of-positioning-Costa-with-safety-at-its-center.html

20 September 2012
Strang outlines goal of positioning Costa with safety at its center

The appointment of Tom Strang as svp maritime development and compliance at Costa Crociere, reported earlier here, marks not just another significant step in the transformation of the Genoa-based cruise line following the Costa Concordia disaster but a statement of intent from the new management on safety and environmental compliance.

Strang, who filled a similar role at Carnival Corp. & plc, has long experience on the passenger safety side and is chairman of the European Cruise Council’s environment, safety and security subcommittee. In an interview with Seatrade Insider, he described his new posting as an opportunity to participate in the rebuilding of the famous old cruise brand.

‘With the structure we are building at the moment, we are moving the company on, to bring it back to a position of pre-eminence with safety at its center,’ he said. ‘That’s what it’s all about.’

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: sharon on September 22, 2012, 08:30:56 AM
Probably should have posted this one first :-)

http://www.seatrade-insider.com/News/News-Headlines/Carnival-s-Strang-moves-to-lead-Costa-maritime-compliance.html

18 September 2012

Carnival's Strang moves to lead Costa maritime compliance


Costa Crociere has added a health, safety and environmental heavyweight to its executive team with the appointment of Tom Strang to the post of svp maritime development and compliance.

Strang was previously vp for maritime policy and compliance at Carnival Corp. & plc, and is already in place in Genoa.

The appointment is significant in part as another major step in an ongoing transformation of Costa’s management team, most notably via the appointment of former AIDA president Michael Thamm as chief executive, replacing Pier Luigi Foschi.

But the addition of Strang will also add credibility in an area where the company has been under intense scrutiny following the Concordia disaster.

 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 29, 2012, 10:49:22 PM
Interesting.  In one article the crew is given more blame, and in another they win an award. 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=4990
After Concordia: Court Experts Broaden Blame for Disaster to Crew, Cruise Line
September 14, 2012

(4:40 p.m. EDT) – Court-appointed experts say that the captain of the Costa Concordia is almost entirely to blame for the January disaster that left 32 people dead. But they also found significant fault with Costa Crociere and the ship's crew.

The experts, ordered by an Italian court to help determine who else beyond the captain should be held accountable for the tragic event, accused the cruise line and ship's crew for "blunders, delays and security breaches that contributed to the disaster," the New York Times reported.

According to ABC News, the findings of the four experts were released in a 270-page analysis, in which the accident is described in second-by-second detail. In the report, Costa Crociere is accused of delaying the emergency alert sent to coastal authorities, while crewmembers are said to have bungled directions and not understood orders. Moreover, experts also contend some crew were not adequately trained or certified in security and emergency drills.

Costa Crociere, meanwhile released its own statement, refuting several of the experts' findings.

The cruise line says that all the blame lies with the captain and that it did not delay emergency alerts. Instead, the cruise line contends it is the legal responsibility of the ship's captain to alert all authorities and that Costa officials were told by Captain Schettino that he had done so.

The line further proclaims its ignorance of the severity of the situation, saying "It is also clear from the records that the communication made by the Master to the crisis department were on the whole not timely, partial and confused, not allowing it to scale a clear perception of the seriousness of what was actually happening."

The line also refuted the claim that ship's crew were not adequately trained, stating the "defects in certifications of some of the crew" were not key to emergency management. 




http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9571959/Costa-Concordia-crew-win-award-for-being-Seafarers-of-the-year.html
Costa Concordia crew win award for being "Seafarers of the year"
It was one of the biggest maritime disasters for decades, marked by scenes of panic and chaos, but that has not stopped the crew of the Costa Concordia from being nominated "Seafarers of the Year".
September 27, 2012

 In a decision that may raise eyebrows among traumatised survivors of the tragedy, the crew of the luxury vessel received glowing praise from a panel of 10 international shipping experts at the Lloyd's List Global Awards in London.

The award was presented to a group of crew members from the giant ship, which smashed onto rocks off the Italian island of Giglio on Jan 13 after its captain, Francesco Schettino, apparently misjudged a sail-past of the island.

Italian maritime experts who have carried out an exhaustive investigation of the accident, in which 32 people lost their lives, found that some of the crew were not properly drilled in evacuation procedures and could not even understand basic Italian.

According to evidence that was leaked to the Italian press this month, staff of many different nationalities struggled to communicate with each other before and after the Concordia slammed into a rocky shoal off Giglio.

While some passengers praised crew members as acting bravely, others said there was a lack of co-ordination as the chaotic evacuation got under way.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 29, 2012, 10:52:05 PM
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-concordia-lawsuit-dismissed-20120928,0,7605812.story
Lauderdale judge dismisses Concordia lawsuit
Italy is deemed more appropriate venue, not the U.S.

September 29, 2012

A Fort Lauderdale judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by several Italian businesses against Carnival Corp. and its subsidiary Costa Cruises seeking damages for financial losses suffered due to the Costa Concordia capsizing.

Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenbaum, citing a Forum Non Conveniens doctrine, approved Carnival's motion to dismiss the class action suit, noting it was more appropriate to be filed in Italy, not the United States.

The 'forum' doctrine allows courts to dismiss a case when another court or forum is more suited to hear it, according the Legal Information Institute at Cornell University Law School.

The decision could set a precedent for several other Concordia lawsuits that have been filed in the U.S. by survivors and families of the 32 people who died in the tragedy blamed on captain error.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 01, 2012, 08:45:18 AM
I agree Mr. Petar Petrov is to be commended for his valiant efforts to save passengers and for staying aboard ship until the Coast Guard took over.     

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=143684
EP Awards Bulgarian Costa Concordia Hero
October 1, 2012

Bulgarian cruise ship technician Petar Petrov, who saved hundreds of people aboard Costa Concordia cruise liner, will be awarded Monday the European Citizen of the European Parliament Prize.

Petrov will receive the award by Bulgaria's EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva, who will be the official guest of the event, held in the building of the Parliament in downtown Sofia.

The EP prize is awarded annually as an honorary medal.

All 37 holders of the award will meet on November 7-8 in Brussels and will be accepted by the President of the EP, Martin Schultz.

Petrov was a member of the crew of the Costa Concordia cruise liner, which capsized off the coast of Tuscany in Italy. He saved the lives of over 500 people.
 ::snipping2::
Risking his own life, the Bulgarian technician did six runs with a lifeboat which holds 150 people. He was one of the last three crew members that did not leave the ship until the coastguard officials told them they took control over the operation.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 03, 2012, 06:53:15 PM
http://www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk/Firm-help-salvage-Costa-Concordia-wreck/story-17025238-detail/story.html
Firm will help salvage Costa Concordia wreck
October 3, 2012

A BEVERLEY company is part of team tasked with salvaging the Costa Concordia after securing the biggest contracts in its history.

Dalby Offshore Limited has been awarded a multi-million contract to help salvage and raise the ill-fated vessel from the Island of Giglio, north of Rome in Italy.
 ::snipping2::

The key focus for the Beverley-based company will be the ASV Pioneer – a large accommodation barge that is being operated and managed by Dalby on behalf of Aberdeen-based Ferguson Modular.

Dalby has previously used this vessel for offshore workers in the renewables sector, namely those involved with the Greater Gabbard wind farm – one of the largest in the world.

Mr McNiven said: "We had originally set it up as a cable laying barge, for lying cable from the Gabbard wind farm. This in itself was a significant piece of work as the cable stretched for 53km.

"Because the Costa Concordia is on the Italian coast, we will be providing all the supply chain, so we have other vessels there bringing in cement from the mainland.

"We also have the large vessel, which is doing all of the operations around the Costa Concordia."

The Pioneer vessel will have an onboard grout-manufacturing plant and will produce and carry 30,000 tonnes of grout. This will be placed under the Costa Concordia to stabilise it and Dalby will work with UK-based partners Found Ocean Ltd to stabilise the hull and prepare the seabed for lifting the entire ship upright.

"This is a feat never tried before in marine salvage," said Mr McNiven.

Mr McNiven said the first phase of the operation will include the construction of a sub-sea platform followed by welding caissons to the exposed side of the ship, which will be filled with water.

After this, two cranes will be installed on the sub-sea platform to pull the vessel upright. The caissons will then be emptied, creating 60,000 tonnes of buoyancy and enabling the vessel to be towed off.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 11, 2012, 08:49:59 AM
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/bold-move-of-the-day-costa-concordia-captain-sues-over-his-firing
Bold Move of the Day - Costa Concordia Captain Sues Over His Firing
October 10, 2012

Costa Crociere fired Captain Francesco Schettino back in July of this year following the infamous Costa Concordia tragedy in which the cruise ship under Schettino’s command ran aground off Giglio Island, killing 32 passengers.
The company confirmed that it established punitive actions against the captain, resulting in his dismissal.
In turn, Schettino – who abandoned his sinking ship – is now suing the company for “unfair dismissal”.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 12, 2012, 09:28:39 AM
http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/story/2012-10-11/costa-concordia/
Costa Concordia captain demands job back
October 11, 2012

 ::snipping2::
The captain of the Costa Concordia - which capsized with the loss of 32 lives - has started legal action to get his job back.

Francesco Schettino says he is also owed back pay. It was in January this year that the luxury liner ran aground off Italy's Tuscany coast.
 ::snipping2::
In his legal action, Captain Schettino claims his action helped save lives by heading for shore rather than open water.
 ::snipping2::
At the time, it was reported that he'd abandoned ship before all passengers and crew had got off. He is said to have claimed that he accidentally "tripped" into a lifeboat, but then supervised the evacuation from dry land.

The Captain is expected in Tuscany on Monday for a court hearing at which he is expected to be sent for trial. He could be charged with abandoning ship and multiple counts of manslaughter.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 12, 2012, 09:32:54 AM
http://www.theweek.co.uk/world-news/costa-concordia/49524/traumatised-survivors-ready-sue-costa-captain-faces-judges
Traumatised survivors ready to sue as Costa captain faces judges
October 12, 2012

 ::snipping2::
The survivors are scattered across the world, all with a common painful experience, but each carrying their own unique post-traumatic burdens and pursuing different paths to justice.

Some have taken the E11,000 payout in exchange for promising not to sue. Some have joined expensive class-action lawsuits in the US in exchange for a hefty cut of winnings promised by the American attorneys representing them. In France, many have joined forces to bargain collectively.  

The Italian criminal inquest into the Costa Concordia shipwreck finally opens in Grosseto – the closest town to the scene of the accident - on Monday 15 October.  

The Grosseto judges will hear evidence from a dry but damning 270-page technical report compiled by two Navy admirals and two engineers. It details the maddening series of errors by crew, captain and the cruise company Costa Crociere that doomed the mega cruise ship.

Among the nine people facing charges ranging from manslaughter to abandoning ship is the captain, Francesco Schettino. Given the stories of the mistress – a Moldovan dancer called Domnica Cemortan – and the accusation that he purposefully took the ship too close to land for a sail-by 'salute', his presence alone guarantees a heavy media presence.

But while all eyes are on Italy, a parallel investigation ordered by France's justice ministry could end up in a French courtroom within months.
 ::snipping2::
The Costa Concordia was carrying passengers from all over the world when it sank but the highest percentage were Italians (989), Germans (569) and French (462), and these same countries had the highest numbers of victims. The 32 who lost their lives included 12 Germans, seven Italians and six French.



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 14, 2012, 04:47:47 PM
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/14/us-concordia-hearing-schettino-idUSBRE89D08O20121014
Captain of capsized ship to attend Italian hearing for first time
October 14, 2012

(Reuters) - The captain of the stricken Costa Concordia cruise ship will attend pre-trial hearings this week where experts will present analysis of the events that led to the vessel hitting a rock off the Italian coast in January and the death of 30 people.
 ::snipping2::
At least three days of hearings, which consider evidence before a full trial, will be held this week in a theatre in the city of Grosseto, where captain Francesco Schettino faces charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship.

Eight other officers and executives of Costa Cruises, the ship's owner, also are being investigated for their roles in the accident involving the 114,500-tonne ship.

Schettino has publicly pledged to attend the hearings, which will include the presentation of data taken from the ship's "black box" and an analysis of the accident by a panel of experts.

"It's my right to participate," Schettino said last week. He said he wants to make sure the consultants hired by his defense interpret the "black box" data correctly.
 ::snipping2::Schettino did not attend the first hearings, which were held in March. The court then delayed the hearings by seven months till this week to give experts time to collect and analyze the evidence.

Schettino, who has been held up to ridicule in Italy and abroad since the January 13 disaster, said earlier this week he was disputing his dismissal from Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival Corp.

The angry order to "Get back on board, damn it!" delivered by a coast guard officer to Schettino over the telephone after he had abandoned his ship was printed on T-shirts in Italy.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 15, 2012, 11:54:10 AM
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2012/1015/Costa-Concordia-pre-trial-starts-Will-captain-use-I-tripped-defense
Costa Concordia pre-trial starts: Will captain use 'I tripped' defense?
Capt. Francesco Schettino is expected to be charged with abandoning ship when the cruiseliner ran aground in January. He said at the time he tripped into the lifeboat.
October 15, 2012

 ::snipping2::
At this week’s pre-trial hearing, a court in the Tuscan town of Grosseto, where the investigation is taking place, will debate evidence taken from the ship’s "black box" data recorder, which sheds light on how the disaster unfolded. An investigating judge will then decide whether to charge Captain Schettino with abandoning ship – contravening the laws of the sea – and multiple counts of manslaughter.
 ::snipping2::Schettino, who became a figure of ridicule and disdain for many Italians in the wake of the tragedy, faces serious accusations of negligence and abdication of duty.

He is accused of steering the giant cruise ship far too close to Giglio in order to perform a “salute” to a retired ship’s captain and as a favor to a member of the crew whose family came from the island.

When the cruise liner smashed into a rocky shoal, ripping a huge gash in its hull, the captain allegedly downplayed the severity of the incident, both to his superiors in Costa Cruises, the Genoa-based owner of the ship, and to the 3,200 passengers.

He allegedly procrastinated over the decision to abandon ship, costing more than an hour of valuable time, and then jumped into a lifeboat while terrified holidaymakers were still on board.

Recorded conversations between the Italian Coast Guard and Schettino show him refusing an express order to get back on the boat and coordinate the evacuation.

In the face of the accusations, the captain has mounted a spirited defense. He has claimed he was put under enormous pressure by Costa Cruises to perform the sail-by in order to impress passengers. He also said the rocky reef into which the ship crashed was not marked on his nautical charts and that his engineers and officers did not alert him to the true extent of the catastrophe.
More...

(2 pgs)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 17, 2012, 03:49:07 PM
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/16/costa-concordia-s-captain-s-culpability-in-crash-and-deaths-weighed-by-judge.html
Costa Concordia’s Captain’s Culpability in Crash and Deaths Weighed by Judge
October 16, 2012

Few dispute that Francesco Schettino was responsible for wrecking the Costa Concordia. The tougher question for a judge bringing charges is who is most responsible for the botched evacuation and 32 deaths, Barbie Latza Nadeau reports.




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 17, 2012, 04:04:31 PM
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/16/14480554-experts-costa-concordia-equipment-may-not-have-been-working-before-crash
Experts: Costa Concordia equipment may not have been working before crash
October 16, 2012

ROSSETO/GIGLIO, Italy - An Italian court heard on Tuesday that equipment aboard the Costa Concordia luxury liner may not have been functioning when she ran aground and capsized, killing 32 people.

The list of issues compiled by a panel of court-appointed experts included a wide range of alleged malfunctions, from lights that did not work during the disaster to the possibility that radar equipment had been turned off or broken.
The hearing is closed to the public because the huge media interest could not be accommodated.

Also on Tuesday, Francesco Schettino, the captain blamed for the disaster admitted he made mistakes but accused the cruise liner company of mishandling the response. He said last week he was suing Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival Corp., for unfair dismissal following the accident.


His lawyer Francesco Pepe said the hearing would show his client was not solely responsible for the disaster.
"Schettino's responsibility needs to be established and it needs to be established that others may have contributed as well," he said after the conclusion of the hearing's first day.
Meanwhile in Giglio, where the stricken liner still lays on her side awaiting salvage, news has emerged that thieves broke into the Costa Concordia earlier this year, stealing furniture, paintings and luxury goods from a gift shop. Sources at Costa Crociere say the thieves had used entry holes and guide ropes made by search and rescue teams to get into the ship.

This week’s hearings will help the judge decide if Schettino should stand trial. He is accused of manslaughter, causing the shipwreck and abandoning ship while passengers and crew were still aboard. He denies the accusations and has not been charged.

A key question is how much of the blame Schettino should shoulder himself and how much responsibility lies with his crew and employer, Costa Crociere, a division of the Miami-based Carnival Corp. Costa Crociere has denied negligence and has distanced itself from Schettino, firing him in July.
In all, nine people face the prospect of criminal trial, which would be unlikely to begin before next year.
The company's lawyer defended the ship's other crew.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 20, 2012, 01:34:10 PM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/18/costa-concordia-captain-shallow-waters
Costa Concordia captain claims he steered crashed ship to shallow waters
Francesco Schettino defends his actions on night of disaster in heated exchange with Italian navy admiral at pre-trial hearing

October 18, 2012

 ::snipping2::
After requesting permission to speak for the first time in a pre-trial hearing that will determine whether he stands trial for multiple manslaughter, Schettino started a debate with an Italian navy admiral who co-wrote a damning report detailing how Schettino crashed the 114,500-tonne ship on rocks on 13 January.

According to reports from the closed hearing, the heated discussion with Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone carried on during a pause in the hearing, as Schettino claimed his steering after the impact grounded the vessel in shallow water, allowing passengers to reach the shore more easily.

Schettino's version had been contradicted on Wednesday by the prosecutor, Francesco Verusio, who said the ship's steering and propulsion jammed after the collision and passengers were saved by the "hand of God" as the wind blew the ship on to the rocks. "If there had been no wind that night, the ship would have capsized and sunk in a minute," he said.
 ::snipping2::Schettino's lawyers submitted 200 challenges to the experts' report and took the battle to the ship's operator, Costa Crociere, alleging delays by the firm's crisis unit in warning the coastguard. The company's lawyer, Marco de Luca responded that communicating with the coastguard that night was "a duty of the captain of the ship and not of the crisis unit or the company as a whole".

Cavo Dragone, a former head of Italy's navy seal divers, dismissed Schettino's claim that the collision could be blamed on a helmsman who had misunderstood his orders. Experts told the court the 13 seconds wasted by the helmsman were irrelevant and that the vessel, which was moving at 16 knots, would have struck rock regardless.

On Wednesday experts said Schettino had violated company policy by bringing on to the bridge a Moldovan member of the crew, Domnica Cermotan, as he attemped a closeup inchino, which translates literally as "bowing before", at Giglio.
 ::snipping2::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 20, 2012, 01:36:30 PM
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gtBV1tlay-_XiubBu7D9zqFRORrA?docId=CNG.a0afd96f2aa3c0d49952def3ccba2468.231
Italy court hearings set scene for Concordia shipwreck trial
October 19, 2012

GROSSETO, Italy — A series of pre-trial hearings into the Costa Concordia shipwreck with captain Francesco Schettino wrapped up on Friday, paving the way for a trial on a tragedy in which 32 people died.
The hearing brought to an end a week of heated debates between lawyers and technical experts on the details of what happened that night of January 13 when the luxury liner smashed into an offshore reef near the shores of Tuscany.
 ::snipping2::
Italy court hearings set scene for Concordia shipwreck trial
By by Ella Ide (AFP) – 19 hours ago  
GROSSETO, Italy — A series of pre-trial hearings into the Costa Concordia shipwreck with captain Francesco Schettino wrapped up on Friday, paving the way for a trial on a tragedy in which 32 people died.
The hearing brought to an end a week of heated debates between lawyers and technical experts on the details of what happened that night of January 13 when the luxury liner smashed into an offshore reef near the shores of Tuscany.
The Tuscan town of Grosseto had been overrun all week with journalists who hounded Schettino, taunting him and snapping paparazzi photographs of the captain with his slicked-back hair, flashy suits and trademark sunglasses.
"Captain Coward", as he became known after he abandoned the ship before it was evacuated, was clearly frustrated by how the hearings were going and was reportedly told by his lawyer to calm down or he would have to leave the court.
The giant luxury cruise ship -- more than twice as big as the Titanic -- had 4,229 people on board when it struck an offshore reef near the Italian island of Giglio on the evening of January 13, tearing a massive gash in its hull.
"These technical hearings have put the nail in the coffin as far as the captain's responsibilities are concerned," prosecutor Francesco Verusio said Friday, though Schettino's lawyer Bruno Leporatti insisted "we've come out of this better than we went in."
The vessel quickly took on water, veered sharply and keeled over just a few dozen metres from the shore, sparking a panicky night-time evacuation.
The disaster left 32 people dead and led to accusations of safety breaches, cowardice and fatal delays, many of which have been debated over the past week as technical experts presented findings from the ship's data and black-box.
A total of 10 people are being investigated including Schettino and six other crew members, as well as three managers from ship owner Costa Crociere, which is part of the world's biggest cruise operator, US-based Carnival.
The captain has not been charged. He could end up being accused of multiple manslaughter and abandoning the ship before all the passengers were safely ashore.
No date has been set for the trial but it is expected to begin in spring.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 20, 2012, 01:39:31 PM
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-10-19/news/sns-rt-us-concordia-hearingbre89i181-20121019_1_bruno-leporatti-francesco-verusio-ship-disaster
Hearing shows captain to blame for Italy ship disaster: prosecutor
October 19, 2012

GROSSETO, Italy (Reuters) - A pre-trial hearing in Italy this week on the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that cost 32 lives has put the responsibility for the disaster squarely on the shoulders of Captain Francesco Schettino, prosecutors said on Friday.

Schettino is accused of manslaughter, causing the shipwreck and abandoning ship before the evacuation of more than 4,000 passengers and crew was complete. He has admitted making mistakes but says he should not be the only person blamed.

"The pre-trial hearing has confirmed the responsibilities that we identified, above all with regards to Schettino," chief prosecutor Francesco Verusio said on the last day of the closed-door hearing in Grosseto, referring to the accusations leveled against the captain.
 ::snipping2::
Following the pre-trial hearing, a judge will now decide if there is enough evidence to warrant a trial. Prosecutors said on Friday they hoped to wrap up their investigations by the end of this year.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 25, 2012, 09:56:37 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/10/25/francesco-schettino-costa-concordia-disaster-back-pay_n_2018018.html
Francesco Schettino Petition: Group Aims To Stop Costa Concordia Captain From Getting Back Pay
October 25, 2012

He's being blamed for a cruise ship tragedy that claimed 32 lives, but Captain Francesco Schettino still wants to be paid.

The creators of an online petition, however, are trying to prevent the disgraced Costa Concordia captain from ever seeing a red cent.

The petition, posted by ForceChange, a site that publicizes protests from smaller groups, wants to stop Schettino from getting his job back or be paid the back pay that he is apparently requesting, according to an article in The Daily Telegraph.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 25, 2012, 09:58:40 PM
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_10_26/Costa-Concordia-crew-sue-for-damages/
Costa Concordia crew sue for damages
October 26, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 27, 2012, 08:34:22 PM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335607
Online petition seeks to deny Costa Concordia captain back pay
October 27, 2012

An online petition at the website ForceChange is seeking to ensure that Costa Cruises, who own the sunken Italian cruise liner, the Costa Concordia, do not pay to the ship's captain back pay or compensation for lost wages.

Earlier this month, the captain of the Costa Concordia when it went too close to the shore of the island of Giglio in the Tuscan Bay and hit a reef, sued Costa Cruises to get his job back. Despite being on trial now for multiple charges, including causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship, Francesco Schettino also seeks back pay for wages lost since the Jan. 13 tragedy.

Francesco Schettino sues for compensation

But Kelly Hamilton on ForceChange writes that with Schettino's "fate still unknown and the damage still so shocking, Schettino must not be rewarded compensation for his work." Hamilton then urges people to "sign the petition below to urge Costa Cruises not to award Francesco Schettino any type of additional compensation or back pay."
Should Schettino be successful in his lawsuit, Costa Cruises may be forced to pay the disgraced captain compensation of some kind, and could even be required to rehire him. Legal experts in Italy, however, have indicated that the likelihood of Schettino winning his suit are slim.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on November 10, 2012, 10:50:12 AM
http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/06/14973918-capsized-costa-concordia-illuminated-at-night
Capsized Costa Concordia illuminated at night
November 6, 2012

(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/pb-121106-costa-concordia-jsa-2.photoblog900.jpg)
Stefano Rellandini / Reuters
The capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia is seen surrounded by cranes during a recovery operation in the harbor of Giglio Porto in Italy on Nov. 6.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on November 10, 2012, 10:52:05 AM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/09/costa-concordia-passenger-reunited-luggage
Costa Concordia passenger to be reunited with luggage after nine months
Austrian man's suitcase washes ashore on Italian island of Elba, 17 miles from where cruise ship capsized

November 9, 2012

Nine months after the Costa Concordia cruise ship smashed into the Tuscan island of Giglio, one passenger is finally set to get his suitcase back after it washed ashore 17 miles away on a different island.

The suitcase, which was found on a beach on the island of Elba on Monday, belonged to an Austrian man who was among the 4,300 passengers and crew who fled the vessel as it capsized in shallow water in January, leaving 32 people dead.

Found by children, the suitcase contained clothes and was identified by cruise ship stickers and a handwritten baggage tag – still legible after its sea voyage.

A source close to the team now attempting to right the Costa Concordia said the bag might have tumbled out of the ship and into the sea during rough weather on 31 October.

The 114,500-tonne ship is now balancing on two underwater granite rock outcrops which have punctured holes in the hull, said the source. "Objects like mattresses tend to come out of the holes and I would not rule out the storm surging through the holes and pushing out the suitcase. After the storm divers did find material on the seabed, which is collected."
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on November 10, 2012, 10:53:12 AM
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/09/3089922/new-website-tracks-removal-of.html
New website tracks removal of Costa Concordia
November 9, 2012

Information about the continuing removal process of the shipwrecked Costa Concordia from Italian waters is available on a new website.

Costa Cruises, which owns the ship, and Titan/Micoperi, the consortium removing it, are posting details about the project at www.theparbucklingproject.com. The site includes information in Italian and English.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on November 13, 2012, 01:33:20 PM
http://www.artemis.bm/blog/2012/11/13/catco-commutes-costa-concordia-reinsurance-losses/
CATCo commutes Costa Concordia reinsurance losses
November 13, 2012

CATCo Investment Management, the specialist Bermuda based reinsurance-linked investment business that manages around $2 billion of retrocessional reinsurance portfolios for its clients, has commuted a portion of its losses from the Costa Concordia marine disaster according to a stock exchange announcement. Commuting the losses early allows them to be accounted for now and reduces the chance for loss creep affecting the CATCo Reinsurance Opportunities Fund investors.

The update from CATCo says that industry loss estimates for the overall cost of the sinking of the Costa Concordia look set to rise after the international group of P&I Associations’ actual and expected insured loss estimate for Protection and Indemnity (Wreck Removal and Cargo/Crew/Passenger Liability) increased by approximately $130m, from circa $521m to $652m.  The final settlement for the Hull & Machinery claim amounted to circa $520 million. This makes the overall loss total for Costa Concordia around $1.172 billion.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on November 16, 2012, 02:10:32 PM
http://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2012/11/15/cruise-industry-safety-policy/1706861/
Cruise industry adopts three new safety policies
November 15, 2012

3:16PM EST November 15. 2012 - Crewmembers on cruise ships around the world will secure heavy objects such as pianos and treadmills when not in use as part of a safety policy announced today by two industry groups.

The new Securing Heavy Objects policy, announced jointly by the Cruise Lines International Association and European Cruise Council, will apply to all ocean-going vessels operated by member lines such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess and Holland America. Nearly every major cruise line in the world is a member of one or both groups.

The two groups today also unveiled a life jacket policy for newly constructed ocean-going ships that requires a life jacket for every passenger and crew member to be stowed in close proximity to either muster stations or lifeboat embarkation points.

More...




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 01, 2012, 05:59:00 PM
http://www.marinelink.com/news/conclusion-concordia349514.aspx
IMO Sec-Gen Urges Concordia Enquiry to Reach Conclusion
November 27, 2012

In his opening address to the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee's 91st Session Mr. Koji Sekimizu pushes for publication of Costa Concordia accident report.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 02, 2012, 05:15:54 PM
Looks like there's a long, long way to go....

http://www.theparbucklingproject.com/aziende.php
The Parbuckling Project
Concordia wreck removal project informative website

December 2, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 03, 2012, 12:47:09 PM
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/imo-new-rules-for-passenger-safety-will-highlight-key-issues-in-chile
IMO: New Rules for Passenger Safety, Will Highlight Key Issues in Chile
December 3, 2012

IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), meeting at the Organization's London Headquarters for its 91st session from 26 to 30 November 2012, agreed that rules to require passenger safety drills to take place prior to, or immediately upon, departure should be made mandatory, in the wake of the Costa Concordia incident.
The Committee approved draft amendments to chapter III (Life-saving appliances and arrangements) of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)  to require musters of newly embarked passengers prior to or immediately upon departure, instead of “within 24 hours”, as stated in the current regulations, for a ship engaged on a voyage where passengers are scheduled to be on board for more than 24 hours.  The draft amendments will now be circulated for consideration, with a view to adoption, at the next session, MSC 92, in June 2013. They could enter into force at the end of 2014.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 03, 2012, 12:49:33 PM
http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2012-12-03/new-regulations-drafted-in-wake-of-concordia/
New regulations drafted in wake of Concordia
December 3, 2012

Ship safety regulations are to be tightened following the Costa Concordia disaster - but it could be many months before some of the regulations take effect.

Safety drills and lifeboat loading are among the measures announced by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
 ::snipping2::
The IMO's safety committee has agreed that rules to require passenger safety drills to take place prior to, or immediately upon, departure should now be made mandatory.

This is instead of "within 24 hours", as stated in the current regulations.

However, it will not be until June 2013 that the draft amendments, which will now be circulated for consideration, will be considered again at the committee's next meeting.

It may not be until the end of 2014 that the new measure will come into force.

Other recommended measures include: recording the nationality of each person on board, and guidance on lifeboat loading for training purposes.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 05, 2012, 09:50:34 AM
http://www.agi.it/flash-news/201212051122-cro-ren1026-concordia_captain_schettino_dismissal_case_opens_in_genoa
Concordia captain Schettino dismissal case opens in Genoa
December 5, 2012

(AGI) Genoa - The case brought by the Costa Crociere cruise line to determine the legitimacy of the dismissal procedure against Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia, opened at Genoa labour court on Wednesday morning.
  Schettino was not in court. The lawyer for Costa Crociere, Camillo Paroletti, explained that the company has decided to use the Fornero procedure, "In the face of serious allegations made promptly to the captain about his conduct in the workplace." Schettino is represented by Rosario D'Orazio, who argued that the use of this procedure is illegitimate.  ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 06, 2012, 03:03:31 PM
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/12/06/5035380/new-costa-concordia-passenger.html
New Costa Concordia Passenger Video Affirms Negligence Claim by Survivors of Hungarian Band Leader Who Died Trying to Save Others
December 6, 2012

NEW YORK, Dec. 6, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- The following is being released by Ronai & Ronai, LLP:

There is now conclusive independent video evidence that Sandor Feher, the Hungarian bandleader on the ill-fated Costa Concordia,  gave his own life trying to save fellow passengers, according to the attorneys representing Mr. Feher's estate in its Federal wrongful death and negligence Complaint against the ship's owner-operator.

Mr. Feher was issued a first responder's yellow jacket and assigned by ship personnel to help coordinate the chaotic evacuation of thousands, explained Peter Ronai, who along with his partner Holly Ostrov Ronai represent Mr. Feher's estate and the four members of his performing troupe that were injured in the accident.

"We now know conclusively that those in charge directed Mr. Feher, despite his complete lack of training to perform the key role of first responder," said Ronai.

"Eyewitness accounts, supported by the passenger-phone video, reveal that he acted with valor on instinct alone and helped others until his last dying breath."

"Mr. Feher's only pre-cruise training was as a violinist. He and others pressed into service were not properly prepared to help manage a disaster, though they acted bravely," said Holly Ostrov Ronai.

She said cruise line officials violated maritime policies by giving Mr. Feher and other personnel the answers to required safety-test questions before it was administered. The Budapest-based performer, whose only source of income was as a cruise-ship entertainer, was last seen helping children don life jackets before he drowned.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: sharon on December 06, 2012, 08:43:18 PM
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/12/06/5035380/new-costa-concordia-passenger.html
New Costa Concordia Passenger Video Affirms Negligence Claim by Survivors of Hungarian Band Leader Who Died Trying to Save Others
December 6, 2012

NEW YORK, Dec. 6, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- The following is being released by Ronai & Ronai, LLP:

There is now conclusive independent video evidence that Sandor Feher, the Hungarian bandleader on the ill-fated Costa Concordia,  gave his own life trying to save fellow passengers, according to the attorneys representing Mr. Feher's estate in its Federal wrongful death and negligence Complaint against the ship's owner-operator.

Mr. Feher was issued a first responder's yellow jacket and assigned by ship personnel to help coordinate the chaotic evacuation of thousands, explained Peter Ronai, who along with his partner Holly Ostrov Ronai represent Mr. Feher's estate and the four members of his performing troupe that were injured in the accident.

"We now know conclusively that those in charge directed Mr. Feher, despite his complete lack of training to perform the key role of first responder," said Ronai.

"Eyewitness accounts, supported by the passenger-phone video, reveal that he acted with valor on instinct alone and helped others until his last dying breath."

"Mr. Feher's only pre-cruise training was as a violinist. He and others pressed into service were not properly prepared to help manage a disaster, though they acted bravely," said Holly Ostrov Ronai.

She said cruise line officials violated maritime policies by giving Mr. Feher and other personnel the answers to required safety-test questions before it was administered. The Budapest-based performer, whose only source of income was as a cruise-ship entertainer, was last seen helping children don life jackets before he drowned.
 ::snipping2::

 ::MonkeyMad::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 06, 2012, 09:19:26 PM
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/12/06/5035380/new-costa-concordia-passenger.html
New Costa Concordia Passenger Video Affirms Negligence Claim by Survivors of Hungarian Band Leader Who Died Trying to Save Others
December 6, 2012

NEW YORK, Dec. 6, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- The following is being released by Ronai & Ronai, LLP:

There is now conclusive independent video evidence that Sandor Feher, the Hungarian bandleader on the ill-fated Costa Concordia,  gave his own life trying to save fellow passengers, according to the attorneys representing Mr. Feher's estate in its Federal wrongful death and negligence Complaint against the ship's owner-operator.

Mr. Feher was issued a first responder's yellow jacket and assigned by ship personnel to help coordinate the chaotic evacuation of thousands, explained Peter Ronai, who along with his partner Holly Ostrov Ronai represent Mr. Feher's estate and the four members of his performing troupe that were injured in the accident.

"We now know conclusively that those in charge directed Mr. Feher, despite his complete lack of training to perform the key role of first responder," said Ronai.

"Eyewitness accounts, supported by the passenger-phone video, reveal that he acted with valor on instinct alone and helped others until his last dying breath."

"Mr. Feher's only pre-cruise training was as a violinist. He and others pressed into service were not properly prepared to help manage a disaster, though they acted bravely," said Holly Ostrov Ronai.

She said cruise line officials violated maritime policies by giving Mr. Feher and other personnel the answers to required safety-test questions before it was administered. The Budapest-based performer, whose only source of income was as a cruise-ship entertainer, was last seen helping children don life jackets before he drowned.
 ::snipping2::

 ::MonkeyMad::

All the rules and regulations in the world won't help if they're bypassed or ignored. 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: AZSunny on December 06, 2012, 10:54:25 PM
Muffybee, thank you so much for keeping up with all of this and providing us with the information.  I have cruised some 25 times, and a lot of what you are showing is news to me, and most of the other cruisers.  I have always attended  reguired drills, and assumed those that were in charge and directing us new what they were doing.  I will never again assume that.   ::MonkeyNoNo:: thank you for keeping on top of this information.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 07, 2012, 09:26:28 AM
You're welcome AZ.  It's always good to see you!  ::bee::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 09, 2012, 10:56:24 AM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/338525
Canada's CBC to air talk with Costa Concordia Captain Schettino
December 7, 2012

The Canadian newsmagazine show, The Fifth Estate, will air an exclusive interview on Friday with the disgraced captain of the doomed Costa Concordia. In the show, Francesco Schettino says the ship's sinking was an accident and that he was not negligent.
"It's not a crime, it's an accident," he told the CBC news show. "And there is a difference between crime and accident. In this case, it's being treated like a crime, and I don't understand why."
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 09, 2012, 11:00:05 AM
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/12/06/captain-fifth-estate.html?cmp=rss
Costa Concordia wreck an accident, not crime, captain says
The fifth estate reports 'black box' evidence appears to support captain's story

December 6, 2012

The Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia's captain suggests he has been unfairly blamed for both the shipwreck that killed 32 people and for appearing to abandon ship prematurely, CBC's the fifth estate reports in an exclusive documentary airing Friday.

In an interview, Capt. Francesco Schettino describes to the fifth estate's Bob McKeown how he believes that the ship wasn't on the course he had ordered and how he believes a helmsman's brief error contributed to the problem. As well, Schettino says that evidence from the ship's recovered "black box" appears to support his contention.
More...

COSTA CONCORDIA: THE CAPTAIN'S TALE
http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/2012-2013/2012/12/costa-concordia-the-captains-tale.html


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 12, 2012, 03:09:13 PM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/338769
Costa Concordia's company rebounding by building giant liner
December 10, 2012



Costa Cruises, the owner/operator of the Costa Concordia, which went down nearly a year ago with the loss of 32 passengers and crew, is building a replacement. The construction of the 132,500 ton Costa Diadema began in Italy Monday.
The ship is being constructed in the Fincantieri shipyard and will carry 4,947 passengers. The Costa Diadema will be the largest of the Costa Cruises fleet and the biggest cruise ship in the world to fly the Italian flag.
 ::snipping2::
The ship is expected to be completed by October of 2014 and will carry a price tag of some $6.5 billion. Schettino, meanwhile, after a recent preliminary hearing, waits to see if he will go to trial on charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning a ship; it is likely he will.



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 12, 2012, 03:11:02 PM
http://www.pnj.com/usatoday/article/1761807?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CLife%7Cs
Work begins on new Costa Cruises ship
December 11, 2012

Costa Cruises' largest ship ever began taking shape this week at a dry dock in Italy.

Workers at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera laid the first block of the hull for the 132,500-ton Costa Diadema, which will be nearly 16% larger than the largest Costa ship now at sea.

Scheduled to debut in late 2014, the $715 million vessel will have 1,854 cabins and be able to hold up to 4,947 passengers. Designed as a new flagship for the Italy-based line, it'll be the largest cruise vessel flying the Italian flag.
 ::snipping2::
Costa says the initial block of the Costa Diadema weighed nearly 500 tons and measured 51.5 feet wide by 95 feet long. Its placement in the dry dock where the vessel will be built over the coming year was marked by a small ceremony.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 12, 2012, 03:12:43 PM
http://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2012/12/12/costa-cruises-ship-damaged/1763103/
Costa Cruises ship damaged while docking in France
December 12, 2012

12:40PM EST December 12. 2012 - A sister ship to the Costa Concordia was damaged Tuesday in a collision with a port structure in Marseille, France.

The 3,000-passenger Costa Pacifica suffered a 24-foot gash above the waterline after hitting a docking "dolphin" in high winds.

No one was injured in the incident, and the damage was repaired overnight, according to the company. As a result of the repairs, the ship left Marseille about eight hours behind schedule.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 13, 2012, 05:42:20 PM
http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/26587/Italy-environment-minister-warns-of-Concordia-salvage-delays.html
Italy environment minister warns of Concordia salvage delays
December 13, 2012

Rome, December 13 - Italy's environment minister on Thursday said that delays in removing the beached Costa Concordia cruise liner from Isola del Giglio risked leading to further environmental damage. In a letter addressed to Costa Co-Chief Executives Pierluigi Foschi and Michael Thamm, as well as to the head of Italy's civil protection agency, Franco Gabrielli, and to the president of the Tuscany Region, Enrico Rossi, Minister Corrado Clini said it was ''urgent'' that a working program be developed for the last phase of the stranded ship's removal and the recovery of the hull in ''an ideal location''. ''As I have previously indicated to Franco Gabrielli, the delays with respect to the scheduled [salvage operation] are and continue to be causes of great worry,'' Clini wrote. On Thursday Clini added that the main concerns regard the conditions of the ship's hull and the existence of the necessary safety conditions to ''guarantee that the recovery can go ahead in safe conditions which don't create further risks and emergencies.''
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 15, 2012, 10:57:02 PM
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50137090n
Preview: Costa Concordia
December 14, 2012 10:24 AM
When the 951-ft.-long luxury liner hit a rock 11 months ago off the Italian coast, it was the biggest passenger ship ever to capsize. Now, the salvage operation to float and tow away the huge vessel is the biggest maritime salvage operation ever undertaken. Lesley Stahl reports on Sunday, Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET and 7:00 p.m. PT.

1:35


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 17, 2012, 10:01:29 AM
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-57559461-10391709/a-world-askew-on-board-the-costa-concordia/
A world askew: On board the Costa Concordia
December 16, 2012

Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 17, 2012, 10:05:17 AM
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57559311/costa-concordia-salvaging-a-shipwreck/
Costa Concordia: Salvaging a shipwreck
December 16, 2012

The following script is from "Costa Concordia" which aired on Dec. 16, 2012. Lesley Stahl is the correspondent. Rich Bonin, producer.

Ever since the wreck of the Costa Concordia 11 months ago, the huge Italian luxury liner has been sitting, semi-submerged, off the coast of Tuscany, looking like a big, beached whale.

It's the largest passenger ship ever capsized, easily surpassing the Titanic. And removing the ship has turned out to be the most complicated, the most expensive, the most daunting and the riskiest salvage operation ever.

The Costa Concordia is a rusting carcass, sitting precariously on two underwater mountain peaks. The swimming pools and jacuzzis where passengers sunbathed and sipped cocktails, now empty and askew. A clock remains frozen in time, marking the hour and minute when the ship lost power.

And below, ghostly vestiges of the ship's contents litter the ocean floor in what the Italian authorities have designated an official crime scene. Thirty people died; two are still missing.

Nick Sloane: Welcome on board.

Lesley Stahl: Thank you.
More...

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50137223n
Costa Concordia: Salvaging a shipwreck
December 16, 2012 6:27 PM
Eleven months after wrecking at sea, the Italian luxury liner awaits one of the most expensive and daunting salvage operations ever. Lesley Stahl reports.



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 23, 2012, 10:40:22 PM
http://www.insuranceinsider.com/-1241486/3
Costa Concordia P&I loss rises to $744mn
December 21, 2012

Marine reinsurers have been notified that the Costa Concordia loss has worsened yet again, just a month after the protection and indemnity market was rocked by an earlier deterioration.

According to sources, the ground-up loss has widened from $662mn to $744mn, taking the loss even deeper into the $500mn XS $560mn second layer of the International Group (IG)'s vast reinsurance placement.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 23, 2012, 10:42:04 PM
http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5127
Cruise News Shorts: Costa Concordia Trial Looms Closer, While Charleston Terminal Debates Come to a Close
December 21, 2012

2:10 p.m. EST) -- Every week we catch wind of so much cruise news, we don't always know what to do with it all, but a few standout bits sometimes catch our attention. Here are some interesting cruise tidbits we think you might like to know about.

Judgment Day Coming Soon
Italian prosecutors have finished investigating the Costa Concordia tragedy and are preparing to bring charges against the captain and seven other people, Reuters reports. The captain will be accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship. The head investigator said he expects to file a request for an indictment at the end of January, at which point a judge will decide if there is enough evidence for a trial. Captain Francesco Schettino faces up to 20 years in jail. Five other crew members, as well as three Costa employees also face indictment and trial.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 23, 2012, 10:43:46 PM
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_12_23/Costa-Concordia-to-be-towed-away-no-earlier-than-September/
Costa Concordia to be towed away no earlier than September
December 23, 2012

The cruise ship Costa Concordia will be towed from the crash site near the island of Giglio, the Tuscan coast of Italy, no earlier than September next year. According to the administration of Tuscany and the vessel owner, it is extremely difficult "to determine the exact time frame for such a large-scale technical operation, without analogues in the world."
This means that the huge vessel, lying on its side on the reefs near the shore, will most likely remain there throughout the next summer season. The cost of moving it will run into 400 million euros, with the expenses covered by the ship-owner.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 25, 2012, 02:47:48 PM
http://ohsonline.com/articles/2012/12/24/costa-concordia-removal-planned-by-fall-2013.aspx?admgarea=news
Costa Concordia Removal Planned by Fall 2013

The task of uprighting and refloating the stranded cruise ship involves about 400 workers and a seven-days-a-week schedule, the salvors reported Dec. 23.
December 24, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 30, 2012, 10:30:48 AM
http://www.ereleases.com/pr/costa-concordia-survivors-publish-memoir-music-95649
Costa Concordia Survivors to Publish Memoir & Music
December 30, 2012


BOSTON, Dec. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — One year after the Costa Concordia shipwreck, survivors Benji Smith and Emily Lau announce the simultaneous publication of a memoir detailing their experience escaping from the sinking ship and an album of original compositions inspired by the disaster.
The book, written by Smith and titled Abandoned Ship: An Intimate Account of the Costa Concordia Shipwreck, tells the story of the couple’s harrowing journey escaping from the sinking vessel.

“I’ve never been so terrified in my life,” says Smith. “When all the lifeboats left us behind, Emily and I truly thought we were going to die. This was our honeymoon cruise, but we actually said goodbye to each other.”
The memoir follows Smith and Lau as they scavenged a rope from the deck of the ship and rappelled down the hull in search of rescue, and then through Rome as they struggled to find their way back home again, relying on the kindness of strangers to provide them with food, shelter, and clothing.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 01, 2013, 10:40:38 AM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/340170
Costa Concordia newlyweds to publish book, music of experience
December 31, 2012



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 05, 2013, 12:45:00 AM
If you go to the link below, look at the "Flash News" which is in a moving ticker style, which gives updates as work is completed.

http://www.theparbucklingproject.com/aziende.php
The Parbuckling Project
Concordia wreck removal project informative website

January 3, 2013



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 06, 2013, 03:49:02 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9782361/Costa-Concordia-survivors-One-year-on-our-lives-are-still-in-ruins.html
Costa Concordia survivors: 'One year on, our lives are still in ruins'
Thirty two people died when the Costa Concordia ran aground off the Italian island of Giglio. And, as Andrea Vogt finds out, many survivors are still struggling to put their lives back on track.
January 6, 2012

Comments


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 09, 2013, 03:22:44 PM
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/costa-concordia-stupid-tourists-rescued-091819334.html
Costa Concordia: 'Stupid' Tourists Rescued
January 7, 2013

Coastguards have criticised five German cruise ship passengers who hired an inflatable boat to get a close-up look at the wrecked Costa Concordia liner.
The group, including two children, had to be rescued after their tiny boat was swamped by waves, whipped up by storm force winds. All were suffering from the effects of the cold.
Officials said the party were holidaymakers from the Costa Magica, a cruise liner from the same Costa Cruises fleet as the ill-fated Concordia, which struck rocks last year leaving 32 people dead off the Italian island of Giglio.
The Germans had arrived at Civitavecchia and made their way to Porto Santo Stefano where they hired the boat so they could take a look at the stricken Concordia which is still lying on rocks just outside the entrance to Giglio harbour.
Although they managed to sail the 10 miles from Porto Santo Stefano without any problem, on the return leg the weather suddenly changed and the boat got into difficulties.
But it managed to stay afloat and they were picked up by a coastguard vessel which took them back to the mainland.
Once on dry land, they were given hot drinks and wrapped in thermal blankets and after being given the all-clear by paramedics they were taken back to Civitavecchia where they resumed their cruise ship holiday.
A coastguard spokesman in Porto Santo Stefano said: ''It was a pretty stupid thing to do. They were lucky that it ended as it did - they could have quite easily sank.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 09, 2013, 03:26:17 PM
http://www.carbonpositive.net/industry-updates/629-costa-concordia-tops-2012-increase-in-ship-losses.html
Costa Concordia Tops 2012 Increase in Ship Losses 
January 8, 2013


Twelve months on from the Costa Concordia incident, a new Allianz report identifies that 106 ship losses were reported worldwide in the 12 months to November 25 2012 - up from 91 ships the previous year but a 27 percent decrease on the ten year average of 146 ships per annum. Despite this long term downward trend, driven by technology, training and regulation and a proactive response from the shipping industry to safety improvement, human error remains the core challenge.
In its annual ‘Safety and Shipping Review’ of maritime losses, marine insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) highlights developments in shipping safety during 2012. The year was marked by two high profile accidents with the loss of the Costa Concordia off Italy on January 13th (the largest loss of the year at 114,137 gross tons) followed by that of the ferry, Rabaul Queen, off Papua New Guinea on February 2nd, both causing multiple fatalities.
According to the report, foundering (sinking or submerging) was the most common cause of losses in the past year (49 percent) followed by wrecking or running aground (22 percent). Collisions such as that involving the Baltic Ace and Corvus J in early December 2012 accounted for a relatively small number of losses (6 percent).
 ::snipping2::
Major shipping companies have initiated self-regulation initiatives post-Costa Concordia, with the Cruise Lines International Association and the European Cruise Council partnering up to lead the industry-wide voluntary adoption of policies that go beyond international regulatory requirements. In addition, moves previously pioneered in other industries (such as airlines) or by leading ship-owners are gathering force: for example, greater adoption across the industry of the ‘function-based bridge’ concept whereby the bridge command structure changes from the traditional captain’s sole command towards a ‘check and balance’ approach. “We see such self-regulation of the industry as the core driver of safety”, says Gerhard, who believes that such concepts will soon trickle down to other sectors where passenger safety is paramount.
In addition, technological improvements such as the introduction of mandatory Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) in July 2012 are expected to reduce accidents, but only where properly applied with effective training and management oversight. “Technology is only as useful as the training behind it – and we don’t always see this human element keeping up with other advances. What we do see with the best ship-owners is a proactive safety management culture, going beyond the minimum standards and running from top to bottom of the organization. This can really make an impact in improving safety”, Gerhard says.
Source: Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS)
Read more http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com//News.aspx?ElementID=7f64ac4e-1caf-4da0-951a-85f5b940a6f5


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 09, 2013, 03:27:46 PM
http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5148
Long-Term Impact From the Costa Concordia Cruise Disaster?
January 8, 2013

(1:20 p.m. EST) -- The Costa Concordia tragedy shined a bright light on cruising and the industry's safety precautions.

Images of Concordia on its side off the coast of the small Italian of Giglio have become iconic, while the disgraced captain Francesco Schettino has been universally vilified for his role in the incident, which led to the death of 32 people.

In the year since the tragedy, the cruise industry has vowed to monitor and improve safety standards.

The most noticeable change, of course, is the overhaul of the safety procedures cruise ships are obliged to have in place. Observers might say many of these new procedures -- for example a muster drill before the ship sets sail and more mandatory lifeboat training for crew -- should have already been in place.

Be that as it may, the industry cast itself in a positive light by acting swiftly, decisively and with one voice. No fewer than 10 new safety procedures were put in place within a year of the accident, and three of them were enshrined in maritime law by the end of 2012.

Apart from safety, the key question is: How has this affected the cruise industry?

Most commentators agree that for seasoned cruisers, the answer is "not a lot."
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 09, 2013, 03:37:38 PM
I have no sympathy what so ever for  Francesco Schettino.  He should never have left his passengers and crew.  JMHO Comparing his treatment to that of Bin Laden?  Well, Schettino was Captain of the Costa Concordia and he had a duty to his passengers.  Epic fail.  His 30 years of work went down the toilet in one night, and that was the night he was put to the test and he left the people that depended on him.  JMHO

captain-francesco-schettino-living-in-deep-torment/story-fnddckzi-1226549935683
Italian cruise liner captain Francesco Schettino 'living in deep torment'
January 9, 2013

Schettino, 52, was in command of the Costa Concordia when he altered its course, so he could carry out a sail by salute and impress passengers but it ended tragically as his ship slammed into rocks off the tiny island of Giglio on the Tuscan coast, tearing a huge 70-metre gash in her hull.

The father of one - who is facing charges of multiple manslaughter and causing a ship wreck - spoke out in an interview with Italian newspaper La Stampa, just days before the first anniversary of the tragedy which took place on January 13.

He said: “I've been treated worse than (Osama) Bin Laden, while my regret for what happened is enormous. I reject the image that has been attached to myself, it ridicules not only 30 years of my work but my experience worldwide and also the image of our country has been opened to unjust criticism globally.”

In the days after the tragedy Schettino was dubbed 'captain coward' after it emerged that he had fled his post and escaped in a lifeboat while dozens of the 4200 passengers and crew were still on board the Concordia as it lay on its side on rocks off the Giglio shore.
More...

Photos at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 09, 2013, 03:39:45 PM
http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/world-remembers-concordia-tragedy-1.1449035
World remembers Concordia tragedy
January 9, 2013

 ::snipping2::
The commemorations on Giglio will begin on Sunday at 09.00 GMT with workers due to place the rock that the ship crashed into and then ripped from its base back near where it once stood - a symbol of a return to normality.

There will then be a mass in the same church in the port that served as a temporary refuge for drenched survivors in the hours after the tragedy.

Awards will also be given to rescue workers who scoured the ship for weeks, initially looking for survivors like the South Korean honeymooners plucked from the wreck, before the grim search began for bodies in the water.

In this seafaring community of 1 500 souls, fishing boats will then blare their sirens in a poignant memory of the exact moment the ship crashed.

For some caught up in the tragedy, however, there may never be closure.

“It's been 12 months that I wake up each morning in the hope of getting the call,” Elio Vincenzi, husband of one of two people still officially missing among the 32 victims, told La Stampa.

“I need a grave to cry over.” - Sapa-AFP


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 09, 2013, 03:40:52 PM
http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Photos+Costa+Concordia+salvage+gets+underway/7792478/story.html
Photos: Costa Concordia salvage gets underway
January 8, 2013

Photos at Link



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 09, 2013, 03:43:20 PM
http://www.metro.us/newyork/national/article/1159355--costa-concordia-disaster-lawyers-to-take-action-against-ship-s-owners
Costa Concordia disaster: Lawyers to take action against ship’s owners
January 9, 2013

 ::snipping2::
John Arthur Eaves Jr., an American lawyer representing more than 150 passengers from 10 countries believes Costa Cruises is faced with multi-million dollar compensation bill. He has described the 11,000 euros ($14,350) in compensation to each of the more than 3,000 passengers aboard the stricken vessel as "peanuts".

The legal team representing the victims say Costa Cruises must be held negligent due to the tradition of "bowing" (taking the ship close to the island's shore to salute locals).

"[Costa Cruises] knew the practice of navigation close to the coast because it was in the public domain but still such course changes must be recorded in the captain's logbook," the lawyers said.

Ship staff under investigation are also putting blame on Costa Cruises, including Paolo Mattesi, executive of the company. Mattesi said the passengers' security "was not provided by any officer with a formal delegation of security features".

According to a survey of the port of Livorno, two of the ship’s radars (one compulsory, another optional) were out of order. This would not affect the dynamics of the accident but such failures should be reported to the maritime authorities and this did not happen, the survey concluded.
 ::snipping2::
This lawsuit is a separate action to the criminal proceedings against Captain Francesco Schettino later this year. Prosecutors' 50,000-page investigation against Schettino is reportedly the largest such case in Italian legal history. Schettino faces charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship, with prosecutors calling for a 20-year prison sentence.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 09, 2013, 03:45:40 PM
http://www.theweek.co.uk/europe/costa-concordia/50908/costa-concordia-uk-directors-be-named-responsible-capsize
Costa Concordia: UK directors to be named responsible for capsize
January 9, 2013

LAWYERS representing families of passengers who died when the Costa Concordia cruise liner capsized a year ago this week are filing a criminal complaint against British and American directors of the ship's parent company, Carnival.

New evidence to be deposited in the long-running Costa Concordia case alleges that criminal responsibility for the fatal shipwreck doesn't stop with Captain Francesco Schettino, but goes all the way to the top.

British and American directors of both Carnival plc, and its American holding company, Carnival Corporation, are among those named in a criminal complaint being readied for filing in Grosseto, Italy, by a Milan law firm.

The complaint calls for Italian prosecutors to widen the number of persons being investigated in connection with the accident on 13 January 2012 that left 32 dead and more than 4,000 passengers and crew grounded on the small Italian island of Giglio.
 ::snipping2::
Carnival's directors "not only tolerated, but promoted and publicised" the risky ship salutes of Giglio and other tourist sites as a convenient, effective marketing tool, argues the complaint being filed by a Milan lawyer, who told The Week that it is ready for depositing in Grosseto. It just awaits more signatures from passengers and crew.

The lead Grosseto prosecutor completed his investigation of the disaster in late December, triggering a grace period for additional witnesses and testimony to be deposited before final charges are pressed.

The complaint being prepared in Milan will be under-signed by a number of clients represented by legal firms from outside Italy.

According to a summary reviewed by The Week, new evidence includes a report from the Port Authority of Livorno showing that "neither Costa nor Carnival ever cared about controlling or eventually preventing said practice," of ship salutes. While the complaint acknowledges that Captain Schettino mismanaged the manoeuvre causing the ship's collision, it maintains that the salutes were a regular custom that the ship's crews were encouraged to perform to make passengers happy and boost profits.

In addition, the complaint alleges crew were not familiar with ship safety features, did not speak either Italian nor English and had expired certificates. Some safety devices were installed in the wrong way and not all radars worked correctly, it alleges.

It also cites a first officer's testimony that despite being encouraged to sail close to Giglio, the ship did not have accurate nautical charts for doing so. The Costa Concordia had a 1:100,000 scale map for open seas, not the 1:20,000 scale map for coastal sailing, on which the rocks that the ship hit are marked.

"Those who decided, enacted, tolerated and promoted such business-politics, i.e. the members of the board of directors of Costa and Carnival, have to be deemed, jointly with the Captain, culpable and liable for the criminal actions which eventually caused the grounding of the Costa Concordia," reads the complaint.

Specifically, it names 14 Carnival directors. They include: Sir John Parker, chairman of Anglo American plc and vice chairman of DP World Limited; Sir Jonathon Band, former First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff; Arnold Donald, president and CEO of the Executive Leadership Counsel; Debra Kelly-Ennis, former president and CEO of Diageo Canada; and Micky Arison, chief executive of Carnival. Arison is the son of Ted Arison co-founder of the Carnival Corporation, and is the owner of the NBA's Miami Heat. ·


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 10, 2013, 06:57:27 PM
http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/29523/Raising-of-Concordia-shipwreck-postponed.html
Region says salvage operation must be 'followed closely'
January 8, 2013

Florence, January 8 - Italian authorities on Friday said the wreckage of the Costa Concordia cruise liner that ran aground off the Tuscan island of Giglio last January would be raised later than originally planned. "The aim is to refloat the ship by the end of September 2013, with a delay of a few months, but still compatible with the approved timetable," said Tuscan Governor Enrico Rossi. The governor also expressed concern about the fate of works to remove the shipwrecked vessel once the legal oversight provided by Prefect Franco Gabrielli comes to an end on January 31.
 ::snipping2::
Meanwhile the authorities on Giglio are preparing to mark the first anniversary of the cruise ship disaster that killed 32 people on January 13, 2012, as legal proceedings against Francesco Schettino, the captain at the helm of the ship, continue.
 ::snipping2::
A wrongful dismissal hearing continues on Wednesday, as Schettino's lawyer argues the dismissal process used by the company was not legitimate.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 10, 2013, 06:59:56 PM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/10/captain-costa-concordia-canoe
Captain steered Costa Concordia 'like a canoe', says prosecutor
Francesco Verusio tells newspaper it was obvious Francesco Schettino was the person responsible for cruise ship disaster

January 10, 2013

The captain of the Costa Concordia, the luxury cruise liner that hit rocks and capsized off the coast of Tuscany last January, was sailing the ship "as if it were a canoe", an Italian prosecutor has said.

As survivors of the disaster prepared to join relatives of the 32 victims to mark its one year anniversary on Sunday, Francesco Verusio, the magistrate who led the investigation into the causes of the crash, renewed his criticisms of the captain, Francesco Schettino.

"His role emerged straight away. It was obvious that he was the person responsible: we could have tried him there and then. It was apparent immediately that he had been on the bridge: he was steering the Concordia, a ship of more than 300 metres and with more than 4,000 people on board, as if it were a canoe," Verusio told the Corriere della Sera.

This week Schettino, who is likely to be indicted on criminal charges in coming weeks, claimed he had been "depicted as worse than [Osama] bin Laden". He admits having made mistakes but says he should not be held solely accountable. Seven other crew members and executives could also face charges.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 10, 2013, 07:03:21 PM
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/01/10/costa-concordia/1823793/
One year later, Costa Concordia still half-submerged
January 10, 2013

A year after the ship ran aground -- leaving 30 dead -- questions remain about its captain, the risk to marine life and when the Costa Concordia will be removed.

ROME – The Costa Concordia cruise liner lies on its side off a small island near the coast of Tuscany one year after it ran aground.

The captain accused of abandoning the ship for land as hundreds of his passengers struggled to make it to lifeboats has yet to be tried. Toxic substances in the ship's hold have yet to be drained.

"Everyone here will be thankful when the ship is finally moved and our lives can go back to normal," said Sergio Ortelli, mayor of Isola del Giglio.

People will gather on the island of Giglio on Sunday to mark the one-year anniversary of the disaster that left 30 people dead. Ship sirens will go off at 9:42 p.m., the moment the liner collided with a reef and listed to one side.

There are plans to use the massive 80-ton boulder that tore a hole in the side of the ship to be moved to the island as part of a memorial to the incident.

The ship's 4,252 passengers and crew were enjoying the evening and passing close to the picturesque island of Giglio when Le Scole reef tore open a huge gash in the hull of the Costa Concordia.

An investigation showed that Capt. Francesco Schettino deviated from the programmed route and piloted the boat too close to shore. His reasons for the deviation are not clear.

Schettino appeared in headlines worldwide when he left the ship and headed on a lifeboat to land while hundreds of passengers were still aboard and rescue operations were underway.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 12, 2013, 04:43:00 PM
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57563459/costa-concordia-1-year-later-survivors-attempt-to-move-on/
Costa Concordia 1 year later: Survivors attempt to move on
January 11, 2013

Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 12, 2013, 04:46:01 PM
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/costa-concordia-salvage-operation-slated-to-be-the-largest-in-history/article7270508/
Costa Concordia salvage operation slated to be the largest in history
January 11, 2013


 ::snipping2::
The cruise ship went aground just off the island of Giglio, about 16 kilometres beyond Italy’s Tuscan coast, on the evening of Jan. 13, 2012. Thirty passengers were confirmed dead. Another two are still officially listed as missing, their remains presumably within the shipwreck, making the Costa Concordia a tomb as well as the biggest and riskiest salvage operation in nautical history.

This weekend, the first anniversary of the disaster, there will be church masses, concerts and ceremonies in honour of the victims. On Sunday, at 9:45 p.m. – the moment of impact, when a rock ripped a 50-metre gash into the port side of the hull – 32 lanterns will be lit.

But the anniversary is not just all about remembering the dead and raging against the apparently incompetent captain, Francesco Schettino, who is under investigation for manslaughter in connection with the grave navigational error. The world’s press and Giglio residents will also get an update from the salvage team about the risks of the $400-million (U.S.) salvage operation.

If it fails, Giglio, and the near-pristine waters around it, would face an environmental disaster.
 ::snipping2::
Nick Sloane, the salvage master from Florida’s Titan Salvage, who was brought in from South Africa to oversee the ship’s refloating, admits he’s a bit nervous about the effort, in spite of the computer models that conclude it can work. He is especially worried about a freak storm. “The biggest threat is winter weather,” he said in an interview this week. ”Anything could happen if a 50-year storm hits.”

And the odds of success? “I would say there’s a 70-per-cent chance,” he said, noting that once the rotation of the ship starts, it cannot be stopped. In other words, every person on Giglio will go into collective nervous spasm on salvage day.

Comments


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 12, 2013, 04:56:16 PM
http://www.sfgate.com/world/article/A-slap-to-Costa-Concordia-survivors-4188097.php
A slap to Costa Concordia survivors
January 11, 2013

Rome --

One can't stand being in a mall: It feels too much like the ship, with no visible exits. Another dreams she's walking on a tilt - a memory of having crawled up walls as the cruise liner rolled onto its side. A 4-year-old boy talks obsessively about the meal he had to leave behind when plates started to fly across the dining room.

As if the nightmares, flashbacks and anxiety weren't enough, passengers who survived the terrifying capsizing of the Costa Concordia off Tuscany have come in for a rude shock as they mark the first anniversary of the disaster on Sunday: They've been told they aren't welcome at the weekend's commemorations.

Ship owner Costa Crociere SpA, the Italian unit of Miami-based Carnival Corp., sent several passengers a letter telling them they shouldn't bother coming to the official anniversary ceremonies on the island of Giglio where the hulking ship still rests. Costa says the day is focused on the families of the 32 people who died Jan. 13, 2012, not the 4,200 passengers and crew who survived.

While some survivors said they understood that the families who lost loved ones deserved particular attention, many of those who are still struggling to get through each day said the letter added insult to their injuries - both physical and psychological. Some speculated that the letter was more about keeping disgruntled passengers, many of whom have taken legal action against Costa, away from the TV cameras that have flooded the island for the anniversary.

Costa attorney Marco De Luca said it only made sense to limit the numbers on the island, which opened its doors to the 4,200 shipwreck victims who came ashore that frigid night. "The presence of thousands and thousands of people would create logistical problems - good sense would say you take note of that," he said.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 14, 2013, 07:37:02 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21005011
Survivors mark a year since the Costa Concordia disaster
January 13, 2013

Survivors of the Costa Concordia disaster and relatives of the 32 people killed have been marking a year since the luxury cruise liner hit rocks and capsized off the Italian island of Giglio.

They watched as a memorial plaque, on part of the rock removed from the hull, was lowered back into the sea. A minute's silence was held.
 ::snipping2::

Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 14, 2013, 07:38:36 PM
http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2013/01/14/raw-video-lanterns-lit-for-victims-of-costa-concordia/1832295/
Raw Video: Lanterns lit for victims of Costa Concordia
January 13, 2013


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 14, 2013, 07:41:05 PM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2262136/Costa-Concordia-survivors-defy-request-stay-away-ceremony-marking-anniversary-cruise-ship-disaster.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Costa Concordia survivors defy request to stay away from ceremony marking anniversary of cruise ship disaster
Survivors commemorate one-year mark of disaster which claimed 32 lives
Memorial mass, unveiling of plaque and minute of silence on Giglio
Cruise line sent letter to all surviving passengers asking them not to go

January 14, 2013

Survivors of the Costa Concordia disaster returned to the scene of the shipwreck to mark the one-year anniversary, defying a request from the cruise company that they stay away.

In the days before the Sunday ceremony, owners Costa Crociere sent a letter to all passengers who survived the capsizing, and asked them not to travel to the Italian island of Giglio for ‘logistical reasons’.

Undeterred, some of the 3,200 surviving passengers, and relatives of the 32 who lost their lives, were taken by boat close to the wreck.
 ::snipping2::

Photos at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 16, 2013, 08:37:47 PM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2263397/Francesco-Schettino-Costa-Concordia-captain-says-understands-people-hate-him.html
'I regret nothing:' Costa Concordia captain says he understands why people 'hate' him but other officers should share the blame
Cruise liner slammed into rocks off the Italian island of Giglio last year
Aftermath of the shipwreck left 32 people dead
Captain Francesco Schettino took it off its pre-programmed course and brought it closer to land as a favour to friends from the island

January 16, 2013



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 17, 2013, 08:18:14 PM
This is the only source I've found so far that mentions the two remaining victims may have been found.  I'm not really certain this should be considered a fact yet.  Within the article the companies refloating and removing the ship deny the victims bodies have been found. (See my bolded)  I suppose we'll need to wait and see.  


http://news.discovery.com/human/two-missing-bodies-likely-found-on-costa-concordia-130115.htm
Costa Concordia Yields Two More Bodies
BY ROSSELLA LORENZI
January 15, 2013

The bodies of the two last missing victims of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster may have been found, according to reports in the Italian media.

The news comes exactly one year after the huge liner — more than twice as big as the Titanic — ran aground off the Tuscan coast of Giglio, Italy.
 ::snipping2::
 The ship tumbled onto its side with more than 4,200 people aboard and 32 lives were lost.

Among them, Sicilian passenger Maria Grazia Trecarichi and Indian crew member Russel Rebello are still unaccounted for and presumed dead.

“Not being able to give back these bodies to their families is now the biggest tragedy,” Franco Gabrielli, the head of Italy’s civil protection agency, said at a poignant day-long commemoration at Giglio on Sunday.

But according to reports in the Italian media, the bodies were known to be located in the most unreachable area of the wreck near the stern.

“I was told four months ago that my brother’s body had been found, but recovery is impossible until the rotating of the ship,” Kevin Rebello, Russel’s brother, told the daily Il Tirreno.

Engineer and fire brigade chief Ennio Aquilino confirmed that the two victims are most likely trapped near the stern, where the ship collapsed.

“That’s our guess. We won’t be able to reach the bodies until we move the ship,” he told the daily La Nazione.

But the companies undertaking the refloating and removal of the Concordia — American Titan Salvage and Italian firm Micoperi — denied that the missing bodies had been located in the wreck.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 22, 2013, 03:22:39 PM
http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/10172302.Falmouth_firm_to_help_recover_striken_Costa_Concordia/
Falmouth firm to help recover stricken Costa Concordia
January 18, 2013

Falmouth-based marine drilling company Fugro Seacore has been awarded a large contract by Titan-Micoperi to contribute to the recovery of the Costa Concordia, the stricken Italian cruise liner that sank just off the Italian coast in January 2012.

Titan-Micoperi is a consortium of the world renowned American salvage experts Titan Salvage and major offshore Italian contractor Micoperi. Raising the liner, which is twice as heavy as the Titanic, from two giant rock outcrops in the sea has been described as one of the toughest marine recovery operations in modern history.

Fugro Seacore will drill the offshore foundations for six platforms, the three largest platforms equaling the size of a rugby pitch. The Costa Concordia will be rolled upright (par-buckled) on to the platforms, before it will be re-floated and taken away from the protected Tuscan marine environment in which it lies.

A highly experienced team of 12 local Fugro Seacore professional staff from Falmouth, Helston and Penzance has been working on a shift basis, 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, and living on board a Micoperi Construction Vessel (M-30), moored next to the ocean liner, to ensure the project is completed to specification and safely.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 24, 2013, 06:32:22 PM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/342006
Costa Concordia hero gets Bulgaria's '2012 Man of the Year' award
January 24, 2013

The Bulgarian technician credited with saving hundreds of lives on the Costa Concordia has been named his country's 'Man of the Year'. The award was handed out Monday at the Inter Expo Center in Sofia and Petar Petrov's wife and son accepted it for him.
Petrov, working on another Costa Cruises liner, the Costa Voyager, and unable to attend the ceremony, operated lifeboats on Jan. 13, 2012 when the Costa Concordia went too close to the Italian island of Giglio in the Tuscan Bay and hit a reef. The ship listed over and partially sank. When the tragedy occurred, Petrov went to work and began ferrying people in a lifeboat to the safety of the shore 300 metres away.
 ::snipping2::
Petrov is credited with commanding six trips to the shore in the lifeboat that held 150; he kept going back for more until the Coast Guard took over and ordered him to evacuate. He was one of the final three crew members to leave the ship.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 24, 2013, 06:34:10 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9824982/Costa-Concordia-owners-accused-of-playing-down-extent-of-catastrophe.html
Costa Concordia owners accused of playing down extent of catastrophe
Italian prosecutors broadened the inquiry into the Costa Concordia disaster on Thursday, announcing that they will investigate alleged failings by the cruise ship's owners.
January 24, 2013



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 24, 2013, 06:37:43 PM
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/dancer-who-survived-costa-concordia-disaster-reveals-desperate-bid-to-survive--one-year-on-from-tragedy-8464413.html
Dancer who survived Costa Concordia disaster reveals desperate bid to survive - one year on from tragedy
- Rose Metcalf was drinking coffee when disaster struck
- She rushed to change out of silk dress and into practical clothes
- One friend of hers left paralysed fleeing gushing water on board
- She reveals people used coffins to float away from listing ship
January 24, 2013

 ::snipping2::
“People went to the mortuary and were chucking coffins out, and using them to float because the lifejackets were locked in trunks,” Ms Metcalf added. “There were lots of explosion sounds inside the ship and gas bubbling in the water that filled the cabins.”
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 25, 2013, 06:32:05 PM
http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-oneyearlater-20130127,1,7648131.story
Questions linger one year after the Costa Concordia disaster
While some survivors of the Costa Concordia capsizing say they're still haunted by the lack of direction, cruise officials point to new safety policies put into place.
January 24, 2013

(2 pgs)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 25, 2013, 06:35:44 PM
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-25/carnival-s-costa-crociere-under-probe-in-concordia-wreck-case.html
Carnival’s Costa Crociere Under Probe in Concordia Wreck Case
January 25, 2013

Carnival Corp. (CCL)’s Costal Crociere unit is under probe for “possible violations” of the Italian administrative responsibility law in the Costa Concordia shipwreck probe, the company said in a statement.
Costa is “confident it will be able to demonstrate its full compliance with the law and states its full trust” in magistrates, it said yesterday.
 ::snipping2::
Prosecutors in Grosseto, Italy on Feb. 22 widened their probe to include seven employees of Costa Crociere, which has said it’s “absolutely certain” its staff acted correctly.
Italian consumer group Codacons said on its website that Costa Crociere risks a “super-fine” over the incident.
 ::snipping2::

Link to Codacons website:

http://www.codacons.it/  (you'll need to translate unless you can read Italian  ::MonkeyWink::)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 26, 2013, 01:53:28 PM
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/costa-concordia-people-were-clambering-over-each-other-to-get-out-8464607.html
Costa Concordia: ‘People were clambering over each other to get out’
January 24, 2013






Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 30, 2013, 07:40:36 AM
http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/survival/stories/one-year-after-costa-concordia-has-anything-changed-15037754?click=pm_latest
One Year After Costa Concordia, Has Anything Changed?
More than a year has passed since the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster. We investigate what the cruise industry has done to prevent it from happening again.

January 29, 2013



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 30, 2013, 08:01:40 AM
 http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/costa-concordia-captain-says-he-ll-certainly-command-another-ship-1.1135509
Costa Concordia captain says he'll 'certainly' command another ship
January 30, 2013

 ::snipping2::
Francesco Schettino is challenging Costa Crociere SpA's decision to fire him after the Concordia ran aground off Tuscany Jan. 13, 2012, and capsized, killing 32 people. Court-appointed experts have blamed Schettino for the disaster, saying he took the ship off course in a stunt.
 ::snipping2::
As he arrived Wednesday for the closed-door hearing in Torre Annunziata, near Naples, Schettino was asked if he thought he'd command a ship again. He replied: "Yes, certainly."
A separate court is deciding whether to indict Schettino on manslaughter and other charges.

Comments
Showing 1 - 3 of 3

R. Thompson
Jan. 30, 2013
7:20 AM
in his dreams

Not likely
Jan. 30, 2013
7:08 AM
You can bet that it won't be one with passengers or staff on it. Cowards just don't give people the warm fuzzy's.

Dan in Lacombe
Jan. 30, 2013
6:56 AM
Wanna bet?




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on February 09, 2013, 07:05:38 PM
http://www.marinelink.com/news/concordia-casualty351408.aspx
'Costa Concordia': Italy's Casualty Report Still Overdue
February 7, 2013

(press release)
The Board of Directors of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) regret Italy has not submitted its findings to IMO.
ICS, representing all sectors and trades and over 80% of the world's merchant fleet recently met in London.

The issues that ICS members considered included: frustration with the failure of Italy to submit a full maritime casualty report to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) following the ‘Costa Concordia’ cruise ship tragedy which occurred over a year ago; the continuing discussions at IMO and elsewhere on the best means of achieving further carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduction from ships; and serious concerns that the IMO Convention on Ship Recycling, adopted to improve standards throughout the world’s ship recycling yards, is in danger of being undermined by regional measures being discussed by the European Union. 

The ICS Board reviewed the continuing response at IMO to the ‘Costa Concordia’ cruise ship tragedy, and welcomed the measures that have so far been taken forward relating to passenger safety and evacuation procedures.

“The response of IMO so far has been measured and reasonable and we have been impressed by the commitment amongst governments to avoid knee jerk reactions” said ICS Chairman, Masamichi Morooka. “But IMO is under increasing pressure to take forward far more radical steps in advance of Italy publishing the complete results of its accident investigation, which it has still singularly failed to do.  Given the seriousness of the disaster, which happened over a year ago, this failure by Italy is simply unacceptable.  We still have no official understanding of what the underlying causes were with respect to an accident that really should never have happened.”

More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on February 09, 2013, 07:07:33 PM
http://www.cranestodaymagazine.com/news/crane-replaces-rock-that-hit-costa-concordia-cruise-ship-070213/
Crane replaces rock that hit Costa Concordia cruise ship
February 7, 2013

One year after the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia wreckage, victims' relatives watched as a crane lowered part of a rock that was removed from the hull of the ship into the water.
Two Effer marine cranes 200000 on the Voe Earl platform have been nearby the shores of the Giglio island, Tuscany, for months for the removal of the shipwrecks. The cranes put the rock into the sea during the one-year anniversary ceremony. The rock had been torn from the ship during the collision and remained stuck in the hull for almost one year.
 ::snipping2::

Photos at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on February 09, 2013, 07:09:42 PM
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f707bb7c-71eb-11e2-886e-00144feab49a.html
Catlin annoyed at Costa Concordia costs
February 8, 2013

The insurer Catlin has criticised Italian authorities for insisting the wreck of the Costa Concordia be removed in one piece, a complex operation that has pushed up its expected costs of the disaster by almost half.
Speaking as Catlin missed annual earnings expectations, Paul Jardine, chief operating officer, warned the bigger than expected expenses threatened to increase insurance premiums for other cruise ship owners.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on February 10, 2013, 12:05:28 PM
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/thomson-reuters/130210/five-crew-killed-cruise-ship-safety-drill
RPT-Five crew killed in cruise ship safety drill
February 10, 2013

MADRID, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Five crew members died in an emergency drill on a cruise ship in the Canary Islands on Sunday, police said.

Cables snapped on a lifeboat and it plunged 20 metres (65 feet) to the ocean and fell upside down, killing the five and injuring three others aboard, during the mock rescue exercise on the Thomson Majesty, operated by British travel group TUI Travel . It was in the port of La Palma.
 ::snipping2::
Three of the dead were Indonesians. The other dead were a Filipino and a Ghanaian.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on February 16, 2013, 10:12:43 PM
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20130216-no-central-agency-oversees-inspects-cruise-ships.ece
No central agency oversees, inspects cruise ships,
February 16, 2013

MIAMI -- A byzantine maze of maritime rules and regulations, fragmented oversight and a patchwork quilt of nations that do business with cruise lines make it tough for consumers to assess the health and safety record of the ship they're about to board in what for many is the vacation of a lifetime.
Want to know about a ship's track record for being clean? Want to assess how sanitary the food is? It's not that easy to find, in part because there's no one entity or country that oversees or regulates the industry with its fleet of ships that are like mini cities floating at sea.
In the case of Carnival Cruise Lines, the owner of the Carnival Triumph that spent days in the Gulf of Mexico disabled after an engine fire, the company is incorporated in Panama, its offices are based in Miami and its ships fly under the Bahamian flag - a matrix that is not unusual in the cruise line industry.
For potential passengers seeking ship information, there's no central database that can be viewed to determine a track record of safety or health inspections. No one agency regulates everything from the cruise line's mechanical worthiness to the sanitation of its kitchens.
 ::snipping2::
And when something goes wrong, as it did on Triumph, there are limits to how much the Coast Guard can investigate.
These are not new issues - they had been raised by members of Congress before the Triumph incident.
"This horrible situation involving the Carnival Triumph is just the latest example in a long string of serious and troubling incidents involving cruise ships," said Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., who led a committee hearing on cruise safety last year.
Last year, after the Costa Concordia ran aground off the coast of Giglio, Italy, Rockefeller held a Commerce Committee hearing to examine deficiencies in the cruise line industry's compliance with federal safety, security, and environmental standards and review industry regulations.
"As I remarked then, they seem to have two lives: One is at port, where the Coast Guard can monitor their operations; the other is at sea where, it appears once they are beyond three nautical miles from shore, the world is theirs," Rockefeller said in letter he wrote this week to Admiral Robert J. Papp Jr., the commandant of the Coast Guard. "The Carnival Triumph incident only serves to further validate this view."
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on February 21, 2013, 09:49:12 AM
The article below has some interesting images of the Costa Concordia visible on Google Maps.

http://www.ryot.org/blast-from-the-past-costa-concordia-cruise-ship-wreck-visible-on-google-maps/77205
BLAST FROM THE PAST: COSTA CONCORDIA CRUISE SHIP WRECK VISIBLE ON GOOGLE MAPS
February 14, 2013 at 1:23 pm in Science & Tech


On January 12, 2012, the Costa Concordia cruise ship (also owned by Carnival) hit a reef and ran aground at Isola del Giglio, Tuscany, leaving 32 people dead.

Interestingly enough, the ship — which was declared a “constructive total loss” — is still laying upon it’s side just off the coast of Isola del Giglio. Plans call for the Costa Concordia to be re-floated in the summer of 2013 and towed away to a shipyard where it will be cut up for scrap.

But until then, you can check out some amazing images on Google Maps. Take a look:

Can you spot the Costa Concordia? From far away, the ship looks like an extension of the island:
More...

(See images at link)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on February 21, 2013, 09:50:36 AM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p014dkrp
Surviving the Costa Concordia Disaster
AVAILABILITY:OVER A YEAR LEFT TO LISTEN
Duration: 25 minutes
First broadcast: Tuesday 19 February 2013
When Rose Metcalf landed a job as a dancer on a cruise liner, she felt her dreams had come true. She performed in variety shows as the ship - the Costa Concordia - cruised along the Italian coast. But on Friday 13 of January 2012, the ship hit rocks off the coast of Tuscany and began to sink. Rose tells how she stayed on board to help with the evacuation, More....

Audio


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on February 27, 2013, 05:52:01 PM
http://www.eturbonews.com/33625/costa-concordia-victims-have-jurisdiction-victory-florida
Costa Concordia victims have jurisdiction victory In Florida
February 26, 2013

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Survivors of the Costa Concordia grounding off the Tuscan coast of Italy in January 2012 won a huge victory in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida last week, when the District Judge ordered the claims of 104 survivors remanded to the Florida State Court for continued litigation. The court's February 15, 2013 order concerned two cases, Denise Abeid-Saba, et al., v. Carnival Corporation et al., (USDC-SDFla Docket No.: 12-CV-23513) and Scimone v. Carnival Corp., (USDC-S.D.Fla Docket No.: 12-CV-23505), together representing the claims of 104 plaintiffs injured when the huge ship capsized after grounding on rocks just off the shore of Isola del Giglio.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 01, 2013, 12:42:16 AM
http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/home/524051-costa-concordia-lawsuits-move-to-florida-court-system
Costa Concordia lawsuits move to Florida court system
February 28, 2013



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 01, 2013, 12:44:04 AM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/25/costa-concordia-prosecutors-captain-manslaughter
Costa Concordia: prosecutors request indictment of captain for manslaughter
Italian prosecutors seek trial of Francesco Schettino and five other crew members after shipwreck killed 32 people

February 25, 2013

Italian prosecutors have officially requested an indictment of the Costa Concordia's captain on manslaughter charges after the grounding of the cruise liner killed 32 people off the Tuscan coast last year.

Prosecutors in Grosseto, Tuscany, are also seeking the trial of Francesco Schettino on charges of causing a shipwreck and abandoning the vessel during the frantic and confused evacuation of passengers and crew.

The prosecutors said the Costa Concordia was conducting a publicity stunt off the coast of tiny Giglio island on the night of 13 January when it ran into a jagged reef, which left a 70-metre-long gash in the hull. The cruise liner quickly took on water and capsized, ending up on its side near the island's port.

Prosecutors also requested the indictment of five other crew members, including two officers who were on the bridge that night. The proposed charges against them vary, but all are accused of manslaughter.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 01, 2013, 12:46:43 AM
http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=5234
Prosecutors Request Indictments for Cruise Ship Captain in Concordia Case
February 27, 2013


 ::snipping2::
Costa Crociere, the Italian subsidiary of Carnival Corp. and owner of Concordia, has asked for a plea bargain agreement in the case. If accepted, the plea bargain could see Costa pay a (euro) 1 million ($1.35 million) fine, according to the AP.

Costa declined Cruise Critic's request for more information regarding the plea bargain.

In other Costa-related news, Travel Weekly U.K. reported that Pier Luigi Foschi, former Costa Crociere's CEO, donated his company bonus for the 2011-12 year to the Costa Foundation. The charity, which was set up following the Costa Concordia disaster, received $969,000 from Foschi.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 01, 2013, 12:50:08 AM
http://www.businessinsider.com/costa-concordia-salvage-update-photos-2013-2
The Insanely Complex, $400 Million Plan To Remove The Shipwrecked Costa Concordia Is Well Underway
February 26, 2013

Slide show with 18 images at link:
http://www.businessinsider.com/costa-concordia-salvage-update-photos-2013-2#the-salvage-operation-is-expected-to-cost-400-million-insurance-companies-are-footing-the-bill-the-ship-should-be-floated-upright-next-summer-1 (http://www.businessinsider.com/costa-concordia-salvage-update-photos-2013-2#the-salvage-operation-is-expected-to-cost-400-million-insurance-companies-are-footing-the-bill-the-ship-should-be-floated-upright-next-summer-1)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 11, 2013, 01:52:06 PM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/06/prosecutors-dossier-costa-concordia-victims
Prosecutors release dossier detailing how Costa Concordia victims died
Captain of cruise liner that crashed into rocks could face charges of manslaughter and abandoning ship

March 5, 2013

The youngest victim of the Costa Concordia sinking died shortly after being told there was no space for her or her father in a lifeboat, Italian prosecutors have said.

Five-year-old Dayana Arlotti and her father Williams Arlotti were two of the 32 people who lost their lives when the cruise liner crashed into rocks off the island of Giglio in January last year.

In a 60-page dossier detailing how the victims died, prosecutors in the Italian town of Grosseto called for the captain of the Concordia, Francesco Schettino, to face trial on charges of manslaughter and abandoning ship.


They documented how Dayana and her father had tried and failed to find seats in a lifeboat on the port side of deck number four, and had been directed by staff to the starboard side instead. On the way over, though, Dayana fell into a flooded area and drowned.

Giuseppe Girolamo, a musician who had been working on the ship, gave up his seat in a lifeboat for someone else, only to die himself when he fell into the water.
 ::snipping2::
An investigating judge is expected to announce within weeks that 52-year-old Schettino and several other people, including representatives of Costa Crociere, the company that owned the Concordia, should stand trial.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 11, 2013, 01:55:53 PM
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/442374/20130305/schettino-costa-concordia-victims-italy.htm
Costa Concordia Victims 'Doomed by Titanic-Style Lifeboat Chaos'
March 5, 2013

 ::snipping2::
Documents filed by Italian prosecutors against captain Francesco Schettino, who abandoned the cruise liner as it sank, recount chaotic scenes in which some victims died after slipping on the flooded deck, while others drowned in the freezing waters because they were unable to swim.

The documents show that five-year-old Dayana Arlotti, the youngest of the 32 people killed in the tragedy, died along with her father, William, after they were turned away from a lifeboat.

"Having not found places in a lifeboat on deck four on the port side, they were directed by members of the crew to the starboard side," the 60-page dossier reads.

Dayana and her father met their death falling "in a flooded area of the deck, as the ship capsized on its starboard side." William Arlotti tried frantically to pull his daughter to safety, but to no avail.
 ::snipping2::

A similar fate awaited Jeanne Yvonne Gannard and her brother Pierre André Emile Gregoire, as well as Josef Werp and his wife Brunhild.

Maria D'Intorno did not know how to swim. She had found a spot aboard a lifeboat but was forced to get back on the cruise, as this was going down with a tilt angle that prevented the launch.

As waters flooded the area, the woman "was forced to jump into the water" in a desperate attempt to reach the shore. She died along with a further 26 passengers and five crew members.

Prosecutors alleged Schettino's orders caused a shortage of lifeboats.

The captain initially ordered evacuation to take place from the starboard side only. Several lifeboats on the port side were left unused and their launch was later made impossible by the Costa Concordia's sinking.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 11, 2013, 01:58:25 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/08/costa-concordia-wreck_n_2838804.html
Costa Concordia Wreck To Be Moved To Port Of Piombino
March 8, 2013

ROME -- Italy's caretaker government has authorized authorities to move the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship to the nearest port, Piombino in Tuscany, to be disassembled.

Tuscan President Enrico Rossi welcomed Friday's decision, saying Piombino is the most economical and environmentally sound choice because of its proximity.

However, a center-left lawmaker said the choice could delay the removal of the wreck until next year because of needed port upgrades.
 ::snipping2::
Italy's civil protection agency is looking at September as the likely date to move the wreck.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 14, 2013, 11:35:50 PM
http://www.marinelink.com/news/management-concordia352419.aspx
Costa Concordia & Maritime Error Management
March 12, 2013



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 14, 2013, 11:38:02 PM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/06/prosecutors-dossier-costa-concordia-victims
Prosecutors release dossier detailing how Costa Concordia victims died
Captain of cruise liner that crashed into rocks could face charges of manslaughter and abandoning ship

March 5, 2013

The youngest victim of the Costa Concordia sinking died shortly after being told there was no space for her or her father in a lifeboat, Italian prosecutors have said.

Five-year-old Dayana Arlotti and her father Williams Arlotti were two of the 32 people who lost their lives when the cruise liner crashed into rocks off the island of Giglio in January last year.

In a 60-page dossier detailing how the victims died, prosecutors in the Italian town of Grosseto called for the captain of the Concordia, Francesco Schettino, to face trial on charges of manslaughter and abandoning ship.


They documented how Dayana and her father had tried and failed to find seats in a lifeboat on the port side of deck number four, and had been directed by staff to the starboard side instead. On the way over, though, Dayana fell into a flooded area and drowned.

Giuseppe Girolamo, a musician who had been working on the ship, gave up his seat in a lifeboat for someone else, only to die himself when he fell into the water.
 ::snipping2::
An investigating judge is expected to announce within weeks that 52-year-old Schettino and several other people, including representatives of Costa Crociere, the company that owned the Concordia, should stand trial.

Captain Schettino has a lot to answer for.   JMHO ::MonkeyNoNo::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 08, 2013, 12:39:03 PM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/347393
Costa Concordia news: Ship's bell is missing, platform in place
April 6, 2013

A crucial underwater platform that will help to raise the Costa Concordia was put into place last week at the wreckage site off the coast of the Italian island of Giglio. Also, late in March the ship's bell went missing.
The platform, referred to as Platform Number One is the fourth to be put in place and largest of six to be used; it weighs 1,000 tons and is 40 m. by 33 m. and will support the ship when it is pushed up by giant, expanding balloons underneath the submerged side of the ship. Once raised it will be towed to the port of Piombino for scrapping.
 ::snipping2::
Meanwhile, the ship's bell was seemingly stolen in March and a thief or thieves somehow evaded laser security and found their way to the bell. Authorities in Italy have said they believe it may have been an inside job, suspecting a diver or divers working on the wreck removed it to keep as a memento.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 14, 2013, 08:18:50 PM
http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-costa-concordia-fine-20130410,0,2757099.story
Costa Concordia firm fined $1.3 million for shipwreck off Italy
April 10, 2013

ROME -- The operator of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, which struck rocks and partially sank off Italy last year, killing 32 people, agreed  Wednesday to pay a $1.3-million fine to avoid a possible criminal trial.

A judge in Tuscany accepted the plea agreement for Costa Crociere, a division of Miami-based Carnival Corp., in connection with the shipwreck off the island of Giglio in January 2012.

The company will not face trial, but a hearing is scheduled Monday in Tuscany to determine whether six of the firm’s employees --  including the vessel’s captain, Francesco Schettino, who is accused of steering the vessel ontothe  rocks --  must stand trial on charges that include manslaughter.


U.S. lawyer John Arthur Eaves Jr., who represents 150 of the 4,000 passengers and crew members, said the accident was “primarily the fault of Carnival and its subsidiary Costa Crociere” and that the companies should have faced charges. He described the plea agreement as “a tragedy.”

Italian consumer group Codacons, which also represents passengers, described the fine as “a slap to the survivors and most of all to the relatives of the victims of the shipwreck.”
“The responsibility of the company for the shipwreck on Giglio is more than evident, as are the many shortcomings in the safety systems on the Costa Concordia,” Codacons said in a statement.

Former passengers have said poor staff training led to a chaotic evacuation of the vessel as crew members struggled to release lifeboats.

Marco de Luca, a lawyer for Costa Crociere, called the plea agreement “the most reasonable solution.” The company has blamed Schettino for the disaster.
Schettino allegedly rammed the Costa Concordia into the coast of Giglio during an attempt to sail close to the island,  a practice called "taking a bow." Rocks tore a long gash in the side of the 950-foot vessel that caused it to take on water and list before grounding in shallow water. He could face 20 years in jail.

“Carnival and Costa Crociere set the standards that allowed this to happen, permitting captains to change routes and allowing crew that didn’t speak the same language to work together,” Eaves said. “A 1-million euro fine will not get them to change their ways.”

Costa Crociere still faces civil lawsuits by the relatives of passengers who drowned while trying to flee the ship, as well as by survivors who have turned down the firm’s starting offer of about $14,400 per person in compensation.

Eaves said he was due to take depositions from Carnival Chief Executive  Micky Arison and members of the firm’s safety committee about company safety measures before potential civil proceedings. Eaves is seeking $5 million in compensation for each of the passengers he represents.

The plea agreement means Costa Crociere may pursue legal action as an injured party. It has said it will seek payment of damages for the loss of the ship.

Codacons spokesman Stefano Zerbi said it would have been preferable to see Costa Crociere "stand trial alongside its staff."

 “It is a legal paradox," Zerbi said, "that the firm can pay this fine and then simply reappear at a trial as an injured party, as a victim."
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 14, 2013, 08:20:45 PM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/347920
Bollywood to tackle making a movie of Costa Concordia tragedy
April 13, 2013

ollywood in the form of a film company from India that shoots in the Tamil language is going to Italy to make a movie about the disaster that was the Costa Concordia. However, they won't be able to film on the island of Giglio.
"The community on the island's understandably very sensitive. We are trying to find another island in the archipelago where they can shoot," Raffaella Conti of Toscana Film Commission, told media Friday, April 12th.
The area of Tuscany where Giglio, and the capsized Costa Concordia, are situated is promoting itself as a film-making region. The film won't exactly be considered 'Bollywood' but will rather go by a new phrase making the film community rounds - Kollywood. It combines Bollywood, which of course got it's name from Hollywood, and Kodambakkam; Kodambakkam is an area of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, in southeast India
Hollywood, Bollywood, Kollywood
And while on the subject of something not quite being something else, the film won't quite be the story of the Costa Concordia. Conti said the plot line draws from the real story of the 114,500 ton cruise ship with a slight variation. But you be the judge, here is Conti's description of the plot. "A group of tourists find themselves on a desert island as a result of a shipwreck."
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 18, 2013, 03:01:55 PM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/348034
Costa Concordia's Schettino in court to see if charges to be laid
April 16, 2013

The tragedy that was the Costa Concordia continues to make news as the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, and five others, were in court in Grosetto, Italy, on Monday to begin a hearing that will determine if they can be charged for the disaster.
 ::snipping2::
Schettino may face multiple charges
This pre-trial hearing is expected to last until April 24 and Schettino, 52, and the other five were in attendance at the courtroom Monday and must continue to attend. The prosecution is seeking to charge the others with such infractions as manslaughter and failing to cooperate with marine authorities. They seek to charge Schettino with manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship.
That last charge arises from the fact that Schettino left the Costa Concordia well before the ship had been evacuated. On that night he maintained, and has since, that he "tripped" into a lifeboat and was unable get back onto the Costa Concordia. His abandoning the ship, and his reason for having done so, earned him the nickname 'The Chicken of the Sea' in Italy.
Schettino's lawyer doesn't believe Judge Pietro Molino will decide in favor of the charges being laid. "This was an accident at work," Francesco Pepe told reporters during a break in the proceedings. "You cannot criminalize a man because he had an accident while working."


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 18, 2013, 03:03:44 PM
http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/blog/2013/04/pre-trial-begins-for-costa-concordia.html
Pre-trial begins for Costa Concordia officers
April 15, 2013

 ::snipping2::
Italian prosecutors argued in a preliminary hearing on Monday that Schettino should be tried for manslaughter for causing the shipwreck, which could carry a sentence of 20 years in prison.
Schettino allegedly steered the ship too close to the Italian island of Giglio to perform a "ship salute" for the benefit of the passengers and the islanders, causing the ship to run aground and partially sink. The captain allegedly abandoned the ship before all of the 4,000 passengers were able to escape the cruise vessel.
Schettino's lawyer said the captain did not cause the crash or abandon ship, the Chicago Tribune reported. The lawyer, Francesco Pepe, told reporters during a break in the hearing that the incident was an accident at work and that "you cannot criminalize a man because he had an accident while working."
The prosecutors also named five other people who they think should face a criminal trial. Those men include helmsman Jacob Rusli, bridge officers Ciro Ambrosio and Silvia Coronica, cabin services manager Manrico Giampedroni and fleet crisis coordinator, Roberto Ferrarini, the Tribune reported.
Last week Concordia owner Costa Cruises, a unit of Miami-based Carnival Corp., accepted a $1.31 million fine as part of a settlement with the Italian government that would dismiss possible criminal charges for the company for its role in the shipwreck.
The Costa Concordia is in the process of being lifted so that it could be towed to an Italian shipyard to be salvaged. Pompano Beach-based Titan Salvage and its Italian partner Micoperi won the contract to upright the ship.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 18, 2013, 03:05:55 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10003575/Giant-boxes-attached-to-Costa-Concordia-to-help-refloat-it.html
Giant boxes attached to Costa Concordia to help refloat it
April 18, 2013

The first of 30 giant hollow boxes has been attached to the side of the stricken Costa Concordia cruise ship, as efforts intensify to refloat the vessel more than a year after it capsized with the loss of 32 lives.
The 395-ton compartment, known as a sponson, was welded to the hull of the 950-ft long cruise liner, which rammed into rocks off the Italian island of Giglio last January.
It had been towed to the island by a barge from the port of Livorno on the coast of Tuscany.
Fifteen of the huge steel boxes will be attached to each side of the Concordia.
The plan is to haul it upright with the use of jacks and cables and then refloat it with the aid of the compartments, which will be pumped full of air and act like arm bands.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 24, 2013, 09:09:45 PM
http://www.marinelink.com/news/concordia-salvage-update353812.aspx
Costa Concordia Salvage Update
Press Release
April 23, 2013

Salvors have successfully positioned the first port-side sponson that will be used in the 'parbuckling' stage of the wreck removal process.
Operations now continue with the installation of the second sponson, and eventually they will be welded on the hull of the wreck.
At the same time,  drillings for next 10 underwater holes will carry on in order to position remaining platforms 2 & 3.
 ::snipping2::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 26, 2013, 09:50:38 PM
http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/44173/Concordia-diver-found-dead-in-shower.html
Concordia diver found dead in shower
Not work-related, police say
April 26, 2013

Grosseto, April 26 - A diver working to remove the Costa Concordia cruise liner from a Tuscan reef after last year's disaster that claimed 32 lives has been found dead in his shower. The 54-year-old Filipino last went down three days ago and his death has not been linked to his job, police said.
 ::snipping2::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 26, 2013, 09:52:07 PM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/348887
Work on refloating Costa Concordia ongoing as giant box attached
April 26, 2013

Italian and American companies, Micoperi and Titan Salvage, continue working on refloating the Costa Concordia. Last week the first of 15 giant 'boxes' was attached to a side of the liner. Twenty-nine more are still to be attached.
There will be 15 of these hollow boxes on either side of the Costa Concordia. Once all 30 are in place a series of cables and pulleys will lift the boat upwards and set it in a floating position, with the hollow boxes enabling that to occur.
 ::snipping2::
Once refloated the ship will be towed to the nearby port of Piombino for scrapping.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 03, 2013, 11:04:37 PM
Translated from Italian to English using Google:

http://www.lanazione.it/grosseto/cronaca/2013/05/03/882493-le-dichiarazioni-di-legambiente-sullo-smaltimento.shtml
Two ancient shipwrecks buried from the Costa Concordia. "Lost a historical and artistic heritage"
May 2, 2013



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 22, 2013, 03:55:20 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/23/world/europe/costa-concordia-captain-to-be-tried-for-manslaughter.html?_r=0
Cruise Ship Captain to Be Tried for Manslaughter
May 22, 2013

ROME — An Italian judge on Wednesday ordered the captain of the cruise ship Costa Concordia to stand trial on manslaughter and other charges related to the deadly capsizing of the vessel off the coast of Tuscany in January 2012.
The judge set a July 9 trial date for the captain, Francesco Schettino, 52. He is accused of causing the ship to run aground, resulting in the deaths of 32 people, and then abandoning the vessel while many of its 4,229 passengers and crew members were still aboard.
“Schettino’s indictment certainly did not come unexpected,” said Francesco Pepe, one of the captain’s lawyers, who attended a pretrial hearing on Wednesday in Grosseto, a Tuscan city close to where the ship capsized. Mr. Pepe described the captain’s mood as very “attentive and focused on the case,” but also calm. “It’s like a driver whose bus goes offroad,” he said. “He had an accident and did all he could to reduce its consequences.”

Five other defendants — an official of the cruise ship company, Costa Cruises, and four crew members — sought plea bargains, and their cases will be judged separately. Plaintiffs in the case lamented the fact that Captain Schettino would be the only defendant brought to trial. “Nobody expected Schettino not to stand trial,” said Cesare Bulgheroni, one of the lawyers for a group called Justice for the Concordia that represents more than 100 survivors. “But he is not the only one to be held responsible. Had the company not responded so slowly to the accident and allowed the ship to navigate so close to shore, the shipwreck would have had lesser consequences.”
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: sharon on May 27, 2013, 08:35:25 AM
http://skift.com/2013/05/15/prosecutors-reject-costa-concordia-captains-plea-bargain-on-manslaughter-charge/

Court rejects Costa Concordia captain’s manslaughter plea bargain


by Silvia Ognibene and Antonio Denti, Reuters
May 15, 2013 1:08 am

Prosecutors rejected a plea bargain offer by the captain of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, which capsized off Italy’s west coast last year with the loss of 32 lives, lawyers said on Tuesday.

Captain Francesco Schettino is accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship. He has admitted making mistakes but says he should not be the only one blamed for the disaster.

State prosecutors accepted plea bargains for five other officials, including four ship’s officers and the crisis coordinator of the vessel’s owners, Costa Cruises.

The prosecutors said they had rejected Schettino’s offer to serve three years and four months in prison as he bore most responsibility for the disaster. The other officers had played a “marginal” role, they said.

 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: sharon on May 27, 2013, 08:36:57 AM
http://cnd-cruiseblogger.blogspot.com/2013/05/costa-concordia-like-you-havent-seen-it.html?spref=fb

Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Costa Concordia Like You Haven't Seen It
This video was shot by a company called Team BlackSheep. They sell high-end drones for hobbyists (but much, much lower end than military versions). These are small four-propeller remote-controlled helicopters with cameras called Quadrocopters, costing about $1,600.

To promote their business they shoot videos with spectacular views of the world’s great cities or famous landmarks from the unusual close-up perspective of the drones.

Their latest sends a drone over and around (but not into) the wreck of Costa Concordia. It also meanders around some of the equipment readying the wreck for salvage. The video is definitely worth a look because it yields some spectacular sunset views of the ship and Giglio Island.

 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 27, 2013, 09:36:47 AM
http://skift.com/2013/05/15/prosecutors-reject-costa-concordia-captains-plea-bargain-on-manslaughter-charge/

Court rejects Costa Concordia captain’s manslaughter plea bargain


by Silvia Ognibene and Antonio Denti, Reuters
May 15, 2013 1:08 am

Prosecutors rejected a plea bargain offer by the captain of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, which capsized off Italy’s west coast last year with the loss of 32 lives, lawyers said on Tuesday.

Captain Francesco Schettino is accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship. He has admitted making mistakes but says he should not be the only one blamed for the disaster.

State prosecutors accepted plea bargains for five other officials, including four ship’s officers and the crisis coordinator of the vessel’s owners, Costa Cruises.

The prosecutors said they had rejected Schettino’s offer to serve three years and four months in prison as he bore most responsibility for the disaster. The other officers had played a “marginal” role, they said.

 ::snipping3::


Sadly, sometimes it takes a disaster and loss of life for change to happen.   For the loss of 32 lives not to have been in vain, there must be change and  some has already taken place, with more on the way.  Cruising is a very big industry and it has allowed so many folks a way to see the world.  I hope this hasn't stopped any folks from cruising, but I do hope it has created an awareness for personal safety.  Not only do the cruise lines have responsibility, but each person as a passenger does also.  That means doing the drills and not wandering off instead to have a beverage with a little umbrella.  Take the time and look at what you need to do to be safe.  And then have that beverage  ::monkeywine2::  I'm one of those people that actually listens to the airline staff and counts seats to the nearest exit.  And then I have a beverage.  ::MonkeyHaHa::

I don't know much about ships and maritime law, but it seems to me the Captain of the ship has a responsibility to his passengers and crew even if he's not at the helm.  He's the captain.  Period.  Head dude.  The one in control, the one that calls the shots.  It's sad that he not only failed in his duties as a captain, but as a fellow human being.  Instead of taking responsibility and helping passengers and crew, it was the dancers, the waiters, the musicians and some of his fellow officers and passengers that heeded the call for help.  That's just my opinion, and I formed it from what I've been able to read in articles.  He abandoned  ship amidst the disaster, and didn't go back to help even when asked and directed to do so.  He should never, ever be in a position of authority again.  JMHO  Captain Schettino didn't man up the night of the disaster, so I don't expect him to do it now.  What the heck was he doing just before the Concordia went aground?  What did he do afterwards?  Why did he wait so long to report the problems?  Why did he wait so long to notify the guests and crew and prepare them?  And why did he get off the ship and fail to return?  I don't believe Captain Schettino represents the majority of the cruise captains out there.  He makes the entire industry look bad.  There were 32 souls lost that night, injuries, loss of jobs and so on.  How does he sleep at night?  He admits he made some mistakes.   What an ego. Epic fail.  Take your lumps, Captain Schettino.  ::MonkeyNoNo::  All just my humble opinion.





Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 28, 2013, 11:02:23 PM
http://www.marinelink.com/news/concordia-published354931.aspx
'Costa Concordia' Accident Report Published
May 26, 2013

The Italian Ministry of Infrastructure & Transport (MIT) releases its investigation report on the January 13, 2012 stranding of the cruise liner.
The report is the result of a thoroughly comprehensive investigation of all aspects of the accident and is available for download here. It does not seek to attribute blame for an accident that was clearly the result of human error. Many recommendations are made by the investigators, and those that appear particularly relevant and concrete are extracted below.
The immediate flooding of five watertight compartments, where most of the vital equipment the ship was located, some distance from where she ended up, marks the Costa Concordia casualty unusual in the extreme.
More...

Investigation Report:

http://www.safety4sea.com/images/media/pdf/Costa_Concordia_-_Full_Investigation_Report.pdf


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 28, 2013, 11:05:57 PM
http://marinelog.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4099:italy-releases-costa-concordia-casualty-investigation-report&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=195
Italy releases Costa Concordia casualty investigation report
May 27, 2013

MAY 27, 2013 — Italy's Ministry Of Infrastructures and Transports has released its report on the safety technical investigation of the Costa Concordia disaster in January 2012.

It concludes that "the human element is the root cause in the Costa Concordia casualty," both in the first phase, "the unconventional action which caused the contact with the rocks," and then the general emergency management thereafter.
It should be also noted that the Costa Concordia is, first of all, a tragedy, and that the 32 dead people and the 157 injured, depended only by the above mentioned human element, which shows poor proficiency by key crewmembers.
According with the evidences found at the end of the present investigation, it is necessary to put in evidence that Costa Concordia resulted in full compliance with all the SOLAS applicable regulations, matching therefore all the related requirements once she left the Civitavecchia Port on the evening of the 13 January 2013.

Here's an extract from the English version of the report:

"It is worth to highlight also the following problems in terms of organization: - in the meantime, although the ship was proceeding quickly toward the shore , taking command well in advance, still in time to correct the dangerous route, represents for the Master an aggravating in his nautical behaviour; - the difficulties of the Master in reading the radar screen (according to 1st Deck Officer, was without glasses for near vision); - the use of cartography totally inadequate - an inappropriate application of systems navigation (Ecdis and Radar in appropriate scale of approaching); - however, the distraction of the Master by the conduct due both to the people in the hotel business department that were already on the bridge when he arrived, and to the call engaged by one of them with a colleague on the ground; - the orders of the Master to the helmsman given by assigning the bow to follow, rather than ordering the rudder angle."

The report makes wide-ranging recommendations that address not only human element issues but also questions relating to cruise ship design and construction..
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 28, 2013, 11:10:43 PM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2332194/Captain-Coward-fled-sinking-cruise-liner-Costa-Concordia-leaving-300-passengers-crew-fate.html
Captain Coward fled from sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia leaving 300 passengers and crew to their fate
May 28, 2013


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 06, 2013, 01:26:55 PM
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/05/a-quadcopters-eye-view-of-the-costa-concordia-shipwreck/
A Quadcopter’s-Eye View Of The Costa Concordia Shipwreck
May 27, 2013

Video


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 06, 2013, 01:31:52 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10101235/Dancer-at-centre-of-Costa-Concordia-crash-to-sue-Captain-Schettino.html
Dancer at centre of Costa Concordia crash to sue Captain Schettino
The Moldovan dancer seen dining with Captain Francesco Schettino the night the Costa Concordia ran aground is to seek damages from the captain and the ship’s parent company.

June 5, 2013


(http://i.imgur.com/3T88439.jpg)
Domnica Cemortan

 ::snipping3::
Domnica Cemortan, a 26-year-old cruise ship passenger hostess and former dancer, was reportedly on the bridge with Schettino when the ship struck rocks off the island on January 13 last year.
Immediately after the accident she reportedly told investigators that she was “in love” with Schettino.
Cemortan’s Italian lawyer Gianluca Madonna on Wednesday told The Telegraph his client rejected any suggestion of a relationship between the couple and that she was seeking damages against the captain and the company which had failed to defend her publicly or keep its promise to rehire her.
She is also considering separate action against several Italian newspapers, magazines and TV channels who allegedly slandered her reputation for suggesting she had been involved with the captain.
“She is a hard worker and is a beautiful dancer, very professional,” Mr Madonna said. “The media has presented her as a prostitute.” He said his client was angry at the way she had been abandoned by the company and would be seeking damages “between 200,000 and 300,000 euros” (£255,000) in compensation — well above the 11,000 euros being offered by the company to survivors.
“The action against Costa Cruises is for all the problems they created,” Mr Madonna said. “She paid for a ticket on the ship and received a key to the room an hour and a half later. Her room was on the same private floor as Schettino’s room.”
He said neither Schettino nor the company had said anything to defend her.
“On the night of the accident she risked her life helping Russian passengers because there was no one on board who spoke Russian. Since the accident she has not worked regularly and Costa did not renew her contract.”

 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 24, 2013, 05:44:10 PM
Good news!   :fish: :nemo: :smt045

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/352805
Water quality around Costa Concordia wreck unaffected by ship
June 21, 2013

Tests released to the public on the island of Giglio in the Tuscan Bay reveal that water quality around the partially-submerged Costa Concordia is good. The tests reveal that the water by the ship is of the same quality as elsewhere in the area.
Costa Cruises, owner/operator of the Costa Concordia, is paying for the testing and they are being conducted by researchers from the University of Florence, the University of Pisa and the University of Rome, and others. Tests were conducted on not just water but also on colonies of mussels, sea urchins and fish in the area.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 26, 2013, 11:19:57 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10141479/Costa-Concordia-will-not-be-moved-until-May-2014.html
Costa Concordia will not be moved until May 2014
The wreck of the Costa Concordia will not be towed away from the island of Giglio until next Spring at the earliest – more than two years after it capsized, claiming the lives of 32 people.
June 25, 2013

The timetable for removing the 950ft-long cruise liner has continually slipped, to the dismay of the island’s inhabitants, who want it towed off as soon as possible.
It was originally intended to refloat the ship and tow it away with tug boats early this Spring.
 ::snipping3::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 28, 2013, 10:45:50 PM
http://ohsonline.com/articles/2013/06/28/costa-concordia-update.aspx?admgarea=news
Salvors Confirm: Costa Concordia Upright by Early September
Engineers from the joint venture hired to refloat the cruise ship updated the mayor and residents of the island of Giglio on June 25.
June 28, 2013

Titan-Micoperi, the joint venture of two companies hired to refloat the stranded cruise ship Costa Concordia, posted an update that says they intend to turn the ship upright by early September. <snip>


What will be completed by then is the parbuckling, which uprights the ship so it rests on six giant platforms that have been anchored to the granite sea floor to support the ship. This event finally will expose the inaccessible starboard side of the ship that is now underwater. Fifteen caissons, called sponsons, then must be attached to the starboard side to match the 15 on the port side, so the ship can be refloated.

The sixth and final underwater platform is being positioned this week, according to the release.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 09, 2013, 10:59:04 PM
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/07/09/cruise-ship-italy-trial/2504299/
Captain of wrecked cruise ship on trial in Italy
July 9, 2013 



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 12, 2013, 10:32:19 PM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/354233
Trial of captain of Costa Concordia, Francesco Schettino, begins
July 12, 2013

Grosseto - The trial of Francesco Schettino, charged with manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship in the Costa Concordia tragedy, finally got underway on Tuesday. Four other officers had been charged but were given plea bargains.
The trial got underway in the Tuscan city of Grosseto for one hour before it was adjourned due to a lawyers strike. The strike is a protest of new government regulations meant to accelerate civil trials and is expected to be brief and meant as a show of strength. Schettino's trial is expected to get back underway on July 17.
 ::snipping3::
The proceedings are taking place in a theater made into a makeshift courtroom to accommodate the huge crowds expected, most of whom will be relatives of the dead who say they are there to see justice prevail.
Outside the courtroom, Schettino's lawyer, Demenico Pepe, told media he and his client seek only the truth in the matter. "The idea that he abandoned the ship is a wrong interpretation," Pepe said. "We want the truth to come out of this trial."
The ship remains 300 meters off of the shore of Giglio, a massive hulking thing visible all over the town. It is being prepared to be refloated by the American firm Titan Salvage and the Italian firm, Micoperi. Once raised sometime next spring, the Costa Concordia will be towed to the port of Piombino to be scrapped.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 17, 2013, 07:00:25 AM
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/17/world/europe/his-ship-still-aground-captain-goes-on-trial.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
His Ship Still Aground, Captain Goes on Trial
July 16, 1013

ROME — He was the focus of Italians’ rage and embarrassment 18 months ago, when he was accused of abandoning his ship after it ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan coast, killing 32 people. On Wednesday the ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, will finally appear in a courtroom.
 ::snipping3::
Captain Schettino became infamous the world over a few days after the wreck of his ship, the Costa Concordia, when a wiretapped conversation surfaced that indicated he was standing on a rock next to the vessel before the extremely chaotic evacuation was complete.

His dispute with a port authority official who tried to cajole him into getting back on board and taking command of the evacuation was played over and over again on Italian news outlets and Web sites. Captain Schettino admitted he was on the rock but said he was there because he had fallen overboard. Nevertheless, British newspapers called him “Captain Coward.”

Captain Schettino, the only defendant in this trial, denies wrongdoing and has said that he took the vessel close to the shore only after the initial impact, a maneuver that he says saved many lives. If found guilty, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

Five other defendants, a company official and four crew members, are accused of complicity in the shipwreck and manslaughter, charges that carry potential prison terms of less than five years. Their expedited trials will begin Saturday.

“The mistakes of the crew members influenced the accident,” said the chief prosecutor of Grosseto, Francesco Verusio, in a telephone interview. “But they are not the main actors here. The captain is the one who bears the heaviest responsibility. He was navigating at 16 knots an hour with no route, at night, by the stars. That’s way too fast so close to shore.”

Francesco Pepe, one of Captain Schettino’s lawyers, argues that his client thought he had set the ship at a safe distance from the shore and that miscommunication with the Indonesian helmsman could have played a role in the accident.
 ::snipping3::
In April, the Concordia’s operator, Costa Cruises, a unit of the Carnival Corporation, agreed to pay the state $1.3 million to resolve a number of minor charges against its employees. However, the company is facing civil suits from passengers and crew members who have refused compensation — about 20 percent of those on board — though settlements are still being reached in Italy and abroad.

In the meantime, patience is running out on the island of Giglio, where operations to remove the 54,000-ton vessel could be further delayed by the Italian authorities.

Local residents complain that the hulking shipwreck has crushed the island’s economy, which depends on tourism. And there is growing nervousness that the salvage operation, already recognized as among the most complex ever undertaken, may be even more complicated than anticipated.

The vessel was supposed to be removed before this summer, but the difficulties of drilling holes into granite in 35 feet of water, in addition to an extraordinarily long and rough winter, forced salvage workers to modify the original timetable.

For the past year, nearly 500 divers, technicians and engineers have worked to stabilize the ship using anchors and cement-filled bags. A submerged platform was erected to rotate the ship onto, and most of the 200-plus-foot gash in the vessel’s side has been welded shut.
 ::snipping3::
Mr. Sloane, an engineer with Titan Salvage of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and his team are preparing for the so-called parbuckling operation, an 8- to 10-hour process that will try to lift the vessel upright in one day and then float it away.

The operation is risky, a one-shot deal, he said, because if the attempt fails, the ship cannot be put back on the seabed to begin from scratch.

“We are quite confident in the whole operation,” which is scheduled to take place in September, Mr. Sloane said in a phone interview. “But until we get it upright, we can’t know the damage and can’t say how fast we can get it out. We have to keep in mind that the parbuckling will cause some damage, too.”

Last week, the director of Italy’s Civil Protection Agency, Franco Gabrielli, voiced concern over the uncertainties surrounding the ambitious project and suggested that the removal operations could be postponed to next year.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 20, 2013, 06:35:25 PM
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/07/20/italy-costa-concordia-cruise/2570735/
Italy: Court convicts 5 employees in deadly shipwreck
July 20, 2013

 ::snipping3::

The court in Grosseto on Saturday handed down the highest sentence to the crisis coordinator for Costa Crociere, Roberto Ferranini, who was sentenced to two years and 10 months. The ship's hotel director was sentenced to two years and six months while two bridge officers and a helmsman got sentences ranging from one year and eight months to one year and 11 months.

The plea bargains were handled separately from the trial of Costa Concordia captain, who is charged with manslaughter for causing the January 2012 shipwreck of the Tuscan island of Giglio and abandoning the vessel with thousands aboard.

Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: cw618 on July 21, 2013, 01:36:03 PM
TY for the updates MB
wow he's leaving,and wants help to come aboard to help passengers

Costa Concordia captain's 'phone call with port authority' - video
Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia, was ordered by the coastguard to return to the stricken ship after claiming that the evacuation was almost complete when it had scarcely begun, according to this recording of what Italian newspaper say is a telephone conversation between the captain and the port authority
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2012/jan/17/costa-concordia-captain-phone-call-video

Francesco Schettino: the captain who refused to return to ship
John Hooper in Rome
The Guardian, Tuesday 17 January 2012 14.47 EST
 ::snipping3::
Recordings of radio and telephone calls made by Italian coastguards indicate that they were twice assured the vessel was suffering from only a "small technical failure", that Schettino claimed the evacuation was almost complete when it had scarcely begun, and that he abandoned ship long before the last of his passengers.

"No. I'm not on board because the bows of the ship are coming up. We've abandoned her," he tells an incredulous coastguard, who replies: "What do you mean? You've abandoned ship?" Schettino then appears to do a volte face: "No. No way have I abandoned ship. I'm here."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/17/francesco-schettino-captain-costa-concordia


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 24, 2013, 11:55:50 AM
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/07/haunting-images-of-costa-concordia-shipwreck-show-up-on-google-maps/
See Haunting Images Of Costa Concordia Shipwreck On Google Maps
July 22, 2013


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 06, 2013, 09:50:36 AM
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/08/01/Grounded-ship-Costa-Concordia-must-be-righted-by-winter-official-says/UPI-75521375383988/
Grounded ship Costa Concordia must be righted by winter, official says
August 1, 2013

ROME, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The cruise ship Costa Concordia, lying half-submerged near Tuscany since January 2012, must be righted before winter, an Italian government official said.

Environment Undersecretary Flavio Cirillo told the environment committee of Parliament's Chamber of Deputies Thursday the removal operation would be at risk if the ship stayed at its location for another winter.
 ::snipping3::
Civil Protection Department chief Franco Gabrielli said in June he hoped the ship could be righted in September, then towed away. Last month he said operations could be stopped until next year unless the salvage company responsible for the ship's removal provides additional protections, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 06, 2013, 09:53:10 AM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/355861
Costa Concordia must be raised by winter or could break apart
August 4, 2013

Flavio Cirillo, Italy's undersecretary for the environment told the Italian Parliament this week that the Costa Concordia must be removed before the winter. Cirillo said another winter where it now sits could spell disaster, but not everyone agrees.
While the date of removal has changed many times - initially it was thought it would be long gone by now - until earlier this month the fall was being floated as the date it will be ready for towing. However, Civil Protection Department chief Franco Gabrielli now says that the companies doing the job must provide greater assurances the environment won't be harmed if the Costa Concordia to be removed by then.
He has said the removal won't come until the Spring of 2014.

Gabrielli and his department want assurances that when the operation does take place the ship, already in danger of breaking up under its own weight, will not break apart. That could see much of its contents spilled into the protected waters of the Tuscan Bay.
But Cirillo believes a delay past the fall would create an even more dangerous situation. He fears winter storms could tear the boat apart where it sits. It has survived one winter there, 300 meters from the island of Giglio and with 65 percent of the ship lying underwater.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 06, 2013, 09:55:30 AM
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/08/06/uk-munichre-results-costaconcordia-idUKBRE9750GT20130806
Insurer payout for Costa Concordia disaster rising - Munich Re
August 6, 2013

(Reuters) - Insurance industry payouts related to last year's sinking of cruise liner Costa Concordia have continued to rise and are likely to top $1.1 billion (716.1 million pounds) as salvaging of the wreck continues, reinsurer Munich Re (MUVGn.DE) said on Tuesday.

 ::snipping3::

The ship had a value of $500 million, Munich Re said.

"That's already been paid for," Munich Re board member Torsten Jeworrek told a news conference on the reinsurer's second-quarter earnings.

The salvage operation aims to remove the vessel intact rather than cutting it into pieces, which adds to the cost and time involved in removing the wreck, Jeworrek said.

Munich Re raised its estimate for its own share of the burden to 100 million euros ($132 million) from 80 million previously.
 ::snipping3::

($1 = 0.7553 euros)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 09, 2013, 02:25:13 PM
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-italy-giglio-20130809,0,6836556.story?track=lat-pick
Costa Concordia: A hulking reminder of tragedy sits off Giglio, Italy
Nineteen months after the Costa Concordia ran aground, locals and tourists work and play in the shadow of the wreck. Salvage crews, meanwhile, toil furiously.

August 9, 2013
 
Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 13, 2013, 03:34:06 PM
(My bold in blue)  I continue to hope the remains of the two victims can be recovered. 


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10238561/Salvage-chief-warns-Costa-Concordia-could-fracture.html
Salvage chief warns Costa Concordia could fracture
The man in charge of salvaging the wreck of the Costa Concordia which crashed off the coast of Tuscany last year has warned the massive luxury cruise ship could fracture when it is rotated in early September.

August 12, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/JwLQQmV.jpg)
The Costa Concordia is twice as heavy as the Titanic and lies impaled on two giant outcrops of undersea granite with a 160-foot gash in its hull.  Photo: FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP

Nick Sloane, the 52-year-old engineer who heads the world's most biggest-ever marine salvage operation, is awaiting final approval from Italian authorities to rotate the ship in the first week of September.
"When we raise it you will hear the noise from the wrenching and of the fracture of internal sections but we hope that the external structure remains intact," Mr Sloane said.
 ::snipping3::

Mr Sloane said there are huge challenges in rolling the 950 ft cruise liner upright and the salvage team is seeking to minimise any impact on the precious marine environment surrounding the island.
Asked whether he had any fears about the operation the South African salvage expert said: "We have dealt with them in the best way possible – by conducting serious evaluations and putting in place all the possible technical and engineering measures."
The ship is twice as heavy as the Titanic and lies impaled on two giant outcrops of undersea granite with a 160-foot gash in its hull.
The scale of the operation is unprecedented engineers have constructed a huge artificial seabed beneath the 114,500 tonne ship, on which it will be rolled upright.
Earlier this year the operation was delayed by bad weather and the challenges of drilling into the granite seabed to secure anchor blocks and pylons.
Mr Sloane said explosives could not be used because of the quantity of chemicals and pollutants inside the vessel as well as its precarious position.
When the ship is rotated, debris and dirty water is expected to pour out of its interior.
"With explosions there would have been a greater risk of it slipping," he said. "And let's not forget that the bodies of two people are buried inside." Pulling the semi-submerged ship upright is just the first phase of the salvage operation. The next stage is to attach giant steel compartments to the formerly submerged side of the vessel to help refloat it before it can be towed away but that is unlikely to take place before the spring of 2014.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 16, 2013, 09:34:06 PM
http://www.enca.com/world/costa-concordia-be-raised
Costa Concordia to be raised
August 16, 013

ROME - The Costa Concordia cruise ship will be raised up next month near the Italian island where it still lies keeled over more than a year on from the deadly disaster, the salvage coordinator said on Friday.
 ::snipping3::
"If things go as we are expecting. I think September will be the month of the rotation," prefect Franco Gabrielli told Italian news channel SkyTG24, declining to give a precise date.
 
The raising of the Concordia had been programmed for September 2012 but was then delayed to May 2013 and then put off again because of technical difficulties.
 
The salvage is the biggest ever attempted for a passenger ship.
 
The plan is initially to rotate the 114,500-ton vessel, then attach flotation tanks to the side that is currently under water like the ones already welded to its exposed side.
 
The tanks will then be emptied of water to act as flotation devices before the ship is towed away to be scrapped in a port that is yet to be determined.
 
Salvage operators say the rotation has to occur in September at the latest because otherwise there would be a risk of bad weather later in the year.
  ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 17, 2013, 04:29:32 PM
http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/57994/Concordia-raises-concerns-for-environmental-group.html
Concordia raises concerns for environmental group
August 16, 2013

Wrecked Costa cruise ship 'creating a national emergency'

(http://i.imgur.com/tWRwT8r.jpg)


Grosseto, August 16 - The partially submerged Costa Concordia cruise ship has been left off the coast of Tuscany for far too long and is becoming a national emergency, an Italian environmental group said Friday. Legambiente accused government agencies of playing games with what threatens to be an environmental disaster as the massive cruise ship, which sunk in January 2012 killing 32 people, remains on the rocks around Giglio Island. "581 days, the Concordia is still here," read a 12-meter-long banner upheld by protesters aboard a ship off the island Friday. Authorities have extended the deadline several times for the safe removal of the ship and Legambiente suggested the delays are dangerous. "We are seriously concerned," said group president Vittorio Cogliati Dezza. "We are faced with a real national emergency that seems ignored by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport". Earlier this month, Italy's Environment undersecretary warned that the semi-submerged vessel needs to be at least righted before the winter, or the ship's removal from Giglio will be in danger.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 20, 2013, 05:20:08 PM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/356699
At last! Costa Concordia to be rotated, sometime in September
August 19, 2013

 ::snipping3::
"If things go as we are expecting. I think September will be the month of the rotation," Franco Gabrielli told news channel SkyTG24 in Italy. He did not give a specific date but said September must be stuck to or bad weather might prevent rotating the ship until Spring.
Flotation tanks on Costa Concordia
The ship is currently listing over and 65 percent of it is underwater. By "rotation" Gabrielli referred to the plan of Titan Salvage and Micoperi, the American and Italian companies doing the work, which is to raise and rotate it. Once rotated, they will weld floatation tanks to the side that is now up against the ocean floor. Floatation tanks have already been welded onto the side of the ship facing up.
When the Costa Concordia sits up in the water the flotation tanks will be emptied and will provide buoyancy to keep the ship upright while it is being towed. The Costa Concordia will be towed to the port of Piombino, where it will be salvaged for parts and material, with the towing likely to take place in the Spring.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 20, 2013, 05:25:02 PM
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57599101/grounded-costa-concordia-cruise-ship-is-ready-to-roll-literally/
Grounded Costa Concordia cruise ship is ready to roll, literally
August 19, 2013

GIGLIO, ITALY The biggest engineering feat ever to be attempted on a ship of its size is a few weeks away. After months of planning, design, fabrication and installation, the 114,000-ton Costa Concordia cruise ship, which ran aground off the island of Giglio on January 13, 2012, is practically ready for parbuckling or rotation to an upright position. Months of work for close to 500 salvage operators have suffered some delays caused by weather conditions and by complications in efforts to drill and level the uneven granite seabed.

The Costa Concordia is now expected to be raised in the month of September but no official date has been announced yet by the Italian authorities or by the two companies - Titan Salvage from the United States and Micoperi from Italy - that were awarded the recovery project. The man in charge of coordinating all of the operations is a 52-year-old South African captain and salvage master called Nick Sloane who has worked on some of the world's major maritime disasters during his career.

The final phase of works on the ship, completed during this third week in August, involved the installation of two massive tanks, known as the "blister sisters" on the bow of the ship.

"The blister tanks are like a large cervical collar you put on a patient with a spinal injury, like a neck brace, that will stabilize the whole bow during the parbuckling and reduce any chance of further damage", Sloane told CBS News as the massive tanks stood on one of the many salvage rigs and barges that now surround the Costa Concordia.

Aside from the blister tanks, which provide 6,000 tons of buoyancy, 11 other tanks or "sponsons" have been attached to the port side of the ship. When the ship is rotated, if all goes according to plan, it will come to rest on six steel platforms that have been placed on the sea bed, on the offshore side. Because the ship is lying on two underwater reefs with a valley in between, salvage workers and divers had to pump 18,000 tons of cement into grout bags that were used to fill the gap to support the ship's hull.

"One of the bigger challenges was dealing with the granite slope of mountain underneath the water where we had to cut into the rock and set the anchor blocks which have chains attached to them going underneath the ship", said Sloane. "On the inshore side there are 11 towers and a strand-jack system that has been installed on both sides of the ship. Each one of these strand-jacks can be individually controlled and these will also help support her belly during parbuckling."

Salvage workers will be placing microphones and cameras in at least five different areas of the ship for constant monitoring of the operation, which is expected to take between eight and 10 hours.

"There will be a lot of noise and it's important that we listen to the different sections," said Sloane. "We can take measures and make adjustments depending on any twist and tortion on the ship. We are confident the ship will be coming upright and know the first 20 degrees of rotation are critical. It's going to be a long, nerve-racking day."

Once the parbuckling is complete, the next phase -- removing the ship from its present location and towing it to a mainland port for dismantling -- will have to wait another eight to 10 months for winter to pass.

One of the first priorities after the ship has been turned upright will be very high-definition survey of the whole starboard side, to assess its condition and decide how much more floatation will be needed to move the stricken vessel. The hope is that, with the addition of some further sponsons, the ship will float again.

 ::snipping3::

Two of the 32 people killed when the Costa capsized are still missing and authorities hope to recover their bodies after the parbuckling. Officials also still need to empty the safe deposit boxes in the passenger cabins and return belongings to their legitimate owners.

Meanwhile, the trial of the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, is due to resume in the Tuscan town of Grosseto on Sept. 23. He has been charged with manslaughter, causing the shipwreck by steering the Costa into rocks, and abandoning ship as a senior officer. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter.
 ::snipping3::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 01, 2013, 09:16:07 AM
http://ohsonline.com/articles/2013/08/29/blister-tanks-installed-on-costa-concordia.aspx?admgarea=news
Blister Tanks Installed on Costa Concordia
August 29, 2013

The latest step to be completed in the project to turn the stranded cruise ship Costa Concordia upright, so it can be floated away from the Italian island Giglio, is the installation of two blister tanks on the ship's bow. An Aug. 27 release posted on the website maintained by the Titan Salvage/Micoperi salvage operation indicated the two steel tanks have been set in place.

Earlier this year, the companies said they expected to turn the ship in September.

"The two blister tanks are special sponsons that provide a net buoyancy of about 4,000 tons and will support the bow during the next three phases of the process: the rotation of the wreck into a vertical position (the so called "Parbuckling"); the resting of the wreck on the artificial seabed; and the refloating," it stated.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 04, 2013, 11:52:19 PM
http://skift.com/2013/09/03/inside-60-minutes-report-on-salvaging-the-costa-concordia/
Inside 60 Minutes’ Report on Salvaging the Costa Concordia
September 3, 2013

Very interesting video at link (3:29)




Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 04, 2013, 11:55:48 PM
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50154138n
Costa Concordia: Salvaging a shipwreck
September 1, 2013 4:00 PM

After wrecking at sea a year and a half ago, the Italian luxury liner awaits one of the most expensive and daunting salvage operations ever. Lesley Stahl reports.

Video (31:51)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 06, 2013, 01:38:08 PM
http://www.insuranceinsight.com/insurance-insight/analysis/2292710/europe-the-cost-of-concordia
Europe: The cost of Concordia
September 5, 2013



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 06, 2013, 01:40:02 PM
http://world.time.com/2013/09/06/italy-gives-ok-to-right-capsized-costa-concordia/
Italy Gives OK to Right Capsized Costa Concordia
September 6, 2013

(ROME) — Italy has given the go-ahead for an ambitious attempt to set upright the Costa Concordia cruise liner, which went aground near an Italian island in 2012, killing 32 people.

The national Civil Protection agency said Friday the operation will be carried out later this month, once final safety certificates are issued. The exact date depends on calm seas near Giglio Island.

If engineers and crews succeed in righting the Concordia, the vessel will be eventually towed to a port for dismantling.

The manslaughter trial of the Concordia’s captain, Francesco Schettino, resumes on Sept. 23. ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 06, 2013, 01:42:12 PM
http://in.reuters.com/video/2013/09/06/engineers-gear-up-to-right-the-wreck-of?videoId=268333071&videoChannel=104
Engineers gear up to right the wreck of Costa Concordia (2:28)
September 6, 2013


Sept. 6 - A salvage team tasked with removing the wreck of the Costa Concordia from its resting place of the coast off Giglio, Italy, are preparing to rotate the ship into an upright position after more than a year of preparation. As Jim Drury reports, the team will be using a technique known as parbuckling, never attempted on a vessel of this size before. ( Transcript )


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 10, 2013, 09:20:11 PM
http://www.marinelink.com/news/parbuckling-concordia358419.aspx
Costa Concordia Parbuckling to Get Green Light Soon
September 10, 2013

The salvage operation (known as the 'parbuckling project') to upright the wreck of the partially sunken 'Costa Concordia' has been given provisional approval by the Italian government's Civil Protection Department and is expected ot take place at a convenient date in September.
The meeting convened in Rome was at the headquarters of the Civil Protection Department and was attended by the Emergency Commissioner Franco Gabrielli, as well as representatives from the Advisory Committee, the Observatory, the Micoperi-Titan Consortium and the cruise line Costa Crociere.
Final authorization to proceed with the operation to rotate the wreck is subject to submission of all the test certificates following inspection of all the finished structures and completion of the preliminary activities required before the actual parbuckling can begin. All of this should take place by the end of next week; at any time thereafter, as soon as the sea and weather conditions are favorable, the operation torotate the wreck into an upright position can begin.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 12, 2013, 03:15:30 PM
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/travel/travel-news/operation-to-set-costa-concordia-upright-to-start-next-week/story-fni0bieo-1226717292801
Operation to set Costa Concordia upright to start next week
September 12, 2013

 ::snipping3::
National Civil Protection agency chief Franco Gabrielli told islanders on Giglio island that crews could try to right the ship as soon as September 16. He stressed that the exact date for the operation will only be known the day before, since the final OK depends upon weather and sea conditions.
 ::snipping3::

Video at link.  1:08


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 12, 2013, 03:20:01 PM
http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/italys-wrecked-costa-concordia-cruise-ship-be-raised-8C11137988
Italy's wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship to be raised
September 12, 2013

The wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship could be upright again next week, nearly two years after the liner capsized and killed at least 30 people off the Italian coast.
 ::snipping3::
Workers will look for the bodies of two people, an Italian and an Indian unaccounted for since the disaster, as machines haul the 114,000-tonne ship upright and underwater cameras comb the seabed.

The exact day of the Concordia's rotation - known as parbuckling - has yet to be set, but on Wednesday Civil Protection Commissioner Franco Gabrielli said Monday was likely.

 ::snipping3::
Divers have pumped 18,000 metric tons of cement into bags below the ship to support it and prevent it from breaking up in an operation which is expected to last 8-10 hours and is part of a salvage operation estimated to cost at least $300 million.

A buoyancy device acting "like a neck brace for an injured patient" will hold together the ship's bow, and fishing nets will catch debris as it rises from beneath the ship, said Nicholas Sloane, senior salvage master at Titan Salvage.

The salvage team will go through the ship cabin by cabin and had over items found on board to the Italian state prosecutor, and the vessel will be towed away to be dismantled.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 14, 2013, 09:44:01 AM
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/13/3625339/massive-operation-to-right-shipwreck.html
Massive operation to right Costa Concordia shipwreck scheduled for Monday
September 13, 2013

(2 pgs)
 ::snipping3::
In an unprecedented feat of engineering that could make history or fail catastrophically, teams will begin Monday morning to hoist the wrecked Costa Concordia, which has been resting on its side atop two rocks near an ocean cliff for the last 20 months. The project’s anticipated price tag: nearly $800 million dollars.

Called “parbuckling,” the job involves a complicated system of 56 enormous cables, 58 pulling machines, 11 multistory flotation tanks, six undersea platforms and 1,180 grout bags full of cement. Weather permitting, the process is scheduled to begin at first light on Monday in Italy, or roughly 1 a.m., Miami time — 16 months after the initial work at the site began, and 20 months after the shipwreck in which 32 people died.

“If it doesn’t work, then I don’t think anybody can say it’s because we did this wrong or that wrong,” said Mark Hoddinott, general manager of the London-based International Salvage Union. “They’ve done everything right. Now they’re going into this area where this has never been done with a ship this size before.”
More...

Videos at link.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/13/3625339/massive-operation-to-right-shipwreck.html#storylink=cpy



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 14, 2013, 09:46:28 AM
http://abcnews.go.com/International/slideshow/12-dramatic-images-costa-concordia-cruise-ship-20248415
12 Most Dramatic Images of the Costa Concordia Cruise Ship
Salvage operation for wreck off Italian coast poised to happen.



(http://i.imgur.com/oI7PN9g.jpg)
An aerial view taken from an Italian navy helicopter shows the Costa Concordia as it lies on its side next to Giglio Island, Italy, Aug. 26, 2013. The wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship could be upright again by mid-September 2013, nearly two years after the liner capsized and killed 32 people off the Italian coast. (Reuters)

More images at link.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: sharon on September 14, 2013, 11:17:32 AM
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Update-Engineers-Insurers-On-Edge-as-Costa-Concordia-Salvage-Nears-2013-09-13/

 September 13, 2013
Costa Concordia: Twenty-One Months of Salvage and Counting, Insurers On Edge

By MarEx

Salvors have confrmed that the parbuckling operation to lift the wreck of the Costa Concordia upright will begin on Monday, September 16th, weather permitting. The cruise ship, christened in July 2006, is 952 feet long with a beam of 116.6 feet wide, and is 114,137 gross tons. It is owned by the Carnival Corporation and its subsidiary Costa Crociere.

On January 13, 2012, under the command of Captain Francesco Schettino, the huge cruise ship grounded with about 3,229 passenger and about 1,000 crewmembers at 9:45 p.m. in calm seas. Thirty people were killed and two passengers are still missing and presumed dead.

The parbuckling lift operation will use an integrated engineering design of cables and hydraulics to upright the ship after more than 21 months of laying starboard in the shallow waters beside Giglio Island near Tuscany.

Raising the Costa Concordia is estimated to be about a 15-20 hour operation including more than 500 salvors and engineers. They have already pumped about 18,000 tons of concrete into bags below the sideways superstructure. A massive underwater platform has been built to allow the ship to come to rest on it after the jacks and cables pull the vessel upright.

When salvage teams begin hauling the wrecked Costa Concordia liner upright next week, the financial stakes for insurers will be almost as enormous as the awe-inspiring feat of engineering. According to reinsurer Munich Re, the overall insurance loss from the accident could surpass $1.1 billion. As much as half of that may be swallowed up by the cost of the salvage operation.

The cost of the salvage operation, which a senior official from the ship's owner Costa Cruises this week estimated at $800 million "and rising", is already expected to be greater than the value of the vessel itself.

 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 15, 2013, 10:18:39 AM
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/09/15/costa-concordia-salvage-operation-to-go-ahead-monday/
Costa Concordia salvage operation to go ahead Monday
September 15, 2013

 ::snipping3::
Salvage workers could be seen fixing the giant metal chains and cables that will hoist up the 290-metre (951-foot) wreck, which is roughly the length of three football fields.

The civil protection agency, which is overseeing the project, gave its final go-ahead on Sunday, saying the weather forecast looked favourable.

The biggest rotation of a passenger ship ever attempted is set to begin shortly after 6:00 am (0400 GMT) on Monday and could last up to 12 hours.

"Parbuckling operations of the Costa Concordia will begin tomorrow," the agency said, using the technical term for rolling a ship upright.


Once the Costa Concordia is upright, the plan is to stabilise it, refloat it and then tow it away for scrapping in a shipyard early next year.

The head of the operation, Nick Sloane, has warned it is now or never for the Costa Concordia because the hull is gradually weakening and might not survive another winter
 ::snipping3::
Using giant cement sacks and a custom-made metal platform, salvagers have so far secured the rusting hulk, which was threatening to slip from its resting place into deeper waters.

The plan is to drag it up using cables and pulleys -- a complex operation that environmentalists warn could spill thousands of tons of toxic waste into the pristine waters.

The hull could bend as it is being hoisted but the civil protection agency, which is overseeing the salvage, has ruled out the possibility of the ship splitting in two.

All maritime traffic will be blocked in the area, one of Europe's biggest marine sanctuaries, until the parbuckling is completed.
 ::snipping3::
Sloane, the South African who will be at the controls, said the ship will initially be dragged up for four or five hours before gravity takes over and it begins to right itself on its own.

Giant metal tanks the size of 11-storey buildings have been fixed onto the side of the ship currently exposed, designed to act as brakes to prevent it from flipping over too far.

Once the rollover is completed, workers will weld more tanks or "sponsons" onto the side of the ship that is currently under water.

These will act as giant flotation devices to allow the vessel to be towed away to be dismantled, probably early next year.

The salvage operation has been delayed repeatedly, mainly due to the difficulties of drilling into the granite seabed to install a metal structure to support the ship.

The project is being financed by the insurers of the ship's owner Costa Crociere, which is Europe's biggest cruise operator and part of the leading company in the sector, the US-based Carnival.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 15, 2013, 10:25:08 AM
http://www.islandpacket.com/2013/09/15/2685268/italy-ok-to-right-shipwrecked.html
Italy: OK to right shipwrecked Costa Concordia
September 15, 2013


(http://i.imgur.com/BxTJ1Zx.jpg)
Workers inspect the Costa Concordia ship as it lies on its side near the Tuscan Island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013. An international team of engineers is expected on Monday, Sept. 16 a to try a never-before attempted strategy to right the luxury liner, which capsized after striking a reef in 2012 killing 32 people.
ANDREW MEDICHINI — AP Photo

Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2013/09/15/2685268/italy-ok-to-right-shipwrecked.html#storylink=cpy

 ::snipping3::
The operation involves dozens of crank-like pulleys slowly rotating the ship upright at a rate of about 3 meters (yards) per hour, using chains that have been looped around the ship's hull. Tanks filled with water on the exposed side of the vessel will also help rotate it upward, using gravity to pull the exposed side down.

Once upright, those tanks — and an equal number that will be fixed on the opposite side — eventually will be filled with air, rather than water, to help float the ship up off the reef so it can be towed away.
Last week, the head of Italy's Civil Protection agency, Franco Gabrielli, said there was no "Plan B" if the rotation failed since there would be no other way to try it again. But Nick Sloane, the South African who is senior salvage master, said he was confident the ship would withstand the stress of the rotation

Mayor Sergio Ortelli has asked for patience from the island's 1,400 residents during Monday's operation, which he expected would last about 10-12 hours. Ferries linking Giglio to mainland Tuscany stop running at dawn Monday, meaning teachers for Giglio's two schools were arriving Sunday night for classes.

Since the shipwreck, no major pollution has been found in the waters near the ship. But should the Concordia break apart during the rotation — a possibility authorities describe as remote — absorbent barriers were being set in place to catch any leaks. Fuel was siphoned out early in the salvage operation, but food and human waste are still inside the partially submerged vessel and might leak out.

As a precaution, Ortelli told islanders last week that water tanks on the island would be topped up in case the water supply becomes contaminated.

Other inconveniences were expected. The island that lives off fishing and tourism sends its compacted garbage every Monday to the mainland by boat. That sanitation service will have to be re-scheduled when the port shuts down for the rotation operation, known in nautical parlance as "parbuckling."

Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2013/09/15/2685268/italy-ok-to-right-shipwrecked.html#storylink=cpy


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 15, 2013, 10:27:04 AM
I hope the remains of the two missing passengers can be recovered.   ::MonkeyAngel:: ::MonkeyAngel::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 15, 2013, 02:14:24 PM
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/costa-concordia-salvage-project-what-s-at-stake-1.1854630
Costa Concordia salvage project: what's at stake?
Posted: Sep 14, 2013 1:06 PM ET Last Updated: Sep 15, 2013 1:13 PM ET

 ::snipping3::
What has been done so far?

In April 2012, Florida-based Titan Salvage and Italian firm Micoperi were awarded the contract to remove the ship from Italy’s Giglio Island. Work got underway the following month.
The first task was to anchor and stabilize the wreck in order to keep it from slipping further into the sea, making it less dangerous to work on. Workers attached the Costa Concordia to the coastline using four “submarine anchor blocks.”

Other work included building a “false bottom,” or underwater platform, on the seabed below the wreck, which it will sit on once it has been righted. Fifteen steel containers called “caissons” were also installed on the side of the ship that is above water to right the ship.

To cushion the more delicate bow of the ship, crews have cradled it in protective material, a measure likened to putting a protective neck brace around an accident victim before being moved.

Canada will also have its role in the salvage operation. Waterloo-based 2G Robotics is set to deploy its underwater laser scanner next week to provide a detailed picture of the submerged section of the ship.
More...

Clickable links in article.

Comments


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 16, 2013, 08:33:15 AM
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/16/operation-to-raise-capsized-cruise-ship-underway/2819185/
Attempt to right Costa Concordia cruise ship begins
September 16, 2013

GIGLIO ISLAND, Italy (AP) — A complex system of pulleys and counterweights on Monday began pulling upright the Costa Concordia cruise ship from its side on a Tuscan reef where it capsized in 2012, an anxiously awaited operation of a kind that has never been attempted on such a huge liner.

Engineer Sergio Girotto said the operation began at about 9 a.m. local time on Monday, three hours late.

By midday, Girotto said they have succeeded in wresting the hull of the shipwrecked Concordia from the reef and that cameras did not immediately reveal any sign of two bodies that were never recovered from the 32 who died during the disaster.

The delay was due to an early morning storm that pushed back a floating command room center from its position close to the wreckage. There, engineers using remote controls were guiding a synchronized leverage system of pulleys, counterweights and huge chains looped under the Concordia's carcass to delicately nudge the ship free from its rocky seabed perch just outside Giglio Island's harbor.

The goal is to raise it from its side by 65 degrees to vertical, as a ship would normally be, for eventual towing.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 16, 2013, 08:36:09 AM
http://www.channel4.com/news/costa-concordia-italy-salvage-operation-live-video
Watch live: Costa Concordia salvage operation - video
September 16, 2013


Updates
8.00
After a three-hour delay, caused by an overnight storm which interrupted final preparations, salvage crews start the all-day operation.

11.30
Engineers succeed in wresting the hull of the shipwrecked Concordia from an Italian reef where it has been embedded since it capsized.
Engineer Sergio Girotto said "we saw the detachment" using undersea cameras.

He said the cameras did not immediately reveal any sign of two bodies that were never recovered from the 32 who died during the disaster.

The head of the civil protection agency said: "Finding the two bodies is our priority but we can only start looking for them once the ship has been stabilised."



Raising the wreck of the Concordia

The ten-hour operation, known as parbuckling, will have to right the ship before it can be removed.

By sliding the 300m-long ship down a ledge on to a platform erected below the ship, the American firm Titan Salvage hopes to set it upright, before attaching flotation aides to the side that will allow it to be lifted to the surface and floated out of the harbour.

Braces will hold together the ship's bow while it is being moved, and fishing nets will catch debris as it rises from beneath the ship.

As a first priority of the salvage operation, the 200,000 tonnes of fuel on the ship were removed, the tank threatened an ecological disaster.

The project has involved the design and manufacture of 30,000 tonnes of steel structures over 14 months.

A bed of cement has to be made for the ship to rest on when the cables are tightened.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 16, 2013, 08:39:20 AM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10312073/Costa-Concordia-latest-epic-recovery-attempt-under-way-after-three-hour-delay.html
Costa Concordia latest: epic recovery attempt under way after three hour delay
The epic attempt to raise the Costa Concordia cruise ship has got under way after a three-hour delay caused by bad weather.

September 16, 2013

Giglio, the Italian island where the cruise liner capsized 20 months ago with the loss of 32 lives, was hit by a violent thunderstorm overnight.
Divers who were working underwater on the hull of the ship had to be pulled out of the water, leading to a delay in preparations.
But the salvage effort finally got under way at 9am local time (8am UK). The operation is expected to take up to 12 hours. Engineers have now successfully detatched the capsized shif from the reef - no bodies have been seen.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 16, 2013, 08:45:51 AM
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57603046/costa-concordia-freed-from-reef-engineers-say/
Costa Concordia freed from reef, engineers say
September 16, 2013

Last Updated 8:19 a.m. ET

 ::snipping3::

Engineers told reporters they'd succeeded in detaching the 952-foot-long vessel from the reef on which it was resting, and the operation was continuing. No bodies had been spotted, they said.

Engineer Sergio Girotto said it began at about 9 a.m., three hours late.

The crippled vessel wouldn't budge for some three hours after the operation to right it began, Girotto told reporters. But after 6,000 tons of force were applied, "we saw the detachment" of the ship from the reef using undersea cameras, Girotto said.

The delay in the operation was due to an early morning storm that pushed back a floating command room center from its position close to the wreckage.

The goal is to raise it from its side by 65 degrees to vertical, as a ship would normally be, for eventual towing.
 ::snipping3::
Rolling the ship off the seabed and onto huge underwater platforms was expected to take eight to ten hours.
 ::snipping3::
Nick Sloane, the South African senior salvage master of the operation and project leader for contractors Titan Salvage, said the Concordia would suffer an extreme amount of force of compression in the first moments of the maneuver. But he expressed confidence that the huge cruise ship will survive the stress. And it did.
 ::snipping3::
As the operation continued, twelve experts were in the control room positioned at the bow of the ship, anxiously staring at their computer screens and listening for every noise the wreck made.

At a rate of three meters per hours, dozens of crank-like pulleys were to start slowly rotating the ship. Steel chains weighing 17,000 tons have been looped under the vessel to help hold it together and pull it upright. Also, tanks, known as sponsons, will be filled with water on the port (exposed) side to help rotate it upward.

A massive grouting mattress has been created on the seabed between the two outcrops of rock to provide greater stability to the ship.

"The objective is to get her to move very slowly and gently," Sloane said.

Once the ship moves upward about 25 degrees, "at that point gravity takes over, and there is no going back.
Once the ship is pulled upright, an in-depth survey will be carried out to establish the extent of the damage on the starboard side.

The re-floating of the Concordia is not expected before the spring of 2014. Then, it will need to be towed to the mainland. But its final port of destination -- where it will be cut up for scrap -- is still to be decided.



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 16, 2013, 12:37:12 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/09/16/operation-to-pull-costa-concordia-upright-underway/%20?intcmp=latestnews
Costa Concordia ship's hull pulled off Italian reef
September 16, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/xE97LIB.jpg)

 ::snipping3::
Images transmitted by robotic diving vehicles indicated that the submerged side of the hull had suffered "great deformation" from all its time on the granite seabed, battered by waves and compressed under the weight of the ship's 115,000 tons, Girotto said.

The initial operation to lift the Concordia from the reef moved the ship just 3 degrees toward vertical, leaving the vessel some 62 degrees shy of being pulled upright. While a seemingly small shift, the movement was significant enough to be visible: A few feet of slime-covered hull that had been underwater became visible above the waterline.

Engineers were waiting for the operation's completion before declaring success: The entire rotation was expected to last as long as 12 hours, with crews prepared to work into the night if need be.

So far, "rotation has gone according to predictions," and no appreciable pollution from inside the ship has spewed out, said Franco Gabrielli, chief of Italy's Civil Protection agency, which is overseeing the operation.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 16, 2013, 01:21:12 PM
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/costa-concordia-salvage-underway-after-delay-due-to-lightning-storm/article14332383/
Costa Concordia rotation under way as salvage operation continues
ERIC REGULY
GIGLIO, Italy — The Globe and Mail
Published Monday, Sep. 16 2013, 3:55 AM EDT
Last updated Monday, Sep. 16 2013, 11:59 AM EDT

 ::snipping3:: the Costa Concordia is grinding its way to vertical position in a delicate operation that has so far tilted the ship by 10 degrees and has met with no significant technical glitches.

In the late afternoon, local time, the Italian salvage officials said the first phase of the so-called parbuckling effort is half done. It will need to rotate another 10 degree before the start of the next phase, which will see the massive tanks attached to the starboard side of the hull reach sea level and fill with water.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 16, 2013, 06:58:23 PM
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/costa-concordia-salvage-underway-after-delay-due-to-lightning-storm/article14332383/
Costa Concordia salvage operation enters final phase
ERIC REGULY
GIGLIO, ITALY — The Globe and Mail
Published Monday, Sep. 16 2013, 3:55 AM EDT
Last updated Monday, Sep. 16 2013, 6:45 PM EDT

...the Costa Concordia is grinding its way to vertical position in a delicate operation that has so far tilted the ship by 25 degrees but met with a technical glitch that has slowed the progress..
 ::snipping3::
The ship is now past its tipping point, meaning that gravity has taken over, allowing the ship to be lowered onto its subsea platform using the massive buoyancy tanks fitted to its starboard side.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 16, 2013, 09:44:40 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24121480

(http://i.imgur.com/mPUJZVp.jpg)
A dark line marking a previously submerged part of the ship gives evidence of its movement.

(http://i.imgur.com/fpuCdcJ.jpg)
The salvage project has so far cost more than 600m euros

Attempt to lift the capsized ship Costa Concordia are continuing overnight in Italy, with officials saying the operation is "in the final phase"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24110320
Costa Concordia: Watermark shows lift progress
16 September 2013 Last updated at 11:45 BST

(http://i.imgur.com/AepGJrS.jpg)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: grace-land on September 16, 2013, 10:38:37 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24121480

16 September 2013 Last updated at 22:30 ET
Costa Concordia ship set upright

(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/69882000/jpg/_69882830_69882661.jpg)

Engineers in Italy have succeeded in setting the cruise ship Costa Concordia upright, 20 months after it ran aground off the island of Giglio.

They said that the unprecedented salvage operation "reached degree zero, which was our target".

In an operation that took all of Monday and most of the night, the engineers used cables and metal boxes filled with water to roll the ship onto a platform.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 16, 2013, 10:40:46 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24121480

16 September 2013 Last updated at 22:30 ET
Costa Concordia ship set upright

(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/69882000/jpg/_69882830_69882661.jpg)

Engineers in Italy have succeeded in setting the cruise ship Costa Concordia upright, 20 months after it ran aground off the island of Giglio.

They said that the unprecedented salvage operation "reached degree zero, which was our target".

In an operation that took all of Monday and most of the night, the engineers used cables and metal boxes filled with water to roll the ship onto a platform.
 ::snipping3::


Wow-wee!    ::MonkeyCool::  Thank you for the article & the impressive photo grace-land!   ::MonkeyCheer4::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: grace-land on September 16, 2013, 10:42:27 PM
Video at the link

http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/costa-concordia-finally-upright-after-19-hour-operation-1.1456359

Costa Concordia finally upright after 19-hour operation
Published Monday, September 16, 2013 5:42AM EDT 
Last Updated Monday, September 16, 2013 10:25PM EDT 

GIGLIO ISLAND, Italy -- Engineers have declared the crippled Costa Concordia cruise ship completely upright after a 19-hour operation to pull it from its side where it capsized last year off Tuscany.

Shortly after 4 a.m. Tuesday, a foghorn rang out on Giglio Island and the head of Italy's Civil Protection agency, Franco Gabrielli, announced that the ship had reached vertical and that the operation to rotate it was complete.

Applause rang out among firefigters in the tent where Gabrielli and other project engineers made the announcement.

Officials said there was no apparent pollution in the waters around the ship as a result of the operation.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: grace-land on September 17, 2013, 12:16:54 AM
You're welcome, MuffyBee!  It was awesome watching the live stream of the undertaking to get it upright.  The article below shows (step by step) how the challenging, difficult task was accomplished. 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/22/world/europe/costa-concordia-salvage-interactive/index.html

Costa Concordia: How ill-fated cruise liner will be raised from Italian seabed 
updated 11:16 AM EDT, Mon September 16, 2013


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 17, 2013, 08:35:33 AM
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-17/costa-concordia-raised-off-rocks-after-19-hour-salvage-operation.html
Costa Concordia Raised Off Rocks After 19-Hour Salvage Operation
September 17, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/0QCnsX9.jpg)
Marco Secchi/Getty Images
The rotation of the 952-foot (290-meter) ship, which began yesterday at about 9 a.m. local time, was organized by Florida- based Titan Salvage and Italy’s Micoperi and cost about 600 million euros ($801 million), according to Carnival Corp’s Costa Crociere SpA Italian unit, which owns the ship.



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: Tamikosmom on September 17, 2013, 11:41:46 AM
Costa Concordia’s rise in under two minutes: Time-lapse video shows unprecedented salvage in 1:23
17/09/13 10:52 AM ET


Engineers declared success Tuesday as the crippled Costa Concordia cruise ship was pulled completely upright during an unprecedented, 19-hour, $827-million operation to wrench it from its side where it capsized last year off Tuscany.

The remarkable maritime salvage project now allows for a renewed search for the two bodies that were never recovered from the 32 people killed in the shipwreck, and for the ship to eventually be towed away.

The Concordia’s submerged side suffered significant damage during the 20 months it bore the weight of the massive ship on the jagged reef, and the daylong operation to right it stressed that flank as well. Exterior balconies were mangled and entire sections looked warped, though officials said the damage probably looked worse than it really was.

The damage must be repaired to stabilize the ship so it can withstand the coming winter, when seas and winds will whip the luxury liner, which is to be towed and turned into scrap sometime in 2014.

<snipped>

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/09/17/costa-concordias-rise-in-under-two-minutes-time-lapse-video-shows-massive-rescue-in-123/

(http://wpmedia.news.nationalpost.com/2013/09/180870750.jpg?w=400&h=244)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: grace-land on September 17, 2013, 04:18:05 PM
http://www.euronews.com/2013/09/17/italy-search-for-missing-costa-concordia-passengers-to-begin/

Italy: search for missing Costa Concordia passengers to start
17/09 18:12 CET

The hunt for the bodies of two missing passengers who died when the Costa Concordia capsized is to begin, now that the cruise ship has been successfully salvaged.

In a complex 18 hour operation, engineers used cables and metal boxes filled with water to roll the ship off the rocks and onto a platform. The liner will now be reinforced, and towed away in the spring.

The authorities did warn it could take days before they could start looking for the bodies. “From an operative point of view we should wait until the shipwreck is secured,” said civil protection official Franco Gabrielli.

The leader of Costa Cruise’s technical team, Franco Porcellacchia, said there were still risks involved in the search and authorisation was needed before teams could go into new areas to look for the bodies.
 ::snipping3::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 17, 2013, 05:16:51 PM
http://www.euronews.com/2013/09/17/italy-search-for-missing-costa-concordia-passengers-to-begin/

Italy: search for missing Costa Concordia passengers to start
17/09 18:12 CET

The hunt for the bodies of two missing passengers who died when the Costa Concordia capsized is to begin, now that the cruise ship has been successfully salvaged.

In a complex 18 hour operation, engineers used cables and metal boxes filled with water to roll the ship off the rocks and onto a platform. The liner will now be reinforced, and towed away in the spring.

The authorities did warn it could take days before they could start looking for the bodies. “From an operative point of view we should wait until the shipwreck is secured,” said civil protection official Franco Gabrielli.

The leader of Costa Cruise’s technical team, Franco Porcellacchia, said there were still risks involved in the search and authorisation was needed before teams could go into new areas to look for the bodies.
 ::snipping3::



I continue to hold hope the two passengers remains will be recovered. 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 20, 2013, 08:30:18 AM
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/09/1300919-costa-concordia-seagrass-italy-environment/?google_editors_picks=true
Seagrass Below Sunken Cruise Ship Worries Biologists
While the Costa Concordia may soon leave the Mediterranean, damage may linger.

September 19, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/RiIuBY5.jpg)
A close-up of cabins on the severely damaged side of the stricken Costa Concordia after the parbuckling salvage operation successfully uprighted the ship.
Photograph by Marco Secchi, Getty Images





Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 26, 2013, 09:21:28 AM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/25/costa-concordia-before-and-after-photos_n_3989756.html
Costa Concordia Before And After Satellite Photos Show Extent Of Damage To Ship
September 25, 2013

New bird's-eye images showing the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship before and after the epic 19-hour operation to turn it upright were released Wednesday.

The images, courtesy of Google and satellite imagery company DigitalGlobe, are stunning. (Even more so in high definition.)
 ::snipping3::

See photos at link.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 26, 2013, 09:24:07 AM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24286183
Costa Concordia: Remains found near wreck
September 26, 2013

Italian officials overseeing the continuing search for bodies around the wreck of the Costa Concordia say unidentified remains have been found.

Two people have been unaccounted for since the night the ship sank off the Italian shore in a disaster which claimed the lives of 30 other people.


 ::snipping3::
"During a search in the water near the central part of the ship, coast guard and police divers found remains which still have to be identified with DNA," Italy's civil protection agency said in a statement on Thursday.

An Indian waiter, Russel Rebello, and Italian passenger Maria Grazia Trecarichi were reported missing, presumed dead, after the disaster.


It was thought that perhaps they had been trapped beneath the ship and the rocks, the BBC's Alan Johnston reports from Rome.

Divers found remains lying just outside the hull on the seabed. They still have not been brought ashore, and the process of running DNA identification tests is yet to begin.

But relatives of the two missing people have been informed of the find.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 26, 2013, 09:25:59 AM
http://news.sky.com/story/1146811/costa-concordia-remains-found-near-liner
Costa Concordia: Remains Found Near Liner
Authorities say DNA tests will determine if the remains are those of two victims whose bodies have never been found.

September 26, 2013

Divers have found human remains near the shipwrecked cruise liner which ran aground off the Italian coast in January 2012.

Authorities say DNA tests will tell whether the remains are those of two victims whose bodies were never found.

The search for the last of the 32 dead resumed after the capsized cruise liner was hauled upright last week in a 19-hour salvage operation 20 months after the ship crashed into a reef off Giglio Island on January 13, 2012.

The remains were "absolutely consistent" with the two missing people, an Indian man and an Italian woman, said Franco Gabrielli, the head of the government agency overseeing the vessel's salvage.

Relatives of the two victims - a female Italian passenger and a male Indian waiter - have been notified, Mr Gabrielli said.

Recovering the submerged bodies after 20 months under the weight of the 114,500 tonne vessel was "almost a miracle," he added.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 26, 2013, 09:29:03 AM
I had been hopeful the remains of the last two victims could be recovered, and it appears they've been found.  (pending identification) There is nothing that can change what happened, but I hope the recovery of the remains will give their families and friends some peace.  ::MonkeyAngel::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 26, 2013, 09:31:20 AM
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/26/world/europe/italy-costa-concordia-remains/
Remains found on Costa Concordia
September 26, 2013

CNN) -- Human remains have been found on the wrecked Costa Concordia, possibly answering what happened to the last two missing passengers of the cruise liner that ran aground off Italy's Giglio Island in 2012, a spokesman for the head of Italy's civil protection agency said Thursday.
 Costa Concordia families still wait
Divers will try to recover the remains, which were found on deck 4, on Thursday afternoon, the spokesman said.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 26, 2013, 09:34:06 AM
Interesting.  I'm looking at various news articles and some say the remains were found near the d Costa Concordia, and then there is the CNN article posted just prior to this post that says they were found on deck four.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/26/world/europe/italy-costa-concordia-remains/
Remains found on Costa Concordia
September 26, 2013

http://news.sky.com/story/1146811/costa-concordia-remains-found-near-liner
Costa Concordia: Remains Found Near Liner
Authorities say DNA tests will determine if the remains are those of two victims whose bodies have never been found.
September 26, 2013


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24286183
Costa Concordia: Remains found near wreck
September 26, 2013


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: Green Eyes on September 27, 2013, 07:10:55 PM
I am so glad they were able to find the two missing people.  Hopefully the families will be able to have some closure.  ::MonkeyAngel::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 27, 2013, 08:30:09 PM
I am so glad they were able to find the two missing people.  Hopefully the families will be able to have some closure.  ::MonkeyAngel::

Me too GE.  ::MonkeyAngel:: ::MonkeyAngel::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 28, 2013, 11:19:38 AM
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/23/world/europe/italy-costa-concordia-trial/?hpt=hp_t3
Lawyers for Costa Concordia captain seek tour of ship's bridge, engine room
September 24, 2013

Giglio, Italy (CNN) -- Francesco Schettino, the captain of the ill-fated Costa Concordia cruise liner, wants to get back on the ship. His lawyers Monday formally asked a panel of three judges for permission to tour the ship's bridge and engine room as part of a defense strategy that he says will prove that was not the only person responsible for the disaster.
The liner, which crashed on the rocks off Giglio Island in January 2012, killing 32 people, was rotated back to vertical last Monday. The unprecedented maneuver, called parbuckling, exposed a twisted mass of metal, dotted with mattresses, passenger luggage and deck chairs on the ship's previously submerged starboard side. Now that the Concordia is upright, there can be further investigation of the captain's alleged mishandling of the ship.
Defense lawyers for Schettino agreed with lawyers representing more than 200 civil parties against the captain, including Giglio Island and several passenger and environmental advocacy groups, in asking for a new examination of the ship now that it is upright. Such an examination could include divers going deep into the belly of the vessel to examine whether watertight doors sealed properly, and whether automatic generators functioned. He also wants to walk the judges through the command bridge in a re-creation of the night of the crash. Half of the command bridge was submerged for 20 months.
More...

Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 03, 2013, 03:18:31 PM
http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/2013/10/02/more-remains-found-at-costa-concordia-site
More remains found at Costa Concordia site
October 2, 2013



ROME - Divers have recovered what could be more human remains from the sea where the Costa Concordia cruise liner sank last year off the Italian island of Giglio, the head of Italy's civil protection agency said on Wednesday.

The agency said last week it had found remains that could belong to the last two missing victims from the disaster on Jan. 13, 2012, when the ship capsized after striking rocks, killing 32 people.

"Other remains have also been found and are currently undergoing DNA tests," the agency's chief Franco Gabrielli told reporters on Wednesday. "We are waiting for the results of the analysis," he said.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 03, 2013, 03:26:05 PM
http://news.sky.com/story/1149706/costa-concordia-divers-find-more-remains
Costa Concordia Divers Find More Remains
The latest discovery comes a week after divers recovered remains which had been in the sea for 20 months.
October 3, 2013

Divers have recovered what could be more human remains from the sea off Tuscany where the Costa Concordia cruise liner sank last year.

The latest discovery was announced by Franco Gabrielli, the head of Italy's civil protection agency, the organisation in charge of the wreck.

"Other remains have also been found and are currently undergoing DNA tests," Mr Gabrielli said.
 ::snipping3::
Experts are planning to go inside the ship to retrieve some of the Concordia's computers, to try to discover why backup generators and other equipment failed to work immediately after the collision.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 09, 2013, 09:51:13 PM
The remains found on the third deck haven't been officially identified yet, however there appear to be indications it may be Mr. Rebello. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24444071
Costa Concordia wreck: Remains of Indian waiter 'found'
October 8, 2013

Divers searching the wreck of the Costa Concordia off the Italian coast may have found the remains of one of two people still missing, officials say.

Italy's civil protection agency said it believed the remains belonged to Russel Rebello, an Indian waiter.

An Italian passenger, Maria Grazia Trecarichi, is still unaccounted for.
 ::snipping3::
"The remains have been found by rescuers on the third deck" of the cruise ship, said a civil protection agency spokeswoman, Francesca Maffini.

"Several elements make us say that they could relate to the body of the young waiter of Indian nationality, Russel Rebello," she said.

The agency the results would not be confirmed for several days, but said Mr Rebello's family had been informed about the development.


An earlier announcement by the authorities that they had found the remains of two human bodies was subsequently played down.

The search for the two people who remained unaccounted for resumed on 24 September, a week after the wreck of the cruise ship had been moved to an upright position and stabilised.

Officials have made the recovery of the remaining bodies a priority.

Divers had previously focussed their search for the two missing people on the fourth deck of the Costa Concordia, where they had reportedly been seen for the last time on the evening of the accident.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 09, 2013, 10:00:12 PM
http://news.discovery.com/history/body-found-trapped-inside-costa-concordia-131008.htm
Body Found Trapped Inside Costa Concordia
October 8, 2013

Divers searching the Costa Concordia wreck off the Tuscan island of Giglio recovered on Tuesday the body of one of two lost victims who died in the cruise ship disaster.

Found in the submerged part of the ship, in an advanced state of decay, the body is believed to be that of Indian waiter Russel Rebello.

It was trapped near the third deck at the back of the ship, close to one of the restaurants, in an area where dishes were washed.

Italy’s Civil Protection agency said it has informed the Rebello’s family

A Mumbai native, 33-year-old Rebello began working on the Costa Concordia just a few months before the disaster.
 ::snipping3::
As the ship tumbled onto its side on Jan. 13, 2012, it claimed 32 lives. Among them was Italian passenger Maria Grazia Trecarichi, who was celebrating her 50th birthday with her 17-year-old daughter. Her daughter survived, but Trecarichi is still missing.
 ::snipping3::
A married father-of-two, Rebello is one of the heroes of the Concordia. When the cruise ship struck the rocks off Giglio Island, he was in his cabin, sick with high fever. He immediately went out on the decks to help passengers to safety and even gave one his own lifejacket.

Witnesses last saw Rebello as as he was making his way to a muster station at the restaurant by the stern.
 ::snipping3::
Franco Gabrielli, the head of the Civil Protection agency, announced two weeks ago the recovery of bone remains on the ship’s deck 4.

Results of DNA testing have not been released, but rumors in the Italian media suggest the remains were animal.

http://news.discovery.com/history/costa-concordia-dark-side-photos-130920.htm
Dark Side of Costa Concordia in Photos

http://news.discovery.com/history/costa-concordia-final-night-130916.htm

Costa Concordia's Final Night on Giglio's Shore


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 11, 2013, 09:46:29 PM
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/512310/20131008/costa-concordia-trial-schettino-women-bridge-uniform.htm
Costa Concordia Francesco Schettino Trial: ‘Several Women on Bridge as Ship Hit Reef’
October 8, 2013



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 11, 2013, 09:55:07 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24483469
Huge salvage vessel may help lift Costa Concordia wreck
October 10, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/VAMXZJb.jpg)
A computer graphic showing how the salvage operation would look

The wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship could be loaded aboard a colossal salvage vessel after a deal was struck with a Dutch company.

The Dockwise Vanguard, capable of picking up oil rigs, has been recruited as an option to move the ship.

The vessel can sink under the Concordia then rise up to lift it clear of the water before sailing it to be scrapped.
 ::snipping3::
Costa Crociere, Concordia's owner, said the Vanguard had been retained as one possible option for removing the wreck from its current location off Giglio island in 2014.

It said the $30m (£19m) contract to use the salvage vessel would offer a "safe and swift" method to transport the cruise ship to its as yet undetermined final destination.

The company said the operation is the biggest salvage ever attempted on a ship of the Concordia's size.

The 275m-long (902ft) Vanguard has no bow and a flat stern, allowing it to contain the longer cruise ship.

The Vanguard, described by its Dutch owner Royal Boskalis as the world's largest semi-submersible ship, uses vast ballast tanks to lower and raise itself around its cargo.

The company said modifications would need to be made before it is capable of carrying Concordia.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 11, 2013, 09:57:21 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10373007/Worlds-biggest-submersible-hired-to-remove-Costa-Concordia-from-Giglio.html
World's biggest submersible hired to remove Costa Concordia from Giglio
October 10, 2013

The 114,500 tonne liner, which smashed into rocks off the tiny island, could be taken away to be broken up for scrap by the giant Dockwise Vanguard.
The semi-submersible Vanguard is owned by a Dutch marine salvage company, Royal Boskalis NV, which announced that it had won a $30 million (£19 million) contract for the operation.
But Costa Cruises, which owns the Concordia, said using the Vanguard was one of two options being studied.
The alternative would be to refloat the cruise ship with the aid of huge steel boxes welded to its flanks and then to tow it away with tug boats.
“The $30 million is a sort of booking guarantee, so that the Vanguard’s availability is assured and we can use it if that is judged to be the best option,” said Rosella Carrara, a Costa Cruises spokeswoman.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on October 29, 2013, 04:34:20 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24733882
Costa Concordia trial: Captain's lover was on bridge
October 29, 2013

A Moldovan dancer who was on the bridge of the Costa Concordia with Captain Francesco Schettino has admitted she was his lover at his trial.

Domnica Cemortan testified that she was in a romantic relationship with the captain and was with him when the cruise ship ran aground off the north-west Italian coast.

Capt Schettino faces multiple charges of manslaughter and abandoning ship.

The January 2012 tragedy killed 32 people.

The captain faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Ms Cemortan has been the subject of intense media interest, says the BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome. On the night the Costa Concordia ran aground, she had dinner with the captain before he invited her to join him on the bridge as he oversaw what was meant to be a close sail-past of the little Tuscan island of Giglio.

Local press have speculated the captain may have been distracted by her presence, or even showing off.

In court, Ms Cemortan acknowledged after being pressed that they had been romantically involved. She had boarded the ship as a non-paying passenger hours before the crash, she said, adding: "When you are someone's lover, no-one asks you for a ticket." She subsequently dismissed the remark as a joke to her translator.

She said she had worked for the company that operated the Costa Concordia for about three weeks in December 2011, and had met Capt Schettino on a previous cruise.

After the ship hit the rocks, Ms Cemortan said the captain urged her to "save herself".

She told court that she helped other passengers to abandon ship before getting into a lifeboat herself.

More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on November 04, 2013, 04:25:48 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10425252/Moldovan-dancer-denies-she-distracted-Costa-Concordia-captain.html
Moldovan dancer denies she distracted Costa Concordia captain
Domnica Cemortan says her presence on bridge did not distract Captain Schettino on night of shipwreck at Italian island of Giglio
November 4, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/wYasCB2.jpg)
Domnica Cemortan, 26, had dinner with Capt Schettino, 53, in a restaurant on board the cruise liner and was then invited onto the bridge by him, about 15 minutes before the ship smashed into rocks, a collision that prompted a panic-stricken evacuation. Photo: lessandro La Rocca - LaPresse/Photoshot

The Moldovan dancer who admitted having an affair with Capt Francesco Schettino, the commander of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, has insisted her presence on the bridge did not distract him on the night that the liner ploughed into the island of Giglio.
Domnica Cemortan, 26, had dinner with Capt Schettino, 53, in a restaurant on board the cruise liner and was then invited onto the bridge by him, about 15 minutes before the ship smashed into rocks, a collision that prompted a panic-stricken evacuation.
“It’s very easy for Italians to think that the blonde, the Moldovan dancer, distracted the captain. But I didn’t,” the single mother of one told an Italian television programme on Sunday.
Ms Cemortan had publicly and repeatedly denied having a relationship with the married captain but was forced to admit the affair last week under intense cross-examination in a court in Grosseto, Tuscany, where Capt Schettino is on trial for manslaughter, causing a maritime disaster and abandoning ship before all of its 4,200 passengers and crew had been evacuated.
She told the programme, Domenica Live (Sunday Live) that she felt sorry for Capt Schettino’s wife, but that he knew what he was doing when the pair embarked on a two-week fling on the Concordia the month before the accident.
 ::snipping3::
“With regard to his wife and family, I don’t consider myself the only person responsible.
“He’s a man, not a boy.”
She insisted their affair had “nothing to do with the accident” and should have remained a private matter.
Ms Cemortan claimed the relationship should not be called an “affair” because it was so brief.
“Being someone’s lover means having a relationship lasting six months, not two weeks. My relationship with him began a week after I joined the Concordia. He was charming, an elegant man. But I don’t think I’ll ever get involved with a married man again.”
It was deeply unfair that Capt Schettino was the only person facing criminal charges for the accident of Jan 13, 2012, which caused the deaths of 32 people, she said.
Five other ship’s officers and employees of Costa Cruises, the Italian owner of the liner, were convicted of manslaughter earlier this year but struck plea bargains in which they were each sentenced to less than three years in prison.
 ::snipping3::
Costa Cruises, Europe’s biggest cruise operator and a subsidiary of US-based Carnival Corp, negotiated a plea bargain in which it accepted limited responsibility and paid a one million euro fine.

Capt Schettino’s trial resumes on Nov 11.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on November 18, 2013, 09:10:20 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10439080/British-diver-arrested-for-souvenir-hunting-on-Costa-Concordia-wreck.html
British diver 'arrested for souvenir-hunting on Costa Concordia wreck'
A British diver is among four salvage workers who have been arrested on suspicion of illegally boarding the stricken Costa Concordia cruise ship to search for souvenirs
November 10, 2013

The man, who has not been named by police, allegedly climbed on board the vessel late on Thursday night with an Irishman and two South Africans, all employees of salvage firm Salvage Consortium Titan-Micoperi which is working to remove the ship from rocks on the Italian island of Giglio, where it capsized last year.
Caught by CCTV set up on an off limits area of the ship, the men were arrested by officers of the Italian Carabinieri police and found in possession of an empty rucksack bearing the cruise ship’s company logo, an investigative source said.
“The men, who were relatively new arrivals on the island, have been released pending a possible trial,” said the source. Charges could include theft and illegally entering a crime scene which is still officially sealed off.
In a statement, Titan said “The company has taken immediate action to remove (the) workers from the project.”
 ::snipping3::
Thieves stole the ship’s brass bell three months after the incident, although security on board has been tight since the ship was righted. Search teams combing the cabins and corridors have located the body of the Maria Grazia Trecarichi, one of two passengers whose bodies were not found, but are yet to find the body of Indian waiter Russel Rebello.
“Searching will only now resume when the ship is in a dock, drained of water,” said the police source.
The Italian court which is now trying the ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, for manslaughter, has meanwhile allowed salvage workers to start removing passengers’ cabin safes from the ship, following a request from consumers’ group Codacons, which said “the contents can now finally be restored to their legitimate owners.”
The removal of the safes, albeit only those which have remained above water, will help salvage workers lighten the vessel as much as possible to ensure it floats as high in the water as possible when it is raised from the underwater platform on which it currently sits.
The safes will be taken to a court-appointed warehouse at Talamone on the Italian mainland where the contents will be matched with owners, said a spokewoman for the ship’s operator, Costa Crociere.

Titan is meanwhile working to protect the ship from being shattered by winter storms by fixing steel braces between it and the underwater platform and padding its landward side with sacks of cement to stop it moving, she added.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on November 18, 2013, 09:14:46 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/12/world/europe/italy-costa-concordia/
Costa Concordia captain didn't fall, but jumped into lifeboat, crew member testifies
November 12, 2013

Rome (CNN) -- The captain of the Costa Concordia did not "fall" into a lifeboat after the ship hit rocks, as he contends, a crew member testified. Instead, Francesco Schettino "jumped into the lifeboat," Stefano Iannelli said.
 ::snipping3::
Iannelli, who was on the bridge when the ship hit the outcropping, testified that Schettino's reaction was, "What have I done?!"
As part of his defense for the abandoning ship charge, Schettino has maintained that by the time he left the crippled vessel, the inclination made it impossible to stay on the ship. He told the court at a hearing in October that the ship was literally falling on top of him and he fell into the lifeboat. The ship ended up lying on its side.
Iannelli, who followed Schettino off the ship, testified Monday that he did not see passengers when they left the vessel, even though more than 1,000 people were later rescued from the ship. In a taped conversation between the captain and the port authority in Livorno, the port authority ordered Schettino to "get back on board" while passengers were still being rescued from the other side of the ship.
Schettino, who admits that he was in command when the ship veered off course and hit the rocks, also blames a malfunction of the ship's watertight doors for making the situation worse. His defense lawyers say that created a new emergency after the initial accident.
On Tuesday, the court heard testimony from Hugo Di Piazza, a technician who was working in the engine room when Schettino hit the rocks.
The court heard a taped call from Di Piazza and the bridge in which he is heard saying that "something" had ripped a 70-meter (230-foot) gash in the hull and warning that the engine rooms were flooding.
"A 10-foot jet of water hit my back," Di Piazza told the court. He said he then closed the watertight doors but the "water infiltrated" the seals.
If the watertight doors had functioned, Schettino's defense maintains, the ship would have stayed upright and afloat despite the fact that it had picked up an 80-ton boulder from the seabed.
After losing power, the Costa Concordia glided past the port of Giglio and then made a 180-degree turn back toward the port before capsizing.
Di Piazza said he narrowly escaped the flooded engine rooms. "I opened other doors but the water kept rising," he told the court before describing how he and another technician escaped to the upper control platform and the engine room flooded.
The court also heard an intercepted telephone conversation a week after the accident in which Di Piazza said that Schettino seemed oblivious to the gravity of the situation.
"He didn't understand the situation. We were idiots and he didn't give a damn if we died," Di Piazza said.
After Tuesday's testimony from crew members, the trial will resume next week with testimony from traumatized passengers who survived the incident. Schettino is expected to testify before the end of the year.
 Schettino argues that he is a hero who saved the lives of more than 4,000 people, not a villain whose negligence led to the deaths of 32. In addition to blaming the watertight doors, the captain's attorneys also say the ship would not have crashed had the helmsman turned it in the direction that Schettino told him to 13 seconds before impact.
The helmsman, Jacob Rusli Bin, and four others were convicted in a plea deal in July for their role in the disaster. A Florence court is considering the validity of those plea bargain agreements.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on November 18, 2013, 09:16:51 PM
http://news.sky.com/story/1170380/costa-concordia-captain-delayed-rescue-call
Costa Concordia Captain 'Delayed' Rescue Call
Francesco Schettino's trial hears the order to abandon ship was not given until an hour after the cruise liner hit rocks.

November 18, 2013


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on November 25, 2013, 02:26:14 PM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2513207/Everything-control-Costa-Concordia-crew-member-reveals-ordered-tell-passengers-return-cabins-moments-ship-sank.html
'Everything is under control': Costa Concordia crew member reveals how she was ordered to tell passengers to return to their cabins moments before the ship sank
November 25, 2013


A Costa Concordia crew member has told a court how she was ordered to tell passengers 'everything was under control' after the packed luxury cruise ship struck rocks and was fatally holed.

Jacqueline Abad Quine was a deputy cabin services director and was on duty the night the ship hit the reefs after its captain Francesco Schettino altered course to carry out a 'sail-by salute' of an island.

She was later seen in video footage trying to reassure passengers who had gathered on decks close to lifeboat stations and described to the hearing the scene of panic and confusion in the minutes following the incident.
 
Mrs Quine said: 'I was ordered to tell the passengers everything was under control. I was told to say that there was a blackout and everyone should return to their cabins and that things would be returning to normal as quickly as possible.

'But people were agitated and worried - they wanted to get onto the lifeboats but the order didn't come.
When the passengers got to the muster stations I was told to try and calm them down, to reassure them.'
 ::snipping3::

Mrs Quine broke down in tears as she told the hearing in the Italian town of Grosseto: 'I made announcements in English, Spanish and Italian. I called my boss and he said the crew were frightening the passengers with what they were saying.

'Children were hugging their parents, two little ones lost and a were trying to find them. Reliving everything again now is really hard for me now. The passengers wanted to get onboard the lifeboats.

'They were pushing each other, trying to get on but we didn't have the order to let them get onboard. I had to tell everyone that there was an electrical problem and everything was going to return to normal.

'Eventually the order to abandon ship came from the second officer - I made a human chain with others to get onto a lifeboat and there must have been around 150 people in it.

'When I looked back the ship had capsized. Everyone on the lifeboat was so scared and so was I. I prayed to God for help asking him to help us and to help me so that I knew what to tell the passengers.'
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 28, 2013, 07:25:27 PM
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Parbuckling-Update-Costa-Concordia-Stable-Winterization-Ongoing-2013-12-16/
[Parbuckling Update] Costa Concordia Stable, 'Winterization' Ongoing
December 16, 2013

The Concordia is stable. After some minor movements registered in the 15 days following the parbuckling, the wreck has settled on the platform and seabed. Since then, the monitoring systems - active 24/7 - have not indicated any significant movement.

The winterization operations are almost completed and the last details will be finished next week.
 ::snipping3::
Finally, Costa informed the public that 405 safes have been removed from the dry cabins onboard the wreck in agreement with judicial authorities; contents will be inventoried and handed back to their owners.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 28, 2013, 07:27:41 PM
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/12/16/Light-sentences-to-Costa-Concordia-staff-members-will-be-appealed/UPI-28501387224000/
Light sentences to Costa Concordia staff members will be appealed
December 16, 2013

ROME, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Light jail sentences given in a plea bargain to five Costa Concordia staff members will be appealed in Italy's Supreme Court, prosecutors said Monday.
On Jan. 31 the Court of Cassation will review sentences handed down in manslaughter trials after the ship ran aground last year off the coast of Tuscany, killing 32 people, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

Prosecutors in Florence, Italy, are contesting light jail sentences given in July to crisis management chief Roberto Ferrarini, hotel quarters director Manrico Giampedroni, first officer Ciro Ambosio, officer Silvia Coronica and helmsmen Jacob Rusli, ranging from one year and six months to two years and 10 months.

Each was accused of multiple manslaughter, and prosecutors said the suspects did not earn their plea bargains, "having made no particular contribution to the investigations" with their "generic testimony."
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 15, 2014, 09:27:13 PM
http://www.businessinsider.com/photos-of-costa-concordia-two-years-later-2014-1
Two Years Ago The Costa Concordia Capsized Off The Coast Of Italy — Here's What It Looks Like Now
June 13, 2014

On January 13th, 2012, the Costa Concordia cruise ship hit a rock by the Isola del Giglio off the coast of Tuscany. The ship began to take on water, eventually falling onto its side. There were 3,229 passengers and 1,023 crew members on board, and in the chaotic scenes that followed as the boat collapsed into the sea, 32 people never made it off.
To mark the two-year anniversary, the Associated Press reports, survivors and locals alike held mass in the local church that welcomed in survivors after the disaster.
More...

Photos at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 15, 2014, 09:28:33 PM
Whoops!  My mistake.  The date on the article above ^^^^ should be January 13, 2014, not June. 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 15, 2014, 09:32:46 PM
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/9608591/Survivors-remember-Costa-Concordia-disaster
Survivors remember Costa Concordia disaster
January 14, 2014

Survivors of the capsized Costa Concordia have marked two years since the cruise ship grounded off Italy with a candlelight march on Giglio island and a moment of silence in the courtroom where the captain is on trial.

Relatives of the 32 people killed in the crash also threw a wreath into the sea Monday and attended a Mass in the island's church that had welcomed in hundreds of passengers on the cold night of January 13, 2012 when the Concordia slammed into a reef and capsized.
 ::snipping3::
On the mainland, judges and survivors alike stood in silence inside the theatre-turned-courtroom in Grosseto where Captain Francesco Schettino stands accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the Concordia before all passengers had been evacuated.

Passengers came from as far away as Russia and Britain to attend the hearing, but it was adjourned almost immediately after the commemoration because of a lawyers' strike.

Schettino, who didn't attend the session, has said he's innocent and saved lives.

Residents of Giglio, meanwhile, are finally seeing the end of their ordeal, with June set as the date to remove the hobbled wreck from the island's port.
More...
Video at Link


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 25, 2014, 03:49:57 PM
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/01/23/Judges-experts-tour-Costa-Concordia-cruise-ship-that-hit-rock/UPI-80961390517094/
Judges, experts tour Costa Concordia, cruise ship that hit rock
January 23, 2014

A lawyer for the captain of the Costa Concordia, the Italian cruise ship that hit a rock in January 2012, said Thursday the vessel's bridge has been altered.
The captain, Francesco Schettino, has been charged with manslaughter and dereliction of duty. His lawyer, Domenico Pepe, said changes to the bridge command center might have been made by "people who had no interest in clarifying things," the Italian news agency ANSA reported.


Pepe said there is no way now of determining how the bridge command center was arranged at the time the vessel hit a rock of the island of Giglio.

The vessel had been sitting on its side, semi-submerged until it was brought to the surface last summer.

Three judges, accompanied by court-appointed experts and lawyers for Costa Cruises inspected the ship Thursday. They were the first party to board the Costa Concordia since it was righted.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 25, 2014, 03:52:56 PM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2544772/Investigators-people-board-Concordia-sank-bid-CLEAR-captain-blame-disaster.html
Investigators become the first people to board the Concordia since it sank... in a bid to CLEAR its captain of blame for the disaster
January 24, 2014

* Engineers and legal experts will inspect the Costa Concordia to look for cause for the shipwreck beyond human error
* Captain Francesco Shettino is currently the only person on trial following the shipwreck, charged with manslaughter
* The captain and others claim that some of the blame lies with the Concordia's owners, Costa Crociere SpA
* The experts and investigators will examine the entire ship, just after the 2 year anniversary of the shipwreck

More...


Lot's of large photos in article at above link.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 25, 2014, 03:54:28 PM
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/01/23/costa-concordia-cruise-ship/4796347/
Costa Concordia boarded by experts as probe continues
AP 12:56 p.m. EST January 23, 2014

GROSSETO, Italy (AP) - Experts have boarded the Costa Concordia cruise liner to investigate whether there is more to the ship's sinking than is contained in the prosecutors' case against its captain.

A team on Thursday examined the bridge and elevators of the ship, which sank Jan. 13, 2012, killing 32 people, and was righted on site in September. Experts are trying to determine if any factors beyond human error contributed to the shipwreck, and next month they will examine the emergency generators.

A judge granted a request for the onboard investigation sought by Capt. Francesco Schettino's defense and a consumer group representing victims.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 29, 2014, 11:53:11 PM
http://www.windsorstar.com/travel/Photos+remains+Costa+Concordia/9435638/story.html
Photos: The remains of the Costa Concordia
January 30, 2014

See photos at link. 


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 29, 2014, 11:59:14 PM
http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/captain-francesco-schettino-refused-chance-to-return-to-sinking-costa-concordia/story-fnizu68q-1226811676979
Captain Francesco Schettino 'refused chance' to return to sinking Costa Concordia
January 28, 2014

AN OFFICIAL coordinating the rescue from Italy's stricken cruise ship told a court Monday that the captain, accused of abandoning ship, refused twice to be taken back on board after making it safely to dry land.
Captain Francesco Schettino, who is on trial for multiple manslaughter, insists that he slipped off the Costa Concordia as it rolled over after hitting rocks off the island of Giglio, and fell onto a lifeboat which carried him ashore.
In a widely-quoted phone call a coast guard official is heard upbraiding Schettino and ordering him to "get back on board, for f***'s sake" - an order the former captain refused point blank to follow.
"When I got to the rock where Schettino was, I told him I would take him back to Giglio port so he could get on a dinghy and be taken back to the Concordia, and get back on board if need be," Carlo Galli, the head of the traffic police coordinating the rescue, told the court.
Thirty-two people were killed in the nighttime disaster, which happened when passengers were sitting down to dinner.
Some drowned after throwing themselves into the icy sea, others were trapped in the lifts as the huge liner sank.
Helicopters desperately ferrying survivors to safety flew over Schettino as he sat huddled on an outcrop near the shore, Mr Galli said.

"He told me he had to stay, to supervise his ship. When I repeated the invitation to take him back, another officer from the ship said it was a good idea to try and get back on board. Schettino said no again," he said.
Captain 'was dry' after leaving ship Schettino has claimed he begged the lifeboat he found himself on to
turn around and take him back to the ship, but his request was refused.
He has also said the ship's owner Costa Crociere, Europe's biggest cruise operator, told him by telephone not to return to the stricken liner.
"Schettino was dry, unlike the rest of the passengers with him. He asked to use my mobile phone, but I needed it to coordinate the rescue. We took the passengers to shore, he remained behind with one or two other officials," Galli said.
 ::snipping3::
Captain Schettino has admitted to performing a risky "salute" manoeuvre near Giglio island and is accused of delaying the evacuation process after the impact.
The court heard from Andrea Bongiovanni, an official who says he tried to persuade Captain Schettino to sound the alarm long before he eventually gave the order to do so.
"The ship's safety manager and I loudly insisted, along with the second in command Roberto Blosio, that the general alarm should be sounded. But Captain Schettino gestured that we should wait, he didn't give the order," he said.
"We only managed to later," and once the extent of the damage to the ship became clear, "the captain looked me in the eyes and said: 'My career is over'," he added.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 30, 2014, 12:01:05 AM
http://www.kmbz.com/Official-Costa-Concordia-Captain-Twice-Refused-to-/18270084
Official: Costa Concordia Captain Twice Refused to Reboard Ship
January 28, 2014

TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images(ROME) -- The captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that crashed off the coast of Italy two years ago twice refused to go back on the vessel while it was at risk of sinking.
 
That’s what an official who coordinated the rescue of the passengers testified in court Monday during the trial of Capt. Francesco Schettino, who stands accused of manslaughter and abandoning ship.

Police official Carlo Galli said Schettino insisted he needed to coordinate the rescue from shore rather than climb back on board.  This, despite international law that dictates a captain should be the last to leave a sinking ship.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on January 30, 2014, 12:04:00 AM
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/01/28/cruise-company-lawyer-tells-court-shipwrecked-concordia-captain-didnt-mention/
Captain didn't speak of dead, boasted of saving lives, Costa Concordia lawyer says
January 28, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/A92Ofb1.jpg)
n this frame grab taken from video and released by Italian media conglomerate Mediaset on Tuesday, July 10, 2012, Francesco Schettino is seen during an exclusive interview to the "Quinta Colonna" programme that was broadcast, Tuesday, July 10, 2012 on Mediaset Channel 5. (AP/MEDIASET, HOEP)

ROME –  A lawyer for the owner of the cruise ship Costa Concordia has told an Italian court that the captain made no mention of those who perished in the shipwreck but instead boasted the day after that he had saved lives with his skill.

Cristina Porcelli, a lawyer for Costa Crociere SpA, testified Tuesday in the manslaughter trial of the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino. She said Schettino told her and other company officials the day after the ship capsized on Jan. 13, 2012 that the reef which the vessel smashed into off Giglio Island wasn't on nautical charts.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on February 01, 2014, 06:50:37 PM
http://news.sky.com/story/1205035/diver-dies-on-costa-concordia-salvage
Diver Dies On Costa Concordia Salvage
The Spanish man in his 40s reportedly bled to death after cutting himself badly during the salvage operation in Italy.
February 1, 2014

A diver has died while working on the shipwrecked Costa Concordia after apparently gashing his leg on an underwater metal sheet.

Italy's civil protection agency, which is leading the removal of the Concordia from the Tuscan coast, said the diver was Spanish.

It was widely reported in Spain and Italy that he was Israel Franco Moreno, of La Coruna, and in his 40s.

Tuscany's La Nazione newspaper said the diver had been working on preparations to attach huge tanks on to sides of the Concordia, to float the ship off its false seabed and tow it to a port for eventual dismantling.

The newspaper reported he gashed his leg on an underwater metal sheet and was then unable to get free.

It said he bled heavily before a diver colleague was able to bring him to the surface. He was reportedly conscious upon surfacing but later died.
 ::snipping3::
The current project that the diver was working on was to prepare the starboard side, which had been underwater until the ship was righted, to hold a similar number of tanks.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on February 01, 2014, 06:54:41 PM
My DH was a hyperbaric welder in his younger days and he read of this incident on a commercial dive forum today, and some of the divers commented, saying this was a bad company to work for in regard to safety and not to work for them.  They don't have a good reputation for safety for their divers.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/diver-dies-during-costa-concordia-salvage-works-1.1676630
Diver dies during Costa Concordia salvage works
Spanish diver was involved in an underwater operation when incident occurred

February 1, 2014

A Spanish diver died today during work to salvage the Costa Concordia cruise liner, which capsized off the Italian island of Giglio two years ago, the company in charge of the salvage work said.
The diver worked for the Spanish company UCS (Underwater Contractors Spain) and was involved in an underwater operation when the incident occurred, an official at Titan Micoperi said. Further details were not available.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on February 01, 2014, 07:03:43 PM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2550171/Diver-dies-underwater-working-Costa-Concordia-salvage-operation-coast-Italy.html
Costa Concordia claims another life after diver working on salvage operation 'cuts leg on sheet metal and bleeds to death'
February 1, 2014

A salvage diver has died while working on the Costa Concordia wreck after it is believed he cut himself on metal sheeting 10ft underwater and bled to death.

Widely named in Italian and Spanish media as Israel Franco Moreno, from La Coruña, Spain, he was part of a team attaching 30 huge flotation tanks to the side of the 114,500-tonne ship.

He is the first person to die in the salvage operation since the cruise liner hit rocks two years ago off the holiday island of Giglio, Italy.

(http://i.imgur.com/RaqCfws.jpg)
Tragedy: A salvage diver, named and pictured in Italian media as Israel Franco Moreno from La Coruña, Spain, died after it is believed he cut himself on metal sheeting 10ft underwater and bled to death
 

(http://i.imgur.com/IwsS7xt.jpg)
Worker: Another photo from the Facebook profile of Israel Franco Moreno, widely named as the victim in Spanish and Italian media, showing the wrecked ship

 ::snipping3::
It appeared he had been working on the salvage operation for several months and his captions made several references to how cold the water was. On one he wrote: 'Very cold, but joyful.'

On another, he wrote: 'Another beautiful sunrise in Giglio'.

Enrico Rossi, president of the Tuscany region, told La Repubblica: 'Another mourning adds to the long list of victims of this vessel, adding pain to pain..

'It also adds rage for another death of a young man who was doing nothing more than his duty.'

It is the first fatality of a worker on the maritime salvage project, believed to be the largest in history and expected to cost £496 million by the time the ship is removed in June.

However, two workers have been injured at the shipyard dealing with the wreck.

In April last year a man fell backwards suffering a head injury and fracturing his collarbone, and a month later a worker was hospitalised while carrying out drilling operations, ANSA reported.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on February 17, 2014, 09:11:23 PM
Thank goodness Bosio was aboard the Costa Concordia the night of the tragedy and gave the order to abandon ship.   I can't imagine how many more lives may have been lost if he hadn't been.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://digitaljournal.com/news/crime/trial-costa-concordia-s-captain-delayed-so-first-mate-took-over/article/370474
Trial: Costa Concordia captain delayed so first mate gave orders
February 13, 2014

On the night of the Costa Concordia tragedy, it was first mate Roberto Bosio who gave the order to abandon ship. As Bosio told the court in the trial of the Captain Francesco Schettino, Schettino refused to.
Instead the ship's captain ignored numerous requests from officers to give that order and continued talking on a phone to the crisis center of the ship's owner, Costa Crociere, acting as if he was in denial of the ship's perilous condition.
Bosio, who has been credited by many with saving lives while going above Schettino's head and giving the order, told the court that "since he (Schettino) wasn't giving any input, the other officials turned to me for a decision."
Outside the court, Schettino again defended his actions on the night of Jan. 13, 2012 and said that the "captain delegates (and) there are designated people who have to do what I say." However, evidence has been presented that waiting even more time to abandon the ship would have cost even more lives than the 32 who died in the disaster.
 ::snipping3::
Bosio is the captain of the Costa Concordia's sister ship, the Serena and only boarded the Costa Concordia during that trip as a private citizen. However, due to his rank in the company he was named the first mate for the voyage.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on February 17, 2014, 09:14:18 PM
Press release:

http://www.allmediascotland.com/media-releases/60553/north-east-haulage-firm-completes-costa-concordia-contract/
North-east haulage firm completes Costa Concordia contract
February 18, 2014

AN award-winning Scottish-based haulage firm has recently completed a six-figure contract with stricken cruise vessel, the Costa Concordia.

Grampian Continental, headquartered in Kinellar, Aberdeenshire, has been working as part of the salvage project of the Costa Concordia, which sank in January 2012 off the coast of Tuscany, Italy.

The haulage firm, which was launched in 2009 by directors Gavin Murray, Neil Bremner and Michael Lacey, utilised its bases in Europe to help transport the specialist equipment that was used to raise the vessel out of the water, at the start of this year.

Grampian Continental, which has another four bases in Newcastle, Great Yarmouth, Holland and Italy, used 15 trucks, driving the equipment from the dock in Italy to storage units in Holland. The firm, which has a modern fleet of trucks and trailers with the capability of transporting a diverse range of loads, transported the large equipment over three weeks, with a police escort due to the size and arranged all the specialist permits required.

Business development manager at Grampian Continental, Ben Gracie, said: “Working with the salvaging operation of the Concordia, has provided Grampian Continental with a great deal of experience, due to the size of the project and all the permits and legal requirements that we had to adhere to. As we have facilities across Europe, we already had the fleet to complete the job, but we had to overcome the challenges of Italian authorities and, of course, respect the sensitive issues surrounding the vessel salvage operation. We used our knowledge and experience of working in Europe to ensure the project ran smooth from start to finish.”
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on February 27, 2014, 09:31:02 AM
Whether the electrical generator failed or not doesn't account for Francesco Schettino's (aka Captain Coward) failure to come to the aid of his passengers, crew and ship the night of the disaster.  JMHO  He should never have left the ship and if he did slide or fall off, he could have hied his happy arse back on it.  JMHO

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/costa-concordia-captain-francesco-schettino-to-board-ship-off-italy-coast/
Costa Concordia Captain Francesco Schettino boards grounded off Italy coast for 1st time since disaster
February 27, 2014
GIGLIO, Italy -- Captain Francesco Schettino stepped aboard the Costa Concordia Thursday for the first time since it capsized off Italy's coast with him at the controls more than two years ago
 ::snipping3::

Schettino arrived on Giglio aboard a ferry from Italy's mainland Tuesday night, after the Tuscan court agreed to let him go back onto the ship. The court in Grosseto, where Schettino is facing charges of manslaughter, abandoning ship and causing a shipwreck, authorized an inspection on the Costa Concordia to be carried out by a group of experts and attended by the former captain.

He stepped onto the stricken vessel at about 10:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. Eastern).

Specifically, experts will be examining an electrical generator in the ship's engine room and the bridge. Judge Giovanni Puliatti stressed that Schettino was being allowed onto the ship "as a defendant, not a consultant" and therefore that he could board the ship to help investigators, but not to ask questions.
The ship's emergency generator is believed to have malfunctioned on that fateful night. The generator is responsible for providing power and managing a series of mechanisms on the ship in case of failure, including the mechanical arms for the lifeboats and the elevators.
Thursday is the second inspection authorized by the court since the beginning of the year in an effort to determine whether any factors beyond human error contributed to the loss of life in the disaster.

More...



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 11, 2014, 10:03:20 PM
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/11/costa-concordia-captain-i-m-a-scapegoat-for-carnival-cruiselines.html
Costa Concordia Captain: I’m A Scapegoat For Carnival Cruise Lines
The captain of the cruise ship whose crash claimed 32 lives tells The Daily Beast that he is being thrown under the bus by Carnival Cruise Lines in order to secure an insurance windfall.
March 11, 2014



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 29, 2014, 06:59:41 PM
http://www.thelocal.it/20140324/concordia-salvage-could-damage-tourism-giglio-mayor
'Concordia salvage could damage tourism': mayor
March 24, 2014

The mayor of Giglio, the island off Tuscany where the Costa Concordia capsized in 2012, killing 32 people, has called for the removal of the wreck to be postponed until September in order to “safeguard the tourism industry”.

An operation to remove the wreck, which was pulled upright last September, is scheduled to get underway in June.

The rusting cruise liner has dominated the port of Giglio for more than two years, but the island’s mayor Sergio Ortelli has argued that the timing of its removal clashes with the onset of the tourism season, La Stampa reported.

He also lamented the “total lack of information” from the authorities over the timing and process of the removal operation, saying it could seriously impact tourism and had “made Giglio afraid”.

“We’re worried because June is a crucial time for our economy,” he was quoted in La Stampa as saying.

“It could be a serious inconvenience.”

Franco Gabrielli, the head of Italy’s Civil Protection agency, hit back, saying the mayor and other institutions have been aware of the schedule “for months” and also alluded to Ortelli using the appeal to ramp up support ahead of local elections.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on March 29, 2014, 07:01:42 PM
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/business/business-news/costa-concordia-teesside-could-miss-6878878
Costa Concordia: Teesside could miss out on scrappage work due to political pressure
March 26, 2014


Able UK bosses say work to could go to Italy due to 'political pressure' for the job to be carried out in the stricken cruise liner’s home country


More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 16, 2014, 11:42:59 AM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/sports/costa-concordia-helmsman-found-may-be-forced-to-testify-in-italy/article/380477
Costa Concordia helmsman found, may be forced to testify in Italy
April 11 2014

The trial of Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia, the cruise ship that hit a reef Jan. 13, 2012, killing 32, is ongoing and an important witness may soon take the stand. That witness is Rusil Bin, the helmsman on that fateful night.
Mr. Bin was found in the countryside of his native Indonesia, outside of Jakarta. Captain Francesco Schettino has blamed Bin, who was steering the ship when it hit the reef, for the tragedy; Schettino claims that Bin did not correctly follow an order. Bin was given a plea bargain deal, a suspended sentence, for his role. It is unclear if Bin can be compelled to return to Italy to take the stand.
 ::snipping3::
An important witness who is scheduled to take the stand next week is Roberto Ferranini, who worked at the crisis center for Costa Cruises and took the emergency call from the luxury liner that night. In a plea bargain, Ferranini was given two years and 10 months for multiple manslaughter and negligence.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 16, 2014, 11:44:42 AM
http://www.ybw.com/news/motorboats/536402/missing-costa-concordia-helmsman-found-in-indonesia
Missing Costa Concordia helmsman found in Indonesia
April 14, 2014

The Costa Concordia helmsman who failed to turn up to court in early March was discovered by Interpol officers in Indonesia last week.
 
Jacob Rusil Bin, who was steering the doomed cruise liner when it hit rocks off Giglio, was found in the countryside outside Jakarta.
 
Mr Rusil Bin is wanted in Italy to testify in the trial of Costa Concordia's captain Francesco Schettino, however it's not yet clear whether he will be forced to take the stand.
 
Schettino has accused the helmsman of misunderstanding his orders shortly before the ship was grounded off the coast of the Italian island.
 
The crash saw 32 of the 4,2000 passengers and crew onboard killed as a result.
 
Mr Rusil Bin has previously admitted charges of manslaughter, negligence and causing a shipwreck, and negotiated a plea bargain for which he received a suspended 20-month sentence.
 ::snipping3::
Read more at http://www.ybw.com/news/motorboats/536402/missing-costa-concordia-helmsman-found-in-indonesia#lU1or8A3ZqTBUEKh.99


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 16, 2014, 11:46:53 AM
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/costa-concordia-trial-schettino-blamed-shipwreck-blackout-1444781
Costa Concordia Trial: Schettino 'Blamed Shipwreck on Blackout'
April 14, 2014

Captain Francesco Schettino attempted to give authorities an altered version of the facts that led to the shipwreck of the Costa Concordia to alleviate his responsibilities, an Italian court has heard.

Roberto Ferrarini, Costa Crociere's fleet crisis coordinator told a court in Grosseto, Tuscany, that, after the cruise liner hit a reef, Schettino asked him to back him up in blaming the crash on a blackout on board.

"Schettino suggested to me to tell authorities that he crashed because of a blackout," Ferrarini told the trial against the captain.

"I strongly dissented and got angry. It was something completely different and false, compared to what he had told me earlier: that he hit a rock and the ship got flooded."

The prosecution played in court recordings of some of the phone conversations between Ferrarini and Schettino, in which the captain updated the Costa official on the unfolding tragedy.

"There was this little rock and we hit it with the stern," Schettino was heard saying. "I'm really devastated."

Ferrarini claimed that, in the phone calls, Schettino maintained a reassuring tone leading him to believe that he had everything under control.
 ::snipping3::
Ferrarini was among another five employees of Costa Crociere who were granted plea bargain deals in return for milder sentencing in a separate proceeding.

He was sentenced last year to two years and 10 months in jail for multiple manslaughter, bodily harm and failure to communicate with maritime authorities.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 16, 2014, 11:51:14 AM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2604444/Costa-Concordia-captain-Francesco-Schettino-tried-convince-head-crisis-team-devastating-ship-wreck-caused-blackout.html
Costa Concordia captain ‘tried to convince head of crisis team that devastating shipwreck was caused by blackout'
April 16, 2014

The captain of the cruise ship Concordia tried to orchestrate a cover up in which the company would blame the tragic shipwreck on a power cut, a court in Italy has heard.

Captain Francesco Schettino was in command of the giant cruise liner when it hit rocks and sank off the coast of Tuscany in January 2012, killing 32 people.

The 52-year-old, who allegedly caused the crash by ordering an ill fated ‘salute’ to the island of Giglio, is currently on trial for mass manslaughter and abandoning ship.

Giving evidence at the court in Grosseto, Tuscany, head of the crisis unit Roberto Ferrarini said that the former captain asked him to help cover his tracks, by telling the authorities that a power outage had caused the collision.

Emergency manager Ferrarini said: ‘Schettino asked me to tell the maritime authorities that the collision was down to a blackout on the ship. But I strongly objected.

‘That was a different false account compared to what he had said before, namely, that he had hit a rock which caused the ship to flood.


‘I remember I got quite angry-and I shared that reaction with my colleagues.'

Ferrarini, a key witness, was also to stand trial for his part in the disaster but through a plea bargain negotiated a two year two month suspended sentence before proceedings began.

Four other Costa employees received lesser sentences.
 ::snipping3::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on April 16, 2014, 11:53:17 AM
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/04/15/Costa-Concordia-wreckage-to-be-moved/6101397572780/?spt=hts&or=4
Costa Concordia wreckage to be moved
The stricken Costa Concordia will soon be moved from the island where it ran aground in 2012, killing 32 people, Italy's environmental minister said.
April 15, 2014

ROME, April 15 (UPI) -- Italy’s environment minister pledged to have the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship removed “as soon as possible” from the island where it sank in 2012, killing 32 people.
Gian Luca Galetti said the ship, now upright and moored off the island if Giglio, will be removed “as soon as possible to protect the environment and also the summer tourist season.”
 ::snipping3::
In Grosetto, the trial of ship captain Francesco Schettino continued Tuesday with the ship’s former hotel director, Manrico Giampedroni, testifying that Schettino failed to contact him during the shipwreck, even though Giamopedroni had responsibility for supervising the evacuation of passengers.

Schettino is charged with multiple manslaughter and dereliction of duty, and allegedly abandoned the ship before the evacuation was complete.

Monday the court was told that Schettino suggested blame for the accident should be placed on a power outage aboard the vessel.

“Schettino proposed I tell authorities a blackout caused the collision,” Robert Ferrarini, leader of a crisis unit established to handle the incident, testified.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 06, 2014, 09:29:28 AM
http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/work-to-tow-costa-concordia-from-isle-of-giglio-halted-2-reasons/article/382767
Work to tow Costa Concordia from Isle of Giglio halted: 2 reasons
May 3, 2014

Work to ready the Costa Concordia to tow it from where it sits, 300 metres off the Italian island of Giglio, has been halted. There are two reasons: because they haven't a port to receive it yet and because of the possibility of spilling hazardous waste.
Last year the port of Piombino appeared to have been selected as the destination for the Costa Concordia, and officials said it would be scrapped there. However, that decision wasn't finalized and now there is at least one other Italian port in the running to scrap the cruise liner, along with a port in Turkey.
That would appear, however, to be less a problem than the concern for the environment. While the ship was raised back upright in September by the two companies overseeing the project, Titan Salvage of the U.S., and Micoperi of Italy, it will not be capable of floating on its own while being towed.
When the time finally comes to tow the Costa Concordia to the chosen port for scraping, another ship will essentially be placed underneath to keep her afloat during transportation. That ship is the Dockwise Vanguard, owned and operated by a company out of the Netherlands called Royal Boskalis Westminster.
The Dockwise Vanguard is a massive semi-submersible built to transport offshore oil and gas facilities, and large ships. It's listed as being capable of lifting and transporting ships up to 110,000 tons; the Costa Concordia, when fully loaded, weighs in at a little over that figure, at 114,000 tons.
The problem, as the Local, an English-language news site in Italy reports, that on the ship is a potentially "polluting cargo of gallons of cleaning products, rotted food and sewage." In order to ensure the stability of the Costa Concordia during transport, all of that "polluting cargo" must be pumped out. Officials aren't yet satisfied that it can be done without damaging the ecologically sensitive waters of the Tuscan Bay.
In the weeks following the Jan. 13, 2012 disaster, a Dutch company called Smit Salvage (a subsidiary company to Royal Boskalis Westminster) pumped out some 500,000 gallons of oil, 2,300 tonnes of heavy fuel and 200 tonnes of diesel fuel, from 19 tanks onboard.
Pumping out sewage and other bile will be a different matter as it is not neatly sitting in tanks waiting to be removed, but in locations throughout the ship. The concern for a safe removal with no spillage is great as the area of the Tuscan Bay Giglio is situated in is a marine sanctuary with dolphins, species of whales, porpoises and other marine life. As recently as last week officials had said the removal would take place in June but that timeline now seems to be in doubt.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 07, 2014, 09:49:36 AM
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/05/06/Costa-Concordia-salvage-delayed-by-loose-pontoon/4141399400928/?spt=hts&or=8
Costa Concordia salvage delayed by loose pontoon
Large pontoon welded to side of sunken ship falls off, causing stabilization issue.
May 6, 2014

ROME , May 6 (UPI) -- A steel pontoon involved in the salvage of the sunken cruise ship Costa Concordia came loose and fell off, causing the stabilizing structure to tilt, Italian officials said Tuesday.
The ship, sitting upright in waters off the Italian island of Giglio, is supported by large pontoons welded to its sides. They are designed to help the ship float before it's towed away later this year.

Officials said there were no injuries, and work to prepare the ship for its removal, and eventual scrapping, will proceed Wednesday.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on May 07, 2014, 09:51:10 AM
Here's a better explanation:

http://www.**/news/2014/may/07/tank-float-shipwrecked-costa-concordia-shifts/
Tank to float shipwrecked Costa Concordia shifts
May 7, 2014

MILAN — One of the tanks fastened to the shipwrecked Costa Concordia cruise liner to help prepare it for removal to land shifted out of position Tuesday due to a tangled chain.

The consortium overseeing the operation said technicians were working to realign the chain, and that there had been no additional damage to the ship. It was not clear if the tank has been damaged and if the incident would cause delays in latest phase of the Concordia's removal.

Workers began fastening tanks to the ship last week. The tanks, 19 in all, were being filled with water to help stabilize the Concordia, now resting on an artificial seabed after it was set upright in September.

The tank that shifted is the largest and was the first to be fastened. Its positioning is somewhat more challenging as it is mounted horizontally, while the other tanks are attached vertically.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 21, 2014, 03:22:01 AM
http://www.marinelog.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=6778:costa-concordia-to-be-scrapped-in-genoa&Itemid=231
Costa Concordia to be scrapped in Genoa
May 30, 2014

MAY 30, 2014 — Italian media report that the Costa Concordia will be scrapped in Genoa. Though the formal government approval needed has not yet been given, Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi said today that he could confirm that the cruise ship will be scrapped "in an Italian port."

According to Il Sole 24 Ore, Carnival Corporation subsidiary Costa Crociere has chosen the consortium consisting of oil service company Saipem and Genoa-based companies Mariotti and San Giorgio.

It added that Costa had decided to begin the delicate operation to refloat the vessel on July 20.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 21, 2014, 03:24:04 AM
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/costa-concordia-to-be-towed-from-wreck-site-as-italian-ports-vie-to-scrap-her-9550030.html
Costa Concordia to be towed from wreck site as Italian ports vie to scrap her
June 19, 2014

The wrecked Costa Concordia will be towed from the island of Giglio by the start of August – two years and eight months after it crashed into rocks with the loss of 32 lives.

Some reports suggest, however, that islanders are concerned that the complex operation to remove the huge wreck will necessitate the closure of Giglio’s ferry service – thus strangling the tourism trade for a week near the peak of the summer season.

The final decision on when to begin the delicate task of towing the wreck will be decided by sea conditions. This week La Repubblica newspaper said that, based on past weather conditions recorded by ISPRA (Institute for Environmental Protection and Research), authorities believed that any day between 13 July and 8 August might be chosen. Figures suggest that on these dates the vessel would be less likely to meet waves higher than 2ft while it is towed to the mainland.
 ::snipping3::
The owner, Costa Cruises, will scrap the ship, but it is not yet certain where it will be dismantled. The port of Genoa is thought to be most likely; a final decision on whether or not to send it there is due by 26 June. If Genoa’s bid to scrap the vessel is turned down, the Concordia might go to the rival Tuscan port of Piombino.

Today, the governor of Tuscany, Enrico Rossi, continued campaigning for Piombino, noting that Genoa was five times further away. “It will take five days to get to Genoa and one to Piombino. Five-day weather forecasts are not reliable,” he said.

Engineers have said they will use a robot to monitor residual fuel in the ship’s tanks to prevent any leaks during the removal operation.

According to Greenpeace, however, there is no place to safely dispose of the Concordia in Italy, where it would take at least two years to build a naval demolition basin. It has also been suggested that the vessel could be scrapped abroad; Turkey has been suggested as one possible destination.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on June 21, 2014, 03:27:14 AM
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/06/20/costa-concordia_n_5514334.html
Costa Concordia's Rusting Hulk Isn't Great For Italian Tourism
June 20, 2014

The sodden, twisted wreck of the ill-fated Costa Concordia could strangle the tourism on the island of Giglio, as it is towed away next week at the start of the peak holiday season.

The wrecked cruise ship will finally be towed away two years and eight months from when it crashed into the rocks killing 32 people in the chaos.

The wreck may necessitate the closure of the ferry service that serves the island, according to the Independent, meaning holidaymakers will be unable to get to the island's beaches at the height of summer.
La Repubblica newspaper said authorities were deliberating on a date between 13 July and 8 August to tow the wreckage away, a day when the waves would be unlikely to be higher than two feet.

Last year the 114,000-tonne shipwreck was hauled upright and is now "resting safely" on platforms that have been built 30 metres below sea level.

The Concordia’s captain, Francesco Schettino, is currently on trial in Italy on a number of charges related to the sinking, including manslaughter.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 14, 2014, 11:59:37 AM
http://www.euronews.com/newswires/2596324-operation-begins-to-refloat-wrecked-costa-concordia/
Costa Concordia re-floated to be towed away for scrap
July 14, 2014

GIGLIO Italy (Reuters) – The wreck of the luxury liner Costa Concordia was re-floated on Monday and will soon be towed away and broken up for scrap, more than two years after it capsized off the Italian coast, killing 32 people.
 ::snipping3::
n what has become one of the largest salvage operations in history, air was pumped into 30 large metal boxes, or sponsons, attached around the hull of the 114,500 tonne ship. The air forced out the water in the sponsons, lifting the vessel off the underwater platform.

Franco Porcellachia, the engineer in charge of the salvage, said at a news conference around seven hours after the operation began that the hulk had been raised two metres out of the water.

Tug boats attached with cables to the ship then started shifting it away from the shore. “I would say we are halfway through our plan to move the ship,” Porcellachia said.

Later on Monday, the vessel was due to be stabilised with chains and cables. Work will start again on Tuesday to prepare it for towing within days to Genoa in northern Italy, to be scrapped.

Porcellachia said the sixth deck of the ship had started to emerge on Monday, and once that was fully above the water the other decks would become visible in quick succession.

“When deck 3 re-emerges, we are in the final stage and ready for departure,” Porcellachia said. The wreck is due to depart Giglio on July 21. The ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, is on trial on charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck as he sailed too close to shore to “salute” the port, and abandoning ship. He is fighting the charges.

Once the Concordia has left Giglio, the search will continue for the body of the last person who was aboard the Concordia the night it sank and has not been accounted for.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 14, 2014, 12:00:56 PM
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/costa-concordia-live-updates-engineers-3853295
Costa Concordia: Live updates as engineers refloat stricken cruise liner in huge operation
July 14, 2014



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 14, 2014, 12:03:14 PM
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/italy-luxury-liner-floats/1263138.html
Italy luxury liner floats for first time since shipwreck
July 14, 2014

GIGLIO ISLAND: Italy's Costa Concordia cruise ship floated for the first time on Monday since it crashed in 2012, its rust-coloured hull emerging from the waves off the Tuscan island of Giglio as an unprecedented salvage operation began.

"The ship is floating and is well balanced. We're extremely pleased so far," Franco Porcellacchia, the chief engineer of the project, told reporters as the wrecked vessel -- the length of three football fields -- inched upwards.

The bow of the 114,500-tonne vessel rose around two metres (over six feet) off the artificial platform on which it has rested since it was righted in September, while the stern rose four metres, leaving the ship tilted forward.

Sergio Girotto, one of the engineers, said the forward lean was "created by the water inside rushing to the bow as the ship was floated", but said that the vessel would right itself as it was raised further over the coming days.

The dirty white liner was then towed around 30 metres away from the coastline with the waterline in the part that had been submerged clearly visible.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 14, 2014, 08:45:15 PM
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wrecked-costa-concordia-gallery-1.1866736
Inside the Costa Concordia: The wrecked ship floats again
July 14 2014

1 of 22 images
(http://i.imgur.com/QagXVRU.jpg) (http://imgur.com/QagXVRU)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 14, 2014, 11:10:19 PM
http://www.news.com.au/world/salvage-teams-refloat-the-costa-concordia-family-of-lost-victim-hold-hope-of-a-repatriation/story-fndir2ev-1226988302160
Salvage teams refloat the Costa Concordia; family of lost victim hold hope of a repatriation
July 15, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/5rcRNDF.jpg) (http://imgur.com/5rcRNDF)
Lost victim ... Russel Rebelo was last seen helping passengers into rescue boats. Picture: Facebook Source: Supplied

THIRTY-two people died when the Costa Concordia ran aground off the Tuscan island of Giglio in 2012.
The bodies of all the victims were recovered but one.
Russel Rebello, a 33-year-old from India, was working as a waiter on the cruiseliner when it crashed.
The last time anyone saw him alive was near the stern of the Costa Concordia, helping passengers into rescue boats.
Search teams thought they had found Rebello’s remains in October. But the body divers found turned out to be that of Maria Grazia Trecarichi, a Sicilian who was on the cruise to celebrate her 50th birthday with her 17-year-old daughter, who survived.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 23, 2014, 08:22:28 AM
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/costa-concordia-finally-towed-away-from-giglio-amid-environmental-concerns-that-cruise-liner-is-a-floating-bomb-9622291.html
Costa Concordia finally towed away from Giglio amid environmental concerns that cruise liner is a 'floating bomb'
July 23, 2014

As the Costa Concordia begins its final journey to the scrapyard, environmental campaigners are warning of the potential damages to the marine ecosystem as it sweeps through 200 nautical miles of lush Mediterranean seas.

The 290-metre corroding cruise ship will later today be towed from Giglio, the Italian island it struck two-and-a-half-years ago – a maritime disaster that killed 32 people.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 23, 2014, 08:25:22 AM
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/costa-concordia-on-its-way-to-sound-of-horns-champagne-corks-1.1875588
Costa Concordia on its way to sound of horns, champagne corks
Cruise ship sets off on last voyage from Giglio to Genoa two years after it shipwrecked

July 23, 2014

At approximately ten o’clock this morning, the horns sounded and a tug boat sent up a huge spray of water to celebrate the moment when the last cable was unfastened and when the Costa Concordia finally set off on her last voyage from the island of Giglio to Genoa to be dismantled.
In the Bar Monti, they were playing ‘We Are The Champions’ whilst out on the harbour front reporters who attempted to interview the salvage team workers found themselve drenched in celebratory champagne.
At a news conference this morning, Franco Gabrielli, head of the civil protection service, gave the official communication that the ship was finally on its way. In contrast to the salvage workers, Prefect Gabrielli said that he had an obligation to remain “sober” and, above all, to recall the “reason why we are all here”, namely a shipping tragedy in which 32 people lost their lives.


In effect, the removal of the Concordia has thus far gone more smoothly than anyone might have dared to imagine. South African salvage master Nick Sloane yesterday had suggested that it might be mid-afternoon before the ship had moved off from the island. Yet, within a quarter of an hour of the suspension of harbour traffic, the ship had already moved from the shoreline and was clearly on its way.
At a press conference marked by a sense of great satisfaction if not triumphalism, Costa Cruise salvage engineer Franco Porcellacchia confirmed that thus far the Concordia was responding much better than anyone had anticipated.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 27, 2014, 09:32:22 AM
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/costa-concordia-wreck-arrives-at-genoa-for-scrapping-1.1879587
Costa Concordia wreck arrives at Genoa for scrapping
Operation to remove wreck from reef and tow it for scrapping estimated to cost €1.5bn
July 27, 2014

This afternoon, the stricken luxury liner, the Costa Concordia, will conclude her last voyage when she finally docks in the port of Genoa, prior to demolition.
Five days after she was finally moved off the Tuscan island of Giglio, the Concordia arrived this morning outside the port of Genoa on schedule and without incident during her 240km navigation up the Tyrrhenian Sea.
 ::snipping3::
As with every aspect of the Concordia salvage operation, this last phase is highly complicated. Given the difficulties of manoeuvering a 114,000 ton weight vessel which, of course, does not have its own engine power, the ship will have to be backed into port.
This in turn means a slow turn-around procedure at the mouth of the port, a process further slowed up this morning by winds of up to 20 knots.
Given its weight, too, a stronger tug, The Mexico, has now taken over the main towage operation, replacing the two tugs which have pulled the wreck out on the open sea.
All in all, at different moments up to eight different tugs will be involved in “parking” the Concordia today, whilst there are no less than four Genoa-based pilots alongside South African salvage master Nick Sloane in his operations room on top of the Concordia.
 ::snipping3::
The Costa Concordia ran aground off nature reserve Giglio in January 2012 with the loss of 32 lives. Subsequently, a Spanish salvage diver died during the initial recovery work whilst the body of one of the 32 victims, Indian waiter, Russel Rebello, has yet to be found.
The salvage team believe the body may be found when the ship is dismantled in port. Rebello is believed to have lost his life as he was helping passengers get off the stricken ship
.
 ::snipping3::
Capt Schettino is currently being tried for multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship. A judgement in his trial is expected sometime next year.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on July 27, 2014, 11:05:41 PM
Very sad.  I hope Russell Rebello's remains can be recovered.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/brother-still-waiting-lost-costa-concordia-crewman-n165036
Brother 'Still Waiting' for Lost Costa Concordia Crewman
July 27, 2014



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 04, 2014, 04:02:59 PM
http://online.wsj.com/articles/island-divided-over-costa-concordia-wreck-site-1406550474
Island Divided Over Costa Concordia Wreck Site
Some Giglio Locals Want to Turn the Salvage Platforms into an Artificial Reef

July 28, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/D8Oc8A1.jpg) (http://imgur.com/D8Oc8A1)
A view of the Costa Concordia salvage site after the removal of the wrecked ship. Locals are split on what to do with the area. Zuma Press


GIGLIO, Italy—The tiny Tuscan island of Giglio may finally be free of the Costa Concordia, relieving locals of the sight of the 114,000-ton carcass that has been stranded off its coastline for the first time in more than two years.

But the huge cruise liner, which arrived at a scrapyard in Genoa on Sunday, has left a nagging controversy in its wake: what to do with six massive iron platforms that supported the wrecked ship for months before salvage crews towed it away.

The fate of the platforms, which contain twice as much iron as the Eiffel Tower and sit just off the coast of this idyllic island known for its pristine waters, has split locals.

Some are clamoring to keep them as a memorial to the 32 people who died in the January 2012 sinking—and to leave in place a massive artificial reef that could foster a lively diving business. Other islanders want to be rid of any reminder of one of the worst shipwrecks in recent history, a tragedy that dented the tourism business on which Giglio crucially depends
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 04, 2014, 04:04:13 PM
http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/nations/italy/2014/08/04/costa-concordia-salvage-master-sends-thanks-to-giglio_915fdfd4-c18f-4bd3-b354-a16c31385230.html
Costa Concordia salvage master sends thanks to Giglio
Specialist oversaw parbuckling operation on shipwreck

August 4, 2014



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 06, 2014, 10:18:34 PM
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/08/06/bones-found-on-costa-concordia-may-belong-to-last-unaccounted-for-victim
Bones found on Costa Concordia may belong to last unaccounted-for victim
August 6, 2014

ROME - Divers have found human remains in the wreck of the Costa Concordia and will check whether they belong to the one person still unaccounted for 2 1/2 years after the luxury liner sank, Italian authorities said on Wednesday.

Russel Rebello, an Indian who worked as a waiter on the ship when it hit rocks and sank off the Tuscan coast in January 2012, killing 32 people, is the only victim of the disaster whose body has not yet been found.

Rebello's relatives have been informed of the findings on the third deck of the ship, which is due to be broken up for scrap after being towed from Tuscany to the northern port of Genoa in July.

It is also possible that the remains belong to Maria Grazia Trecarichi, whose body was eventually found in the wreck in October last year and whose family has also been told about the new findings, the civil protection authority said.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 06, 2014, 10:20:25 PM
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/costa-concordia-human-skull-found-aboard-cruise-liner-1460069
Costa Concordia: Human Skull Found Aboard Cruise Liner
August 6, 2014

Italian authorities searching the Costa Concordia for the body of the last missing victim of the 2012 shipwreck said they have found a human skull.

Fire-fighters in the port town of Genoa, where the cruise liner was towed for scrapping in July, said they informed the local prosecutor office of the discovery.

A DNA test has been ordered.

Italian media reported the remains might belong to Russel Rebello, a 33-year-old victim of the shipwreck whose body was never found.

According to La Nazione newspaper the headless body of a female passenger had been found in the same area of the liner in the aftermath of the tragedy.

 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 06, 2014, 10:24:08 PM
 ::MonkeyShocked:: ::MonkeyNoNo::  Captain Coward should take a lesson from the Indian waiter, Russel Rubello who was last seen assisting passengers the night of the shipwreck and even gave his life jacket to one.   ::MonkeyMad::  It appears Mr. Rubello gave all.   ::MonkeyTears::

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-07/costa-concordia-capt-sparks-anger-panic-management-class/5653920
Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino sparks anger with university seminar on panic management
August 7, 2014

Italy's notorious shipwreck captain, accused of a fatal delay in sounding the alarm as his Costa Concordia cruise liner sank, has sparked outrage by giving a lecture to students on best emergency practices.

Francesco Schettino, dubbed Captain Coward after allegedly abandoning ship before his passengers were safe, was invited by a professor to speak for two hours at a criminology seminar linked to Rome's La Sapienza university, despite being on trial for the deaths of 32 people in the 2012 disaster.

Italy's education minister Stefania Giannini said the news was "disconcerting", while the university's dean distanced himself from the seminar, saying he had not been informed of Schettino's address, which he viewed as an "inappropriate and unworthy choice".

The professor who invited Schettino to speak at the seminar, which was held last month, has been referred to the university's ethics committee.

"I was called to speak because I am an expert. I had to talk about panic management," Schettino told La Nazione daily, saying he had used a 3D model of the doomed Costa Concordia to demonstrate how emergency evacuations are carried out.

"I know what to do in these sorts of situations," he said.

Schettino is accused of refusing to give the order to evacuate until the vast ship had begun to topple over, despite knowing it was sinking from a hole torn in the side after he struck rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio.

The prosecution says the delay meant lifeboats on one side of the ship could no longer be launched, forcing panicked people to jump into the freezing sea.

Disbelief turned to outrage after the former captain went on to compare the Concordia shipwreck to the September 11 attacks on New York's World Trade Centre, La Nazione said.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 06, 2014, 10:29:43 PM
Can you believe this guy?  Is he a legend in his own mind or what?!  I wondered if maybe his lawyer put him up to this, but then I thought maybe Schettino is trying to get on the lecture circuit to scratch up some money. 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28679906
Costa Concordia captain's lecture sparks outrage
August 6, 2014

The captain of the sunken Italian cruise ship, the Costa Concordia, has sparked outrage after it emerged he delivered a lecture to university students on best emergency practices.

Italy's education minister said the decision by a Rome university professor to invite Francesco Schettino to speak at a seminar was "disconcerting".

Mr Schettino is currently on trial for manslaughter and abandoning ship when the luxury liner sank in January 2012.

Thirty-two people died in the incident.

The former captain denies that he left the luxury liner after it hit a reef near the island, before 4,229 people on board were taken off.

Panic management
The Concordia Captain gave a two-hour lecture to criminal science postgraduate students of La Sapienza university last month, Italy's La Nazione newspaper reports.

"I was called to speak because I am an expert. I had to talk about panic management," Mr Schettino was quoted by the paper as saying.

He said he had used a 3D model of the Costa Concordia cruise liner to demonstrate how emergency evacuations were carried out.

The decision to invite the former captain to speak was condemned by the university's dean, Luigi Frati, who said he was unaware it was taking place.

He called it an "inappropriate and unworthy choice" of speaker.

The professor who arranged the lecture, Vincenzo Mastronard, is currently facing a disciplinary hearing, the university said on Wednesday.

However, Mr Mastronard is quoted by Italy's La Repubblica newspaper as saying that the event was "reserved for experts" and that he would clear up any misunderstanding with the university.

 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 07, 2014, 04:14:01 PM
http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0806/635544-costa-concordia/
Bone fragments found on Costa Concordia
August 7, 2014

Salvage workers today discovered fragments of bone inside the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship.

However, Italy's civil protection agency has said it was too early to say whether they belonged to the last missing victim of the 2012 disaster.

"Divers found bone fragments during their search inside the Concordia" for the body of missing Indian waiter Russel Rebello, a spokesman said.

Italian media reports said the divers had discovered skull fragments, a detail the civil protection agency would neither deny nor confirm.

"Analysis of the remains will begin soon and their results should be known in the next few days," the agency said in a statement.

Mr Rebello's relatives have been informed, as have relatives of a female Italian victim "because it cannot be ruled out that the remains belong to her," it said.
 ::snipping3::



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 07, 2014, 04:41:05 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/08/06/dean-rips-university-professor-for-inviting-costa-concordia-captain-to-host/
Dean rips university professor for inviting Costa Concordia captain to host safety seminar
August 6, 2014

ROME –  A Rome university professor is facing a disciplinary hearing after inviting the captain of the shipwrecked Costa Concordia cruise liner to lecture students on emergency procedures.

The dean of Rome's Sapienza University, Luigi Frati, voiced anger Wednesday at the professor's decision to invite Capt. Francesco Schettino to give a seminar, calling it an "inappropriate and unworthy choice." Frati said he was turning the matter over to an ethics committee.

The university dismissed the "pathetic excuses" offered by the professor, Vincenzo Mastronardi, when confronted by the dean.

Schettino is being tried for manslaughter, causing the shipwreck and abandoning ship over the January 2012 capsize of the Concordia, in which 32 people died.

Italy's education minister called the news "disconcerting," while the prosecutor in Tuscany who is arguing for Schettino's guilt expressed indignation also at reports that Schettino had been awarded a diploma.

The Florence daily La Nazione reported that Schettino gave a nearly two-hour lecture to criminal science masters candidates last month, including reference to panic management. Passengers have described a chaotic evacuation of the Concordia.

Schettino, through his lawyer, defended the seminar, saying it was "a technical intervention on the basis of my knowledge and professionalism acquired over many years of service."

His lawyer, Cataldo Calabretta, criticized "an unacceptable attempt to discredit Schettino, who has been subjected for a long time already to unmerited media attacks."
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 16, 2014, 04:41:32 PM
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/880582-search-for-concordias-last-victim-as-scrap-yard-approaches/
Search for Concordia’s Last Victim, as Scrap-Yard Approaches
August 15, 2014, Updated August 16, 2014



Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on August 18, 2014, 05:13:58 PM
I really wish there was affirmation the last remains have been recovered before airing this film.  The skull fragments found may or may not be those of Russell Rebello, because the previously found remains of an Italian passenger were missing her skull.  Very sad.

http://www.tvwise.co.uk/2014/08/national-geographic-greenlights-raising-costa-concordia-documentary/
National Geographic Greenlights ‘The Raising Of The Costa Concordia’ Documentary
August 18, 2014


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 01, 2014, 12:36:56 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/11048976/Giglio-residents-vote-to-keep-Concordia-platforms.html
Giglio residents vote to keep Concordia platforms
Residents of the Italian island, where the Concordia smashed into rocks, want to keep six massive undersea platforms used to support the cruise ship to create an artificial reef
August 21, 2014

Residents of the Italian island of Giglio, where the Costa Concordia smashed into rocks two years ago, want to keep six massive undersea platforms used to support the cruise ship to create an artificial reef.
Defying a decision by Italy's environmental ministry, which wants to remove the platforms now the ship has been towed away for scrap, Giglio's town council has voted to keep the huge structures, which sit 90 feet below the surface close to the island's main port.
"The people here want them to stay, and I am backing popular will," said Gigilo mayor Sergio Ortelli. "We have voted to ask the ministry to keep it, if it is environmentally sound."
Locals expect the platforms to attract fish, which could in turn bring divers to the island.
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 24, 2014, 10:07:44 PM
http://www.thelocal.it/20140922/schettino-back-in-court-over-concordia-crash
Schettino back in court over Concordia crash
September 22, 2014

Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino returns to court on Monday, where he faces manslaughter charges over the cruise ship sinking that killed 32 people, weeks after teaching students in Rome about emergency procedures.

Schettino will appear in the courtroom in Grosseto, Tuscany, where he has been charged over the deaths of 32 people on board the ship when it sank in January 2012.

Passengers, other civilians and technical consultants will also testify in court today and tomorrow, Ansa reported.

The Costa Concordia captain has long-since denied the charges, claiming he is a scapegoat and has been unfairly targeted by prosecutors.

Despite facing up to 20 years in prison for manslaughter, Schettino earlier this summer lectured students about best emergency procedures. His appearance at Rome’s La Sapienza university was described as “disconcerting” by Education Minister Stefania Giannini.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 24, 2014, 10:09:38 PM
http://www.maritimejournal.com/news101/tugs,-towing-and-salvage/prestigious-award-for-titan-salvage
'Costa Concordia' salvors awarded
September 24, 2014

Houston Based Titan Salvage has been awarded the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) 2014 Corporate Marine Environment Protection Award.
The prestigious award recognises Titan’s proactive approach towards protecting and preserving the oceans and is due to be accepted by the company’s vice president Chris Peterson at NAMEPA’s New York City annual conference at the end of October.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 24, 2014, 10:12:29 PM
http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2014/09/articles/passenger-rights/california-court-dismisses-costa-concordia-lawsuit/
California Court Dismisses Costa Concordia Lawsuit
September 18, 2014

Earlier this week, a federal district judge in California dismissed a lawsuit filed on behalf of two cruise passengers against Carnival arising out of the January 2012 Costa Concordia disaster, ruling that the case must be pursued in Italy where Costa Crociere is located.
The name of the lawsuit is Patricia Sandoval et al. v. Carnival Corporation et al., Case No. 2:12 CV 05517, filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
Judge Fernando M. Olguin applied the doctrine of forum non conveniens, where the courts determine Costa Concordia the appropriate location of lawsuits.
The Court concluded that the majority of the physical evidence and witnesses are located in Italy and the passengers can obtain an appropriate remedy in Italy. The decision is not surprising at all. 
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on September 27, 2014, 08:22:58 PM
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/25/costa-concordia-hero-coastguard-gregorio-de-falco-italy
Anger as Costa Concordia ‘hero’ transferred to coastguard admin duties
Gregorio de Falco was praised for ordering stricken ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, to get back on board
September 25, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/JwhbWCR.jpg) (http://imgur.com/JwhbWCR)
Gregorio De Falco is being transferred from operational service at Livorno coastguard to an administrative post. Photograph: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images

He was the Italian hero to Francesco Schettino’s villain: a coastguard official who, in the days after the Costa Concordia disaster, became a symbol of responsibility in nation that was horrified by the allegedly reckless behaviour of the cruise ship’s captain. On Thursday Italians were yet again engaged in a collective frenzy over straight-talking Gregorio de Falco.

The 50-year-old has said he is being transferred out of operational service at the Livorno coastguard and into administrative duties, prompting anger among those who remember his bracing words to Schettino on the night of the tragedy and despair over a country that they say does not know how to treat its heroes.


After recordings of the heated dialogue between De Falco and Costa Concordia’s skipper were released the coastguard official was hailed as “the voice of duty” by newspaper La Repubblica, in which 32 people died. His command “Vada a bordo, cazzo!” (“Get on board, for f***’s sake!” was even emblazoned on T-shirts.

Federico Gelli, an MP in Italy’s centre-left Democratic party called for the reasons for De Falco’s transfer to be investigated.

“In the news media of the world he became the symbol of the Italy that tries to portray a
different image from a disaster of this kind. This removal … deserves public clarification, even if to dispel potential suspicions that it is connected with the trial going on in Grosseto.”

In that trial, Schettino faces charges including multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship, which he denies.

A row erupted in August at Rome’s Sapienza University after it emerged Schettino had been invited to address a seminar organised by one of its professors. As the Costa Concordia was towed away from Giglio this summer, photographs emerged of the former captain partying on the island of Ischia.

“We are a country that rewards the Schettinos and punishes the De Falcos. That prefers buffoons to those who quietly get on with the job,” wrote one Twitter user, @mariogiordano5, as the hashtag #DeFalco trended.

“Italy punishes its best men,” commented another, @francofontana43.

In an interview with La Repubblica, De Falco said he was saddened by the transfer, which he had not requested.

174 comments at time of posting....


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on November 03, 2014, 12:22:53 PM
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/workers-find-body-dismantling-concordia-26651915
Workers Find Body While Dismantling Concordia
November 3, 2014

The body of an Indian waiter who was the last missing victim of the shipwrecked Costa Concordia cruise liner has been found by crews dismantling the vessel, authorities said Monday.

The body was discovered by workers clearing debris from the ship in a passenger's cabin on the eighth deck, said Carabinieri commander Capt. Massimo Pittaluga. He said the victim was wearing a shirt that contained an identification card for missing crew member Russel Rebello.

In a Facebook message, Rebello's brother, Kevin Rebello, confirmed the discovery of his brother's remains, thanking "all those who prayed and believed that one day he would be found."

He said a DNA test would be performed before putting his brother to rest "with honor," adding simply: "India, we are coming."
 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on November 03, 2014, 12:25:34 PM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/11205374/Costa-Concordia-body-of-final-victim-found-on-board.html
Costa Concordia: Last victim found in wreckage
Russel Rebello, the final victim to be recovered from the Costa Concordia disaster, will receive a "hero’s welcome" when his body is returned home to India, his brother says

November 3, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/CuePZ6Tl.jpg) (http://imgur.com/CuePZ6T)
Russel Rebello is understood to have died after giving his life jacket to another passenger Photo: Laura Lezza

Russel Rebello, the final victim to be recovered from the Costa Concordia disaster, will receive a “hero’s welcome” when his body is returned home to India, his brother said Monday.
Salvage workers from Ship Recycling, the consortium dismantling the Concordia, said they found the remains believed to be of Mr Rebello, a 32-year-old waiter from Mumbai, inside a cabin on the ship’s eighth deck in Genoa.
Workers found his badly decomposed body crushed beneath overturned furniture with an identity card including his name and photograph in his trousers. They notified Genoa prosecutors who ordered DNA tests to be conducted.
The surprise discovery ends a heart-wrenching search by Mr Rebello’s brother Kevin, who spent four months on Giglio after the Concordia struck rocks near the island off the coast of Tuscany in January 13 2012.
“My younger brother has finally been found on deck 8 in a cabin of the wrecked Concordia," Mr Rebello said on his Facebook page. “I don’t have words to express. Just my pain, my tears and my heart pounding harder and my body trembling when I broke the news to my parents.“

Mr Rebello was among the 32 passengers and crew who lost their lives after the Concordia’s captain, Francesco Schettino, attempted to perform a “salute” in front of the island. The 114,000-ton liner struck a reef in shallow waters and capsized just off shore from the island’s tiny port.
Kevin Rebello, who runs a natural therapy business in Milan, said after 1,025 days of waiting his parents would breathe a “sigh of relief” hearing the news.
“Their constant prayers have been heard,” said Mr Rebello, whose family is Catholic with a Goan background.
“Now we wait for the DNA test and procedures to give Russel his final resting place with honour, respect and a hero’s welcome. India we are coming.”
Russel Rebello is understood to have died after giving his life jacket to another passenger and helping terrified passengers into life boats.
He was the last victim to be found. The remains of Italian passenger Maria Grazia Trecarichi, were found in October 2013 just three weeks after the massive liner was pulled upright in an unprecedented salvage operation.
More...


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on December 02, 2014, 03:53:35 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/02/world/europe/italy-costa-concordia-trial/
Costa Concordia captain combative, defiant as he testifies at trial
December 2, 2014

Grosseto, Italy (CNN) -- Francesco Schettino, captain of the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship, took the stand for the first time Tuesday, combative and contradicting the testimony of not just his first captain but also what he has said in the past about the deadly shipwreck.
Schettino -- who is charged with manslaughter, causing a maritime disaster and abandoning ship with passengers still on board -- denies wrongdoing. He faces up to 23 years in prison if convicted.
He remained defiant even while painting a picture of confusion on board the ship as the disaster unfolded, pointing the finger at others for the chaotic evacuation of the ship's passengers.
Five of the captain's co-workers have already entered guilty pleas in the case, including officers who were on the ship.
These pleas may work against Schettino as he answers questions with regard to the co-workers' testimony before the court in Grosseto.
When shown the deposition given by his first captain, Ciro Ambrosio, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in exchange for a lighter sentence, Schettino was argumentative and gesticulated wildly.
What Ambrosio told the court in his testimony is similar to the version of events Schettino has given in past TV interviews, but the captain contradicted that version in his testimony Tuesday.
Schettino's attorneys argued that what the captain has previously said on Italian TV cannot be used as evidence in court. The disputed testimony deals with such details as radar readings, who was on the bridge at the time of the accident and where those people were positioned.
Speaking to CNN during a court break, Schettino said he was confident about how his trial was progressing.
"It is exhausting, but I think it is going well," Schettino said of Tuesday's hearing. "It is important because this is the only chance I have to tell my version of events."
Asked if he thought the court was sympathetic to him, he said, "This is the first time I have had a chance to officially address the court personally so this should be the first time they should be judging me. I am confident."
His testimony is expected to continue Wednesday and probably one day next week.
The cruise liner capsized after it struck rocks off Italy's Giglio Island in the Tyrrhenian Sea on January 12, 2012. No one died on impact, but 32 lives were lost during the subsequent chaotic evacuation of some 4,200 people on board the ship.
Chaos on the bridge
Schettino was sworn in under a giant sign reading, "The law is equal for everyone," in a makeshift courtroom in Grosetto's red velvet Teatro Moderno.
As assistant prosecutor Alessandro Leopizzi questioned Schettino, the captain described a scene of utter chaos on the bridge both before and after the accident.
At one point he explained how it was common to invite passengers and guests on the bridge, and said they often tipped him. "I said there couldn't be more than 12 people at a time," he said. "And they would bring 20, 30, 70 euro a tour."
He acknowledged frequently conducting flyby activities -- deviating from the planned route to go closer to certain places -- with his cruise ship. "It was favorable from a commercial aspect," he said.
When the prosecutor asked if he had ever done a flyby past Giglio before, he said he couldn't remember but might have passed close by.
'Not trying to blame anyone'
Schettino also explained why he chose Giglio on this occasion, telling the court that he thought retired Costa Capt. Mario Palombo was on the island.
When the prosecutor asked Schettino why he called Palombo and then why he asked Palombo how deep the coastal waters were, he said he was just making conversation.
Schettino recounted how he gave the orders to the helmsman, Jacob Rusli Bin of Indonesia, to go off course after using his binoculars to look ahead.
When asked if his helmsman caused the accident, he said: "I'm not trying to blame anyone. I'm just trying to explain the circumstances."
The captain has suggested Rusli Bin did not speak English or Italian well enough to understand his orders -- although audiotape played in court Tuesday appeared to contradict that.
Pushed as to why he used his binoculars instead of relying on the radar, Schettino said, "It was my habit to take my binoculars and look first. Not that I didn't trust the radar, but it was how I did it."
He was confident that the ship had enough room for the maneuver, he said.
In an audiotape played over the radar from the bridge extracted from the ship's data recorder, Schettino told his helmsman to turn, "otherwise we go on the rocks."
Asked why he made that comment, he said he was being ironic. "A few minutes later, I was told the danger we were in."
Alarm bells
Schettino appeared visibly shaken, putting his head in his hands, shortly after radar and audio recordings of the moment of impact were played in court.
Bells and alarms rang, and then the recording went offline.
The prosecutor asked Schettino about his last words captured on tape. "But where did we touch?" the captain asked, to which someone said, "Oh my dear God."
Schettino also will be cross-examined by a number of civil parties at the court.
They include the attorney for a Moldovan dancer who dined with the captain and was with him on the command bridge at the time of the shipwreck.
'Ready to defend his honor'
Before the hearing began, Schettino's attorney, Domenico Pepe, told CNN his client was ready to tell the truth.
"We have waited a long time to set the record straight," he said. "He is ready to defend his honor."
Schettino has repeatedly presented a defiant face over the shipwreck.
He has pointed the finger at the Costa cruise company for not providing maps with the rocks he hit appropriately marked.
Schettino has also blamed the ship, saying generators did not work so the elevators did not function, which hindered some people's escape.


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on February 11, 2015, 07:59:38 PM
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31430998
Costa Concordia captain Schettino guilty of manslaughter
February 11, 2015

The captain of the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia has been found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Captain Francesco Schettino was at the helm when the ship hit rocks and sank in 2012, killing 32 people.

He was accused of taking the liner too close to the shore and then abandoning ship with passengers and crew still on board.

Schettino denied the charges and said he was being made a scapegoat.

His lawyers had argued that it was a collective failure of the ship's crew and others should share the blame for the disaster.

Schettino was not present when Judge Giovanni Puliatti read out the verdict at the court in the city of Grosseto.

The 54-year-old is expected to appeal against the verdict.

Earlier, the captain had made an emotional final appeal to the judge on the last day of the 19-month trial.

Schettino sobbed as he told the court he had spent the last three years "in a media meat grinder".

"All the responsibility has been loaded on to me with no respect for the truth or for the memory of the victims," he said.

Prosecutors had sought a 26-year jail term but the court sentenced Schettino to 10 years for multiple manslaughter, five years for causing the shipwreck and one year for abandoning his passengers.

Investigators had severely criticised his handling of the disaster, accusing him of bringing the 290m-long vessel too close to shore when it struck rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio.

Schettino said he had taken the ship so close to land for "commercial reasons" in a bid to please his passengers and those ashore.

He had also rejected rumours that he had wanted to impress his lover, Domnica Cemortan, who was with him at the helm.

Costa Crociere, the company that owned the ship, sidestepped potential criminal charges in 2013 by agreeing to pay a $1.3m (€1.1m; £860,000) fine.

It is being sued by survivors, the Tuscany region and Giglio island for further damages.

Five other employees, including the helmsman, were handed prison sentences ranging from 18 months to two years and 10 months in plea bargains concluded early in the investigation.

Schettino's request for a plea bargain was turned down.

(Time line and video at article link)


Title: Re: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For
Post by: MuffyBee on February 11, 2015, 08:08:01 PM
Video explains this well, imo.  He was held responsible for degrees of acts, not guilty or guilty. 

http://abcnews.go.com/International/costa-concordia-captain-francesco-schettino-found-guilty-fatal/story?id=28894507
Costa Concordia Captain Found Guilty in Fatal Shipwreck, Sentenced to 16 Years
February 11, 2015

(http://i.imgur.com/ZKnYk87.jpg) (http://imgur.com/ZKnYk87)
Terry Moran/ABC News
PHOTO: The Costa Concordia sits out by the breakwater in the Port of Genoa, Feb. 11, 2015.



Italian Captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty today for causing the fatal shipwreck of the Costa Concordia and sentenced to 16 years in prison, according to a three-judge panel.

The verdict came after a 19-month-long trial in which Schettino, who had been accused of causing the Jan. 13, 2012 shipwreck near the Italian island of Giglio, was charged with multiple counts of manslaughter and abandoning ship before all 4,200 passengers could be safely evacuated.

As part of the sentence, Schettino will not be allowed to command a ship for five years.
 ::snipping3::

Prosecutors had requested for the maximum sentence of 26 years, but instead got 16 years and one month by the three-judge panel in the city of Grosetto, where the trial took place.

Schettino, 54, did not appear in court as a judge read the verdict.

Lawyers for many of the survivors and victims' families have attached civil suits to the criminal trial as a way to press the court to order Costa Crociere, the Italian cruise company that operated the ship, to pay hefty damages.

The judge did say Schettino and the cruise company had to pay damages and legal fees as part of the guilty, but did not go into specifics.

While insisting Schettino deserves to be convicted, the plaintiffs' lawyers have lamented to the court that no one from the cruise company's upper echelons was put on trial.

 ::snipping3::

Four Concordia crew members and the boat's land-based crisis coordinator were allowed to plea bargain. None is serving prison time.