What
happened aboard the Concordia is
extraordinarily rare, especially since the cruise industry has been hailed as
the safest form of commercial transportation. Within days of the incident,
Costa issued a statement saying in part, "While the investigation is
ongoing, preliminary indications are that there may have been significant human
error on the part of the ship’s Master, Captain Francesco Schettino, which
resulted in these grave consequences." Costa has also stated, "The
route of the vessel appears to have been too close to the shore, and the
Captain’s judgment in handling the emergency appears to have not followed
standard Costa procedures.”
Current safety regulations
The
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), is the world’s largest cruise
association, and its mission is to promote policies and practices that foster a
safe and secure cruise environment. CLIA is composed of 26 of the world’s major
cruise lines. Safety is CLIA’s number one priority with CLIA members committed
to the safe operation of all cruise vessels in their fleets.
The
cruise industry maintains an excellent safety record. In 1996, the U.S. Coast
Guard conducted a comprehensive safety study that concluded the cruise industry
is the safest form of commercial transportation.
Last
year alone, over 19 million passengers enjoyed safe cruise experiences around
the world.
Additionally,
Michael Crye, CLIA’s executive vice president of technical and regulatory
affairs, recently pointed out that from 2005 to 2011, the cruise passenger shipping
industry carried nearly 100 million passengers, but only suffered 16 deaths due
to marine casualties during that period of time.
The
cruise industry complies with all International Maritime Organization (IMO)
standards governing the operation of cruise vessels worldwide. These
regulations are closely monitored by both flag and port states. These
internationally mandated standards — treaties adopted by the United States
government — govern the design, construction and operation of ocean-going vessels
and are codified in the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention and its
amendments.
Other
IMO safety standards which have been adopted internationally include:
Convention on the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW),
which deals with crew training as it relates to safety, The International
Convention in Load Lines, and the IMO’s International Safety Management (ISM)
Code, which relates to mandatory codes of practice.
Coast Guard inspections
The
cruise industry cooperates with the U.S. Coast Guard and other maritime nations
to ensure the safe passage of passengers. To ensure compliance with SOLAS, the
Coast Guard examines each new cruise vessel when it first enters service at a
U.S. port. Thereafter, these vessels are subject to quarterly Coast Guard
inspections. The examinations emphasize structural fire safety and proper
life-saving equipment. Additionally, the
Coast Guard witnesses fire and abandon ship drills conducted by the ships’ crew
and operational tests are made on key equipment such as steering systems, fire
pumps and bilge pumps. The Coast Guard also closely examines the vessels and
their operation for compliance with both international and U.S. environmental
laws and regulations. The Coast Guard maintains the authority to require
correction of any deficiencies before allowing a ship to take on passengers at
any U.S. port.
Where do we go from here?
At a
televised press conference during the Passenger Shipping Safety Conference, a
previously scheduled event that began shortly after the Concordia sinking, the head of CLIA said her organization would
call on the IMO to implement a comprehensive evaluation of the findings of the
Costa Concordia investigation so that
the cruise industry remains one of the safest recreational industries globally.
“While there is still a great deal not yet known about this
incident, all of our members recognize the seriousness of these events and want
to ensure that we apply the lessons learned from this tragic event,” said
Christine Duffy, president and CEO of CLIA.
Individual cruise lines are lining up behind CLIA’s call for
the comprehensive evaluation of safety regulations. Additionally, many of them
are reviewing their own safety procedures. Carnival Corporation & plc,
parent company of Costa Cruises and nine other lines including Carnival Cruise
Lines, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line, announced a comprehensive
audit and review across all of the company’s cruise lines.
They will review all safety and emergency response policies
and procedures, officer and crew training and evaluation, bridge management and
company-wide response and support efforts. In addition, the company’s Health,
Environment, Safety & Security Committee is engaging outside
industry-leading experts in the fields of emergency response organization,
training and implementation to conduct an audit of all of the company’s
emergency response and safety procedures and to conduct a thorough review of
the Costa Concordia accident.
Other
cruise lines are also informing the public of their already stringent safety
standards. For example, Royal Caribbean International released a statement
along with a video that lays out its commitment to the safety of the millions
of guests and crew that sail on their ships.
Historically speaking, other cruise ship tragedies
have led to greater safety guidelines across the industry, on everything from
the number of lifeboats aboard ships, to crew experience and discipline, to
ship construction.
Travel
agents have your safety and well-being in mind
One of the messages that has gone largely unspoken
is the importance of utilizing a travel agent. While no travel agent could have
predicted or prevented what happened aboard Concordia,
travel agents are your first line of defense when travel plans go awry.
Thousands of passengers stranded in Italy needed assistance in finding a way
home. This included arranging hotel, airline or train tickets, or car rental.
Anyone who left their passport or other travel documents behind in the chaos,
or incurred water damage, faced an extra layer of complexity and inconvenience.
A good travel agent would certainly move you to the top of their priority list
and assist in helping you get home as quickly and as safely as possible.
