March 29, 2024, 09:20:24 AM *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: NEW CHILD BOARD CREATED IN THE POLITICAL SECTION FOR THE 2016 ELECTION
 
   Home   Help Login Register  
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 »   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Cruise Liner Costa Concordia Aground in Italy - 30 Dead & 2 Unaccounted For  (Read 210101 times)
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #40 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

Reuters
The luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia is shown run aground off the coast of Giglio in this satellite photo.


Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #41 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::

 ::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.


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...
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #42 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.
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #43 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

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::
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #44 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


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
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #45 on: January 18, 2012, 09:55:03 PM »

https://twitter.com/#!/usatodaygreen

usatodaygreen Wendy Koch
Costa Concordia's crash poses environmental risks in Mediterranean's largest marine sanctuary. 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

Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #46 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.
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #47 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::
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #48 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.
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #49 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)
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
cookie
Monkey Mega Star
******
Offline Offline

Posts: 15663



« Reply #50 on: January 19, 2012, 09:09:30 AM »

so horrible!  prayers for all the rescue workers..
Logged

MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #51 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.     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.   

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::
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #52 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::
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #53 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...
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #54 on: January 19, 2012, 07:27:27 PM »

OMGOSH!!!     If this is true, I wish the Captain had choked on his dinner.     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.     The Captain ordered dinner after the ship struck rock?   

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.
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #55 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::
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #56 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::
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #57 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::
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #58 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::
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #59 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.
 
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 »   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Use of this web site in any manner signifies unconditional acceptance, without exception, of our terms of use.
Powered by SMF 1.1.13 | SMF © 2006-2011, Simple Machines LLC
 
Page created in 2.169 seconds with 20 queries.