Costa Concordia SINKING

[hi2you]

I would say this would probably be a good time to take a cruise-not because pricing will be down due to the terrible accident, but because of it, the people in charge are going to be tightening up and keeping a closer eye on their ship operators out at sea.

[TheBestIsYetToCome]

I would say this would probably be a good time to take a cruise-not because pricing will be down due to the terrible accident, but because of it, the people in charge are going to be tightening up and keeping a closer eye on their ship operators out at sea.

 

On the other hand, passengers may be more skittish and prone to doing something rash. But, hopefully, fear can be tamped down and people will be able to have the confidence they need to carry through with the crew's instructions in an emergency.

[deckofficer]

On the other hand, passengers may be more skittish and prone to doing something rash. But, hopefully, fear can be tamped down and people will be able to have the confidence they need to carry through with the crew's instructions in an emergency.

 

If more skittish, they will consume more alcohol.

More alcohol consumed, better for the cruise ship company's bottom line.

[Silverado6x6]

I would say this would probably be a good time to take a cruise-not because pricing will be down due to the terrible accident, but because of it, the people in charge are going to be tightening up and keeping a closer eye on their ship operators out at sea.

 

 

Could be advantageous to a degree. After 9/11 the vaction home rental market drastically reduced prices, and I jumped on that.

 

Actually I scoped out a possible Disney cruise last night, not too sold yet.

 

back to this thread another poster made a comment that the Concordia is possibly shifting again.

 

Also on another thread they found the ships anchor, that is news, I truly would like to see a transcript of exactly what the compartment bells and indicators were telling the bridge, just how long the ship had the mains online and to what degree of counter flooding was attempted.

[Uniall]

New T-Shirts out for comedic effect:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/20/us-italy-ship-tshirt-idUSTRE80J1CD20120120

(Reuters) - A coast guard officer's "Get back on board damn it!" order to the fleeing captain of the capsized Costa Concordia liner is being printed on T-shirts by a company hoping to inspire Italians to rescue their country from economic crisis.

 

Italians have made a hero of coast guard officer Gregorio De Falco for his angry exchange with skipper Francesco Schettino -- who has been blamed for the accident and is now under house arrest accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship.

 

Stefano Ramponi, owner of the Lipsiasoft web agency that is producing the T-shirts and selling them on the Internet for 12.9 euros ($16.63), said they had become an instant hit both in Italy and abroad.

 

"We have had a lot of requests from all over the world, from Brazil, Hong Kong, also from Germany and France, the UK. Everyone is asking us for it," he said.

 

He said he had been criticised by some people for making money out of the January 13 disaster, in which 11 people died and 21 are still missing.

 

But he hoped the slogan would become a rallying cry for all Italians to shoulder their responsibilities and work together to navigate through recession and get the euro zone's third largest economy back on course.

 

"We liked this phrase a lot because it was said by Captain De Falco in an extremely difficult situation, it really impressed us," Ramponi said.

 

"We wanted to... distribute it en-masse...particularly to all the people in Italy who don't concentrate on their jobs, who don't give their all and do harm to Italy in this time of crisis, difficulty and economic hardship."

 

The furious telephone exchange between De Falco and Schettino, in which Costa Concordia captain was ordered in vain to return to his ship and oversee the rescue operations, has been played over the media to millions.

 

The Italian word De Falco used, "cazzo" in Italian, literally is slang for penis but it is also commonly used to emphasize something.

 

De Falco has since been called a national hero while newspapers have branded Schettino a coward for fleeing in the face of adversity.

 

Here's The Tee Shirt I Want

"Hi There Sailor"

[Highlander0108]

I think every ship (still sailing) out of the US requires a muster drill before setting sail??? (Can someone confirm this?) I know every cruise I have been on that is the case. But I can understand how that would be different in Europe where peolpe get on at different ports.

 

All three Costa cruises that we took were out of Ft. Lauderdale, the last being in 2007, and all had the safety drill the following day, within the 24 hour time limit. On the otherhand, all of our Cunard cruises, the drill took place before departure and it was a VERY serious and thorough drill. Two different lines under the same ownership. I suspect Costa's policy is now going to change, if it hasn't already.

[deckofficer]

"Hi there Sailor"

 

That was good, I'd wear that one too.

[Silverado6x6]

If more skittish, they will consume more alcohol.

More alcohol consumed, better for the cruise ship company's bottom line.

 

 

The boat I worked on was the Tahoe Queen at Lake Tahoe, CA back around 1990, they had an all day ski tour/dinner cruise during the winter.

 

Tell me what its like having as much as 500 very healthy college kids drunk on a sternwheeler with a bar and a band at night. For two 23 mile trips, skiing all day, drinking all the way back, and basically I was the ONLY real Deck Officer at best not counting the bar staff and the "purser" for lack of a better description. Well he was in charge of all the bar, wait and cook staff, me I kept the darn thing afloat and running and reluctantly had to herd the people, but I did meet a lot of very nice woman, tourists from other countries to boot!:D

[deckofficer]

Silverado6X6,

 

We keep missing each other. I'm at (near) Tahoe, your in Alaska. When I lived in Alaska, you were at Tahoe.

[UMDCruiseProf]

The industry now has to come up with a method of restoring the faith in the Captains for its fare paying passengers.

 

I agree... I suspect that we'll see some of the cruise lines running advertising which showcases their crew's experience, expertise, etc. Something along the lines of "I'm Captain Bill and your family's safety and security is my #1 priority!"

[CruisersNC]

Just saw that ABC is going to have a 1 hour special tonight on 20/20 at 10pm about the Concordia...might be worth a watch.

[H82seaUgo]

Just saw that ABC is going to have a 1 hour special tonight on 20/20 at 10pm about the Concordia...might be worth a watch.

 

and on fox tomorrow at 10 as well.

[NormanW]

Really interesting - seems to make a lot of sense.

 

I just wish he had his computer plugged in! The pedaling in the background was rather annoying to listen to. :D

 

Cheers,

 

Norman

[KirkNC]

Yes that will be interesting

[UMDCruiseProf]

What I am seeing is something like a waypoint map that at any time anywhere you are on a ship be it the laundromat or the theater it shows you when its activated the closest muster station that a central computer decides is the safest or more available depending on your location and type of emergency.

 

Device also serves as a passenger counter and personal identifier.

 

On many RCCL ships there are touch screen panels in key areas that serve in a similar fashion during an emergency. When I was on the FotS I found them really useful for getting around and finding events. During the staff emergency drill I noticed the panels had changed to their emergency mode. I'm not sure the extent to which they can be used in an emergency, but they were pretty cool.

 

RCCL also uses a electronic scanner to check in passengers during a muster drill and they call out passenger names who have not checked in. The system seemed efficient and effective. Children under a certain age were required to wear an emergency information wristband during the entire voyage. I can't understand why any cruise line wouldn't use a similar system. A paper clipboard... what happens when that's not the most up-to-date version? How long does it take to find out which passengers are not there?

[greg-nc]

The newly hired Costa Cruises spokesperson would like you to know that all the media reports are false. The Concordia is still floating and will be offering new cruises next week.

 

[JJSMaine]

Have you read this?

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16638399

 

Don't get hung up on the headline...that's for sensationalist purposes and doesn't have anything to do with story.

 

 

A stunning portrayal of bravery and a shining example of duties and obligations abandoned by ships crew.... unforgivable...

[UMDCruiseProf]

I don't think govt action will help much with it being rogue activity. Maybe the companies need to do a better job of screening out this type of personality??? This is something the aviation industry has had to deal with alot over the years (both civilian and military pilots showing off or hotdogging it and a crash happens). I am not sure what all the aviation world has done to deal with the problem but maybe cruise ship corps need to look at those efforts and get a few ideas.

 

Back when I worked for Boeing they old joke was...

 

"In the future, airliners will be flown automatically by computers and the cockpits will be occupied by a crew of one man and one Doberman Pinscher.

 

The man's job will be to take over if anything goes wrong.

 

The Doberman's job will be to make sure that the man won't touch anything *until* something goes wrong."

 

Had that been in effect on the Concordia... it'd still be afloat.

[Cuizer2]

Thanks for the follow up. Since you have the book, the sister ship to the Costa Concordia, which was origanlly going to Costa as well, but it turned out that Carnival needed her more, is the Carnival Splendor.

 

Could you look up and tell me the type of propulsion system the Splendor has in the 2011 edition.

 

And are you saying that the 2011 edition showing conventional diesel/electric, means that it's props and rudders, is this not correct??

 

You are my guiding light here. Thanks for taking the time to do the research.;)

 

Rick

 

I can look it up when I get home. The terms the 2008 edition of the book uses are ...

 

For the Costa Concordia in the 2008 edition "diesel-electric (34,000kW/2 azimuthing pods"

 

For the Carnival Splendor "diesel-electric (63,400kW)/2" which I interpret to mean conventional.

 

For the Carnival Elation (which I know has azipods) it says "diesel-electric (42,842kW)/2 azimuthing pods"

 

While for the Carnival Ecstasy (which I know has conventional propulsion) it says, "diesel-electric (42,240kW)/2"

 

As I said, I can check the 2011 edition when I get home.

[Cuizer2]

I think every ship (still sailing) out of the US requires a muster drill before setting sail??? (Can someone confirm this?)

 

It is my understanding that the drill must be held within 24 hours of beginning the cruise ...

 

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

 

By international law, a passenger muster drill must be conducted by the ship within 24 hours of departure[2], but many cruise lines choose to conduct the drill before the ship departs port for the first time. It is the responsibility of the crew to ensure that a muster drill is held, and that every passenger and crew member is aware that it is being held. If a muster drill cannot be held, a report in the log book must be made stating the circumstances[3].

 

Someone has a complete copy of Cruise Travel (Oct 1998) on the Internet. The SOLAS regulation for muster drill can be found toward the end of the article on page 64 (the article begins on page 60). Here is the link ...

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=sDEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA64&dq=cruise+ship+muster+drill+regulations&hl=en&sa=X&ei=XrUZT6ndCYnZiALK-rmkCA&ved=0CHMQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=cruise%20ship%20muster%20drill%20regulations&f=false

[rubrrick]

I can look it up when I get home. The terms the 2008 edition of the book uses are ...

 

For the Costa Concordia in the 2008 edition "diesel-electric (34,000kW/2 azimuthing pods"

 

For the Carnival Splendor "diesel-electric (63,400kW)/2" which I interpret to mean conventional.

 

For the Carnival Elation (which I know has azipods) it says "diesel-electric (42,842kW)/2 azimuthing pods"

 

While for the Carnival Ecstasy (which I know has conventional propulsion) it says, "diesel-electric (42,240kW)/2"

 

As I said, I can check the 2011 edition when I get home.

 

 

I would appreciate it Cruizer 2. Sometimes information is incorrect, and knowing that both the Splendor and Concordia were slated for Costa, and were sister ships, why would one have one type of propulsion and not the other.

 

Thanks for digging deep!:)

 

Rick

[Cuizer2]

CNN has now pulled the video so maybe all the emails we sent made a difference.

 

Yahoo is also pointing this out ...

 

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/video-water-rushes-down-costa-concordia-stairs-145133951.html

[Cuizer2]

I would appreciate it Cruizer 2. Sometimes information is incorrect, and knowing that both the Splendor and Concordia were slated for Costa, and were sister ships, why would one have one type of propulsion and not the other.

 

Thanks for digging deep!:)

 

Rick

 

Deep? The Concordia is on page 312. The book is about 700 pages.

[UMDCruiseProf]

Thank you Professor!!

 

I've been trying to reassure other cruisers jusy how safe the cruising industry is, even after this accident.

 

Not only are they safe... they perform some of the most difficult challenges in the business world (that's why I teach a course on the industry). Just think of what it takes to serve 19,000 meals a day on a ship, 330+ days a year... the requirements planning... inventory control... preparation... etc. And that's just feeding people. Then there's hotel ops, bars, casinos, etc. It's really astonishing when you slow down to look at it from the business perspective.

 

Cruise companies, in general, are safe for many reasons but a big one is because they are tightly run, which itself is a requirement for success in the industry. You can run an airline in a pretty rough manner (I'm looking at you US Air!) but if you ran a cruise line that way you'd be out of business in a hurry.

 

And interestingly enough... I haven't had a single note of concern from any of my students for their upcoming trip in late May. This wreck did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm... and I bet that's true of most potential cruisers.

[deckofficer]

This is speculation from a cruiser's (their own boats) forum I belong to...Again, only speculation, but since it appears the captain was both dumbstruck by the unfolding events and in a CYA mode, it makes sense. In past posts, folks have mentioned that perhaps getting the crippled ship in close to shore was this captain's only redeeming act, but if the winds were how this graphic depict, then I guess the captain got a free ride. This speculation would explain both the orientation of the vessel and the list to both port and starboard. Visualize a vessel dead in the water being carried by wind to a lee shore, as it is pushed, the hull comes in contact with the steep shelf of the shoreline. This could cause a free surface effect in the flooded areas to cause the capsize opposite the original list.