COSTA CONCORDIA ACCIDENT
The cruise ship Costa Concordia[p 1] partially sank on the night of 13 January 2012 after hitting a reef off the Italian coast and running aground at Isola del Giglio,[p 2] Tuscany, requiring the evacuation of the 4,252 people on board. Thirty two people are known to have died;[3] 64 others were injured[5] (at least two seriously)[6] and two are still missing.[3] Two passengers and a crewmember trapped inside were rescued in the days after the incident.[5][7]
The cruise ship Costa Concordia[p 1] partially sank on the night of 13 January 2012 after hitting a reef off the Italian coast and running aground at Isola del Giglio,[p 2] Tuscany, requiring the evacuation of the 4,252 people on board. Thirty two people are known to have died;[3] 64 others were injured[5] (at least two seriously)[6] and two are still missing.[3] Two passengers and a crewmember trapped inside were rescued in the days after the incident.[5][7]
Captain Francesco Schettino[p 3] had deviated from the ship's computer-programmed route to treat people on Isola del Giglio to the spectacle of a close sail-past or near-shore salute. The ship was on the first leg of a planned 6-port cruise from Civitavecchia
when she hit a reef off Isola del Giglio and started to take in water,
flooding the engine room and generators, causing the ship to drift for
more than an hour off the eastern shore of Isola del Giglio before
aground and being evacuated.
Ship's officers at first told passengers that the problem was a
reparable "electrical fault" and told inquiring maritime officials that
the event was merely a "black out". The captain delayed preparations to
abandon ship, and the ship developed a list, both of which hindered
eventual evacuation attempts. Soon after grounding, the ship listed more
extremely, trapping people inside. Meanwhile, the captain left the ship
during the evacuation and did not reboard despite orders by maritime
officials.
CAPTAINS POINT OF VIEW;
Captain Schettino stated that, before approaching the island, he had
turned off the alarm system for the ship's computer navigation system.[35] "I was navigating by sight, because I knew those seabeds well. I had done the move three, four times."[36] He told investigators that he saw waves breaking on the reef and turned abruptly, swinging the side of the hull into the reef.[37] "I have to take responsibility for the fact that I made a judgment error." "This time I ordered the turn too late."[38]
The captain had initially stated that the ship had been about 300
metres (980 ft) from the shore (about the length of the vessel) and hit
an uncharted rock.[39]
The captain said that Costa Cruises managers told him to perform the 13 January sail-past.[40] On 14 August 2011, the ship had taken a similar sail-past route, but not as close to Le Scole.[41] The 14 August sail-past was approved by Costa Cruises and was done in daylight during an island festival.[36] The normal shipping route passes about 5 miles (8.0 km) offshore.[42][43]
In August 2011, Giglio Porto's mayor, Sergio Ortelli, had thanked
Captain Schettino for the "incredible spectacle" of a sail-past. Mayor
Ortelli has now said, "It's a very nice show to see, the ship all lit up
when you see it from the land. This time round it went wrong".[44] In August and September 2010, Costa Pacifica and Costa Allegra, sister ships of Costa Concordia, came within a mile of the island.[45] Costa Cruises confirmed that the course taken was "not a defined [computer programmed] route for passing Giglio."[46]
Costa Cruises CEO Pier Luigi Foschi explained that the company's ships
have computer-programmed routes and "alarms, both visual and sound, if
the ship deviates by any reason from the stated route as stored in the
computer and as controlled by the GPS", but that these alarms could be "manually" overridden.[47]
In addition to claiming that he was told by Costa Cruises to perform
the 13 January sail-past near Giglio, the captain is said to have had
indicated other, perhaps all consistent, reasons. At the time of impact,
Captain Schettino was on the telephone with retired Captain Mario
Palombo, telling Palombo, "Seeing as we're passing the island, we'll
sound the siren for you".[15] In addition, at the captain's invitation, the maître d'hôtel of the ship, who is from the island, came to the ship's bridge to view the island during the sail-past.[48]
Passengers' point of view
Passengers were in the dining hall when there was a sudden, loud
bang, which a crew member (speaking over the intercom) ascribed to an
"electrical failure".[49] "We told the guests everything was [okay] and under control and we tried to stop them panicking", a cabin steward recalled.[50] The ship lost cabin electrical power shortly after the initial collision.[51]
"The boat started shaking. The noise—there was panic, like in a film,
dishes crashing to the floor, people running, people falling down the
stairs," said a survivor. Those on board said the ship suddenly tilted
to the port side.[30] Passengers were later advised to put on their life jackets.[52]
One half-hour before the abandon ship order, one crew member was
videoed telling passengers at a muster station, "We have solved the
problems we had and invite everyone to return to their cabins."[53] When the ship later turned around, it began[citation needed] to list approximately 20° to the starboard side, creating problems in launching the lifeboats.
The president of Costa Cruises, Gianni Onorato, said normal lifeboat
evacuation became "almost impossible" because the ship had listed so
quickly.[54]
Costa Cruises safety history
Like all passenger ships, the Costa Concordia was subject to two major International Maritime Organization requirements: to perform "musters of the passengers
(...) within 24 hours after their embarkation" and to be able to launch
"survival craft" sufficient for "the total number of persons aboard ...
within a period of 30 minutes from the time the abandon-ship signal is
given".[202]
Passenger ships must be equipped with lifeboats for 125% of the ship's
passenger and crew maximum capacity, among which at least 37% of that
capacity must consist of hard lifeboats as opposed to inflatable ones.[203] Launching systems must enable the lowering of the lifeboats under 20° of list and 10° of pitch.[Costa Cruises reportedly has experienced significant safety violations,
collisions and other incidents. In addition, Costa's accidents and "near
misses" are under-reported in public databases.[205]
Although International Maritime Organization rules require Italy to
report serious accidents by its flag ships, Italian authorities have
refused to submit the government's findings in the fatal Costa Europa 2010 incident and Costa has refused to release its own internal report.[206]
REVIEW OF SOLAS
The solas is reviewed by the IMO after the costa concordia accident . The ship sank after it was grounded. So the ship integrity and bulkhead standards and hull strength are reviewed by the IMO.
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