Cruise Ship Accidents
Salvage Experts Outline Plan to Raise COSTA CONCORDIA
On May 18, salvage experts revealed their plan for how to raise the wrecked COSTA CONCORDIA in one piece. Thirty-two people died in the COSTA CONCORDIA disaster, including two Americans. Since Jan. 13, when the 4,200-passenger cruise ship capsized after striking a reef, the COSTA CONCORDIA has continued to sit in environmentally sensitive waters near…
Read MoreCosta Unveils New Ship, Cuts Ticket Prices
Costa Unveils New Ship, Cuts Ticket Prices Following the Jan. 13 cruise ship accident in which the COSTA CONCORDIA capsized off the coast of Italy, Costa Cruises has been trying to repair its tarnished image. Costa, part of the British-American company Carnival Cruise Lines, has not only been cutting ticket prices, it also christened a…
Read MoreNew Cruise Industry Safety Guidelines . . . Too Little, Too Late?
In the wake of the COSTA CONCORDIA tragedy, the cruise industry has been scrambling to save face. Recently, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the European Cruise Council (ECC) announced three new safety policies, which include: Only allowing authorized individuals on the bridge when the captain is dealing with a potentially risky situation Planning…
Read MoreMinnesota Couple Killed in COSTA CONCORDIA Disaster
The death toll now stands at 32, although two bodies have yet to be recovered. Victims of the COSTA CONCORDIA tragedy hailed from around the world: Germany, France, Hungary, Italy, Peru, Spain, India and Minnesota. Three months after the ship capsized off the coast of Italy, Italian officials confirmed two of the identified bodies were…
Read MoreCOSTA CONCORDIA Wreckage to Be Removed in One Piece
COSTA CONCORDIA Wreckage to Be Removed in One Piece Beginning sometime early this month, U.S.-owned Titan Salvage will start the process of removing the capsized COSTA CONCORDIA cruise ship from where it sits near the Italian island of Giglio. The salvage plan includes removing the ship in one piece and towing it to an Italian…
Read MoreCOSTA CONCORDIA Tragedy Prompts Cruise Industry to Adopt New Safety Policies
COSTA CONCORDIA Tragedy Prompts Cruise Industry to Adopt New Safety Policies On Jan. 13, the COSTA CONCORDIA capsized off the coast of Italy after striking a reef, claiming the lives of 32 people, including an elderly couple from Minnesota. In the wake of this tragic cruise ship accident, the cruise industry has been reviewing its…
Read MoreCLIA Takes Steps to Improve Cruise Ship Safety
CLIA Takes Steps to Improve Cruise Ship Safety In the wake of the recent COSTA CONCORDIA disaster, which claimed the lives of 32 people, including an elderly couple from White Bear Lake, Minn., the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is taking steps to improve cruise ship safety and prevent future maritime accidents. One change the…
Read MoreTracking Cruise Ship Safety Is a Difficult Task
A century after the RMS TITANIC sank and claimed the lives of more than 1,500 people, the cruise industry now boasts its ships are one of the safest means of transportation in the world. According to Carl Bialik, however, a Yale University graduate who writes for The Wall Street Journal as “The Numbers Guy,” the…
Read MoreCrews Finish Removing Fuel from the Shipwrecked COSTA CONCORDIA
Italian authorities recently announced that efforts to remove fuel from the shipwrecked COSTA CONCORDIA concluded on March 24. Reportedly, crews drained more than 2,000 tons of fuel and sewage from the capsized ship. There have been no reports of significant pollution at the wreckage site or in the pristine waters surrounding it. Even though fuel…
Read MoreFive More Bodies Recovered from COSTA CONCORDIA Wreckage
Last week — more than two months after the COSTA CONCORDIA struck a reef and capsized off the coast of Italy — efforts to recover the bodies of all who were killed in this tragic cruise ship accident continued. On March 22, divers found three bodies situated between the ship’s hull and the seabed, finding…
Read MoreThree More Bodies Found in COSTA CONCORDIA Wreckage
Divers located three more bodies in the COSTA CONCORDIA wreckage last Thursday, bringing the total body count to 28. Four people still remain missing and are presumed dead. Details about the victims’ genders and ages were not immediately released. According to media reports, the bodies were seen between the hull and the seabed. As of…
Read MoreCOSTA ALLEGRA Fire Leaves Over 1,000 People Adrift at Sea for Three Days
COSTA ALLEGRA Fire Leaves Over 1,000 People Adrift at Sea for Three Days Costa Cruises and its parent corporation, Carnival Cruise Lines, have made headlines again, just over six weeks after the COSTA CONCORDIA capsized off the coast of Italy, claiming the lives of at least 25 people. On Feb. 27, the COSTA ALLEGRA became…
Read MoreAre Cruise Ship Liability Waivers Enforceable?
Are Cruise Ship Liability Waivers Enforceable? Many cruise lines now offer onboard activities like rockwall climbing, zip lines, ice skating or simulated surfing, and they typically require passengers to sign a liability waiver before participating in any of these activities. One cruise ship attraction that has recently garnered legal headlines is Royal Caribbean’s FlowRider, which…
Read MoreCOSTA CONCORDIA Fuel Removal Gets Underway After Two Weeks of Delays
COSTA CONCORDIA Fuel Removal Gets Underway After Two Weeks of Delays After two weeks of delays due to rough seas and unfavorable weather conditions, crews began pumping fuel from the capsized COSTA CONCORDIA on Feb. 12. The ship sits off the coast of Tuscany, Italy, where it ran aground on Jan. 13, claiming the lives…
Read MoreMiddleborough Woman Dies on Royal Caribbean Cruise After Falling Down Staircase
On Jan. 30, Middleborough, Mass. resident Barbara Wood, 47, fell down a staircase on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas, hit her head and died aboard the ship. Reportedly, Wood was leaving the onboard Catacombs nightclub when the accident occurred. She received treatment in the ship’s infirmary but was pronounced dead at 2:50 a.m. Although…
Read MoreClass Action Lawsuit Filed in Florida on Behalf of COSTA CONCORDIA Survivors
Class Action Lawsuit Filed in Florida on Behalf of COSTA CONCORDIA Survivors Last Tuesday, a New York personal injury attorney announced the filing of a $460 million class action lawsuit in Florida on behalf of more than 500 passengers who survived the COSTA CONCORDIA disaster. Despite Costa’s ties to Florida, according to Boston maritime trial…
Read MoreCOSTA CONCORDIA Fuel Removal Efforts Begin
COSTA CONCORDIA Fuel Removal Efforts Begin Preliminary efforts to remove the 2,500 tons of fuel and oil from the capsized COSTA CONCORDIA began last week. The ship sits off the coast of the Tuscan island Giglio, in waters that are part of a protected marine park where porpoises, dolphins and whales thrive. On Jan. 24,…
Read MoreWill the COSTA CONCORDIA Disaster Prompt Cruise Lines to Improve Their Safety Procedures?
Maritime law allows a cruise ship 24 hours from the time it sets sail to conduct a muster drill, where all passengers are physically assembled and given instructions concerning safety procedures. In order to avoid inconveniencing passengers shortly after they board, some cruise lines opt to conduct the required muster drill after a ship has…
Read MoreCOSTA CONCORDIA Disaster Casts Negative Light on the Practice of Sail-Bys
COSTA CONCORDIA Disaster Casts Negative Light on the Practice of Sail-Bys It has been widely reported that Captain Francesco Schettino strayed from the COSTA CONCORDIA’s approved course to take the ship near the island of Giglio in a maneuver known as a “salute” or a “sail-by.” He admits to making a navigational error that caused the…
Read MoreCEO Admits Costa Sometimes Encouraged Its Captains to Sail Near the Coast
CEO Admits Costa Sometimes Encouraged Its Captains to Sail Near the Coast Pier Luigi Foschi, chief executive officer of Costa Cruises, admitted to a Senate committee in Rome that the company “did sometimes encourage its captains to sail close to the coast, saying the practice was ‘in demand’ and ‘helps enrich the product,’” according to…
Read MoreItalian Officials Release Names of Victims in COSTA CONCORDIA Tragedy
Last week, Italian officials released a list of the passengers and crew killed in the COSTA CONCORDIA tragedy. As of Thursday, the death toll had reached 16, including three bodies recovered from the wreckage that had yet to be identified. The list of confirmed dead included: Four passengers from France Three passengers from Germany Three…
Read MoreMental Distractions: Captain in COSTA CONCORDIA Accident Prioritized Favor for Crewmember Over Safety of Ship
Boater distraction often involves a tangible object, like a cell phone. Sometimes, however, a boater’s daydreams or thoughts serve as a distraction. When a boat operator’s mind strays from safely piloting the vessel, the operator has become mentally distracted. The recent and tragic cruise ship accident in which the COSTA CONCORDIA capsized off the coast…
Read MoreCOSTA CONCORDIA Evacuation Marked by Chaos, Inexperienced Crew
COSTA CONCORDIA Evacuation Marked by Chaos, Inexperienced Crew Survivors of the COSTA CONCORDIA cruise ship disaster described a chaotic scene as passengers attempted to evacuate the damaged, sinking ship. Media sources soon reported that the passengers received no safety drills or evacuation instructions before they were forced to flee the ship. Maritime law states cruise…
Read MoreCOSTA CONCORDIA Sinking is a Potential Environmental Disaster
COSTA CONCORDIA Sinking is a Potential Environmental Disaster In the days since the COSTA CONCORDIA disaster, officials have focused most of their time and energy on caring for passengers and crew and searching for those still missing. Complications from the accident, however, do not end there. Oil, fuel and other pollutants from the tragic cruise…
Read MoreThe COSTA CONCORDIA Sinking: Is Carnival Protecting Its Passengers or Its Bottom Line?
When something terrible happens, people need to assign blame. When a disaster has the potential to severely affect an entire industry, it is in that industry’s interest to find a scapegoat. In the wake of the COSTA CONCORDIA disaster off the Italian coast, the media and Carnival Cruise Line, owners of the Costa line, have…
Read MoreCOSTA CONCORDIA Sinks in Italy Due to Human Error, Captain Under Investigation for Manslaughter
COSTA CONCORDIA Sinks in Italy Due to Human Error, Captain Under Investigation for Manslaughter Six people are dead and 16 remain missing after the cruise ship COSTA CONCORDIA hit a reef and capsized into the port area of Giglio, Italy with 4,200 passengers on board. On Monday, authorities were forced to suspend their ongoing rescue…
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