Costa Concordia SINKING

[SarniaLo]

Yes a cruise ship sank off Antarctica a few years ago. Of course the evac was organized, then they sat for a while before other ships came over and picked them all up. If I recall correctly everyone made it off ok.

It would be the MS Explorer that sank in 2007. All passengers and crew were evacuated safely and rescued by other boats.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Explorer

(still must have been 5 long hours sitting in those lifeboats in the Antarctic Ocean...).

However there were less than 200 people on board so it's wasn't an evacuation at the same human scale, it's difficult to compare to the Concordia disaster.

[Milaandra]

And 'blonde, Moldova and would not be part of the crew, not even among the passengers would be recorded. It could be the same woman who was up at 21.05 for dinner with the captain. Now the prosecutors are seeking for questioning.

 

 

That's interesting. I saw a partial interview on an ABC report with a Condordia server who said the captain was having dinner with a blond woman when he received a call and rushed off.

 

But was he on the bridge or having dinner? After the collision did he finish dinner or was he on the phone?

 

There are more sightings of this man than Elvis! :D

[Davyjonesrugrat]

I think all I was trying to say is this happened in Italy, on a foreign flagged vessel. So ok congress looks into it, and can recommend whatever they decide with their field of experts/debates and decisions, We already have the Interntional Maritime Organization and SOLAS safety of lives at sea, these are international organizations who make up Maritime laws.

The IMO is a body of people from various countries who come together to form legislation regarding maritime matters, SOLAS is a couple of laws that come together to cover "Safety of life at sea" Solas is not a body of people sorry to correct you.

[Ozcruiser1]

Sounds like a great idea to me - Ship is sinking so squeeze everybody into a single room with limited exits. Personally I'd rather go to my lifeboat station even if it was only to find that it was unusable and then be redirected - I think there would be less panic....

 

No doubt there would be /was lots of confusion. I'd like the industry policy makers to hear from those who recently went through this tragic event to get their input into procedures rather than stay with the status quo and hope for the best. Crisis management experts must be able to suggest betters ways.

 

An earlier post had a youtube link showing video from within life raft showing a crew member not willing to get in without his hard hat. I'm not blaming him at all as I'm sure that is the training procedure, but I found it interesting that some ( not the captain) will follow procedures even under extreme stress.

[Milaandra]

The biggest safety problem seems to be that a 20 degree list is enough to interfere with the launching of the prominent side's lifeboats. That's come up again and again over decades of maritime accidents.

 

I think they need a better way to control the release of lifeboats.

 

Either some mechanism that suspends them further away from the side, some sort of "slide" that can be deployed in a list situation (I keep thinking of those big inflatable slides they use for emergency airplane evacuations), or...my favourite...putting the lifeboats onto a mechanism like a giant electric tie rack, that will move new lifeboats into position once the first accessible ones are away. :D Yeah, I know, it's pretty obvious I don't have a degree in engineering... (It reminds me of Armageddon where they talk about the coyote/roadrunner slingshot move...)

[Ozcruiser1]

Maybe some type of "wheel" mechanism attached to the ship-side of the life boat to allow it to "roll" down the side of the ship even if it were listing.

It would appear that the present system works well (enough) when there is no listing, but fails terribly in other situations

[King of Cool]

Milaandra That's interesting. I saw a partial interview on an ABC report with a Condordia server who said the captain was having dinner with a blond woman when he received a call and rushed off.

Google Domnica Cemortan

 

 

You will get a torrent of innuendo, photos and intrigue from the Italian Press.

[Ozcruiser1]

I will cruise again, but I might bring an "Oz pack" The flashlight seems particularly useful. And rescued passengers who had their credit cards and passports got to go home that much sooner.

 

There was loss of life and every life is precious. I don't want to diminish that. But the loss of life was minimal compared with other type of travel and transportation accidents.

 

I think I'll take away these things:

1. I'll ask questions during muster drill.

2. I won't blindly believe the official announcements...if the ship has listed, I'm getting ready and I'm going up

3. I'm not waiting inside for long during an actual evacuation. If they don't come get us right away, I'll make my way to my actual lifeboat and if they can't launch, I'll head to the high point of the ship and wait near an exit while holding on to something.

 

And I admit, I'm a bit suspicious of the type of ship. Conquest class? Was that the one?

 

Thank you Milaandra for the "OZ PACK " support. We always, on board and onshore, have it with us... it's no good locked in your cabin if you are unable to get to your cabin. It fits in my trouser pocket with the laynard looped around my belt without being too obvious and fits easily in my wife's purse.

[EVALUATOR]

The biggest safety problem seems to be that a 20 degree list is enough to interfere with the launching of the prominent side's lifeboats. That's come up again and again over decades of maritime accidents.

 

I think they need a better way to control the release of lifeboats.

 

Either some mechanism that suspends them further away from the side, some sort of "slide" that can be deployed in a list situation (I keep thinking of those big inflatable slides they use for emergency airplane evacuations), or...my favourite...putting the lifeboats onto a mechanism like a giant electric tie rack, that will move new lifeboats into position once the first accessible ones are away. :D Yeah, I know, it's pretty obvious I don't have a degree in engineering... (It reminds me of Armageddon where they talk about the coyote/roadrunner slingshot move...)

 

Maybe some type of "wheel" mechanism attached to the ship-side of the life boat to allow it to "roll" down the side of the ship even if it were listing.

It would appear that the present system works well (enough) when there is no listing, but fails terribly in other situations

 

The life boats are designed for launch on listing ships, They also have chutes on the ships for sliding into inflatable rafts.

 

The Concordia was fairly new, and had state of the art evacuation systems.

 

They should have been able to get everyone off that ship in well under an hour. If muster and abandon would have been ordered right away. There aren't many ways to evacuate after the ship totally sinks or capsizes.

[dagmarnyman]

Very probable explanation, rgds. Add to that the sea motion which would naturally roll the hull over toward the shore. Then perhaps the starboard stabilizer would hold the ship as it rolled to starboard. The ship may have rolled on it side when that starboard stabilizer collapsed. The Monday "shift" may have been caused by the crushing of the once proturding starboard bridge wing.

 

I wonder who of us would not get out of a wrecked car to examine the damage? Reports seem to tell us the Captain was doing just that at the time the Coast Guard phoned him directing him to reboard via the pilot ladder on the port bow. I don't see such a ladder and most pilots board midships to aft...aft of the stabilizers. A recent youTube sited above shows how dark the ship was when the power went off. The night vision video shows a single aft ladder jammed with panic sticken evacuees. I doubt that any Captain, or Coast Guard officer in charge could have convinced those guests not to continue their escape while that officer attempted to reboard.

 

Nope - do not agree - this particular captain was totally at fault. Sorry! I used run through those waters in a trawler of 50 kilotons in the 70-ties, but never ever ventured between those rocks. And if I were to mess up (not being a show-off playboy) - I would not have slipped overboard and surveyed the rescue at a safe distance. As far as I am concerned - this guy should be hung by the neck. He´s got 30-50 peoples lives on his conscience + whatever miljons of Pounds, not to mention very possible environmental consequences...

[ST-UK]

UNBELIVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16152275

[SarniaLo]

They should have been able to get everyone off that ship in well under an hour. If muster and abandon would have been ordered right away. There aren't many ways to evacuate after the ship totally sinks or capsizes.

Totally agree with this. Evacuation could (and should) have been ordered way earlier, when the ship hit the rock, at a point where the ship was not listing so heavily and evacuation would have been so much easier.

The captain's claim that he saved thousands of lives by getting the ship to run aground is preposterous. If he hadn't endangered his crew and passengers by (1) making a dangerous and unecessary approach too close to the island AND (2) delaying evacuation for so long, these thousands of people wouldn't have been in such a life-threatening situation to begin with.

[astrocruises]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9024768/Costa-Concordia-investigators-probe-role-of-young-Moldovan-woman-on-cruise-ship.html

 

Costa Concordia: investigators probe role of young Moldovan woman on cruise ship Italian investigators are probing the mystery of a young Moldovan woman who was reportedly on the bridge of the Costa Concordia cruise ship when it smashed into rocks off the coast of Giglio island, forcing the evacuation of its 4,200 passengers and crew.

 

Domnica Cemortan

 

It is believed that Ms Cemortan has worked for Costa Cruises in the past, as a dancer and passenger rep, but went on the cruise last week as a holiday.

[dagmarnyman]

If this would have been a total accident like a mechanical error and he would have stayed on board and took care of his duties and the people, things would possibly be much different for his future, but instead, it seems he made the choice to change the course pushing the boundaries to show off, and made the choice to leave the ship early and made the choice to not go back on. ALL poor choices that he made across the board, so I cannot feel sorry for him one bit. It did not need to happen. Unless something changes factually, I do hope he goes to prison for this absolute uncalled for recklessness. So so sad for what he caused and the lives lost that didn't need to be. Thankful for all the people that helped and all that survived.

 

He will not ever be a captain again - rest assured!

Captain Coward: 'I only left because I FELL into lifeboat when ship listed suddenly as I was trying to help'

[Davyjonesrugrat]

Seems the capitan was not alone on the bridge, he was seen with one unaccounted young (25) woman that was not on passenger list.

I think that he going to have to answer this question with someone of a higher authority......his wife !!!!

[Uniall]

Quotation - Of Winston Churchill

"There are 3 things I like about being on an Italian cruise ship. First, their cuisine is unsurpassed. Second, their service is superb. And then, in time of emergency, there is none of this nonsense about women and children first."

__________________

[Davyjonesrugrat]

Does Cruise Critic Organization plan to intervene with the Managements of the various cruiseships' owners in order to forbid such a terrible and dangerous habit??

CC does not have the power to get cruiselines to forbid this action. It is up to each flag state to ensure that these sorts of actions do not take place and if in another area from Flag state and is seen to commit an illegal act then they are allowed to prosecute under their own laws as it was committed in their territorial waters.

[degarr]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9024768/Costa-Concordia-investigators-probe-role-of-young-Moldovan-woman-on-cruise-ship.html

 

Costa Concordia: investigators probe role of young Moldovan woman on cruise ship Italian investigators are probing the mystery of a young Moldovan woman who was reportedly on the bridge of the Costa Concordia cruise ship when it smashed into rocks off the coast of Giglio island, forcing the evacuation of its 4,200 passengers and crew.

 

Image 1 of 5

Domnica Cemortan

Strange she is shot in front of rocky outcrops

[dagmarnyman]

Yeah, upload it all to your email and you can access that from any computer. I don't agree with the flash drive either.

 

I work with computers. So - any server-based e-mail is good. (Personally use Gmail) If you happen to be under water with a flash ( in salt water) - yoy will face a problem. The ultimate advice - keep your back up in several places! As for what-ever: banking details etc - keep those at home!

[FrankNJ]

I think for the good of the industry and of course for safety ,Costa should be put out of business.

[degarr]

Quotation - Of Winston Churchill

"There are 3 things I like about being on an Italian cruise ship. First, their cuisine is unsurpassed. Second, their service is superb. And then, in time of emergency, there is none of this nonsense about women and children first."

__________________

Brilliant! :) So sad that it still seems to be true in the 21st century

[dagmarnyman]

Nope - do not agree - this particular captain was totally at fault. Sorry! I used run through those waters in a trawler of 50 kilotons in the 70-ties, but never ever ventured between those rocks. And if I were to mess up (not being a show-off playboy) - I would not have slipped overboard and surveyed the rescue at a safe distance. As far as I am concerned - this guy should be hung by the neck. He´s got 30-50 peoples lives on his conscience + whatever miljons of Pounds, not to mention very possible environmental consequences...

 

Sorry again to have to enlighten you guys find particulars on http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/story/2012-01-16/Vacationing-couple-plunged-into-chaos/52602722/1

[glrounds]

Interesting short article in Forbes on what LEGAL CLAIMS a cruise ship passenger may or may not have.:eek:

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahljacobs/2012/01/17/carnival-cruise-contract-poses-barriers-to-legal-claims/?partner=obinv

[Davyjonesrugrat]

There aren't many ways to evacuate after the ship totally sinks or capsizes.

On board the Costa Concordia are various types of life preservers, the two main ones are the lifeboats and the liferafts.

 

We are all aware of the lifeboats but tend to forget about the liferafts. These are contained within sealed white containers around the ship. They are placed in a cradle system with a mechanism holding them in place, this mechanism can be activated in various ways, one by manually releasing it or by pressure. This can still be used after the ship sinks as they float to the surface, Three can be seen at the bows of the Concordia. Yes they are very uncomfortable and are not nice to be in for long times but they will save your lives.

 

Me I would still throw the misses in to the lifeboat and then head for one of these if it was a case of 'women, children and elderly' as i know she would be safe

[KevinKing]

As this tragedy unfolds even further it becomes clear that one thing is still true. Overconfidence and showboating (for lack of a better term) is not something that should be displayed when thousands of lives are on the line. That is not the attitude of a leader.

 

This coward and disgrace of a sea captain, Schettino, should never be allowed to be in control of any vessel, vehicle, or something that can impact the lives of another. The earlier rumors of the captain leaving with the money I now completely believe. Refusing to go back on board and help people who are trying to escape a ship you wrecked is deplorable, and the mark of someone who truly is weak, definitely not a Captain.

 

The Italian Coast guard and Italian port authority people showed us how you should act in a crisis. Hats off to them for everything they did. Schettino is a disgrace.