From Lloyd's List today. Tradewinds reports that there was a problem with the vessel's diesel-electric propulsion system immediately before she grounded.
This will be expensive. AM
Italy cruise casualty latest: 80 still missing, 3 dead
Saturday 14 January 2012
CLOSE to 80 people are still missing and three are confirmed dead after the Italian cruiseship Costa Concordia ran aground overnight off the Italian coast.
Italian coastguard officials have told Lloyd's List that while the search and rescue operation is still underway at least 77 people are currently unaccounted for.
A total of 4231 people, including 1,023 crewmembers, were on board the 2006-built, 114,147gt Costa Cruises owned vessel when it is thought to have hit a sandbar near the island of Giglio at around 21:30 hours local time on Saturday. The six year old, Rina-classed vessel, built by Costa Crociere at a cost of €450m ($526m), is reportedly taking on water and is currently lying with an 80 degree list. Coast guard officials have confirmed that there is a 40m hole in the hull of the vessel.
"At the moment we cannot make any declaration about the causes of the accident," a coastguard official told Lloyd's List earlier this afternoon. "The prosecutor is already leading the criminal investigation and a technical inquiry, carried out by the Italian coast guard, now on the scene, is on-going". The coast guard of Livorno is leading the rescue operation.
A statement issued by Costa Cruises said it could not yet say what had caused the accident, however newswire reports citing rescued passengers suggest that the vessel hit an obstacle.
"The gradual listing of the ship made the evacuation extremely difficult," the statement said. "The position of the ship, which is worsening, is making more difficult the last part of the evacuation.
"We'd like to express our deepest gratitude to the coastguard and other emergency services, including the authorities and citizens of the island of Giglio, who did their best in saving and helping the passengers and crew."
Classification society Rina issued a statement Saturday afternoon confirming that the "Costa Concordia is certified to the highest safety standards by the Italian Administration and Rina in accordance with all applicable international conventions and regulations. All periodic surveys due during 2011 were carried out in accordance with the rule deadlines and with a positive outcome."
Rina confirmed that it was providing "full assistance to the owner and administration as they work to resolve the situation".
Costa Cruises has confirmed about 1,000 Italian passengers were onboard the vessel, as well as more than 500 Germans, about 160 French and about 1,000 crew members.
According to the vessel's statutory safety passenger certificate, Costa Concordia was built with a maximum passenger capacity of 4890 people.
The Costa Concordia was sailing across the Mediterranean Sea, starting from Civitavecchia with scheduled calls to Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Cagliari and Palermo.
Costa Crociere is owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp.
I found it odd that the hole was on the port side yet the ship is listing 80 degrees to starboard. Is that due to the geography of where they grounded the ship, or is it normal for a ship to roll away from the hole?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad so few were killed - I can only imagine that it could have been so much worse.
And yes...this is going to be expensive. How exactly do you tow THIS sucker around? You'd need half the tugs in the Mediterranean!
Having Sailed aboard the costa Concordia for our honeymoon in Dec 2008 during the early days of the ship the safety training given to the Staff always appeared satisfactory. In this age of Technology advacement in Navigation system such an event was never expected. Noticing the crew pattern on board of Many italian cruises my heart goes out to the crew which mainly consisted of Thai Nationals (40%) and Indian Nationals (25%) working on the house keeping staff and security. We as Indians Should try and find out if these crew members are safe and contact their families with any updated news. Having been on the ship and knowing their schedules followed on the cruise, since it leaves from Civitevechia for savona on its first night of each cruise Life saving trainings are given on the 3rd day morning when ship is generally at sea the whole day. so chaos was eminnent on the ship considering all passengers had just come aboard from civetevichia and barely settled in on board. they must thank their stars tht this did not happen in the middle of the mediterenian sea
ReplyDeleteActually, this accident is very similar to the MS Mikhail Lermontov, back in 1986. It struck a rock and sank further away, the same as the Concordia...
ReplyDeletefrom Indymedia portal
ReplyDeletehttps://london.indymedia.org/articles/11650
https://piemonte.indymedia.org/article/14244
RINA - Costa Concordia: small straw and the beam of wood
You know the parable of the “small straw and the beam of wood”?
Surreal meeting of the Certification Committee and the Committee for the Safeguarding of impartiality (???) of Italian Naval Registry: “that of Costa Concordia … is an event … incident”.
“In conclusion, all members of the Technical Committees respondents (Quality, Environment, Safety and Ethics) believe that, based on the information provided, actions by RINA, following the accident occurred at the M / V Costa Concordia, regarding the Certification of Management System issued to Costa Cruises are adequate and that, certification awarded to the organization, are believed to be correct as supported by evidence showing the effectiveness of management systems implemented. In addition, to our knowledge, there was no evidence of any failure in the management system applied by Costa Cruises. These conclusions will be presented at the next Committee for the Safeguarding of impartiality to be held on February 3, 2012 c / o General Directorate of RINA …”.
Boh we have not understood anything. Or maybe you. Actually, no. This, however, the current situation that you like it or not. However there are “evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of management systems implemented”. Where exactly are these findings is unknown, but it is possible that the divers find some trace of them over there to the sea near the disappeared that are still missing and the wreck of the Costa Concordia. Meanwhile, Rina in full force, pontifex maximus, big visir super partes every thing that moves upon the waters, concurring in unison shouts his truth, and verbalizes this black on white: in the naval disaster naval everything worked to perfection, Costa Crociere has complied with all rules of conduct, to this exemplary company must absolutely reconfirm all certifications, largely deserved. What then of the Costa Concordia, is clear, well put it all in your head, must have been just an unfortunate event/incident. And 'well resolved, with these simple words the' event/incident in the Memorandum of Rina Service - operating company of Rina Group - (that you can find here attached and reproduced pdf) and the Certification Committee and the Committee for the Safeguarding of impartiality of the RINA. That Rina is a serious company that no doubt, God forbid. He contributed to the growth of Italy (also from the point of view of shame). Recently, the Rina Group was also named society more Impartial / free / independent and above all credible of all time by an organization he founded (Rina Service just). Not wanting to be disrespectful at all costs but it's name (Committee for the Safeguarding of impartiality) some reasonings have almost the taste of the comic and certain reasonings have almost taste of the comic “supercazzola”. You know not what “supercazzola”? How to explain it ... “the supercazzola is that ancient Tantric art of disorientation and culeggio against teachers, authorities and/or simple citizens that is to put bullshit in
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