Saturday, April 20, 2024

How the Wreck of the Costa Concordia Changed an Italian Island The New York Times

sinking of cruise ship

There she enjoys kayaking local waters, curling up with books on faraway places, and gearing up for her next solo backpacking trip. As the founder of SoloTraveller, she hopes to motivate and inform fellow solo explorers from all walks of life to take the leap into their own adventures. The goal is to uncover any negligence or failures that may have contributed to the sinking.

Understanding Cruise Ship Sinking Statistics

I’ve also chosen not to include ships that served as a cruise ship for a small part of their life but were being used for other purposes when they sank. If the ship was mainly a cruise ship but was commandeered for war efforts, I’ve kept it in. Important – I’ve also decided to keep this list to cruise ships (both ocean and river), and ocean liners that served as cruise ships.

Strict Safety Rules and Inspections

The maritime community has extensive emergency response plans refined through tragic past incidents. Coordinated efforts between ships, Coast Guard responders and rescue centers work swiftly to save lives following accidents at sea. Costa Concordia was declared a "constructive total loss" by the cruise line's insurer, and her salvage was "one of the biggest maritime salvage operations". On 16 September 2013, the parbuckle salvage of the ship began, and by the early hours of 17 September, the ship was set upright on her underwater cradle.

New Safety Protocols and Crew Training

There were two crew on the ship that were killed as a result of the ship sinking. There were many other ships also in port at the time that suffered damage, although Orient Queen was the only cruise ship to sink. If the Titanic is the most famous cruise ship sinking in history, then Costa Concordia would take that title for modern history. The Costa Cruises ship sank after striking an underwater rock off the coast of Tuscany, sailing closer to the island than it should have done.

years later, Costa Concordia survivors share their stories from doomed cruise ship

Each heaving lifeboat, now with as many as 90 people in it, many screaming in fear, would then be lowered down to the sea on cables. Back up in the lounge, there had still not been any announcements about what was going on. Moss found the cruise director who said the captain had told her they were going to have to abandon the ship. The thick, metal doors which acted as a safety barrier by preventing water moving from one compartment of a ship to another in the event of flooding, were tightly closed. Pot plants, ashtrays, and chairs were sliding around, and people had to move from their seats to sit on the floor as the ship lurched wildly from one side to the other, port to starboard. It was during dinner that Moss Hills began to realise just how severe the storm was.

Environmental concerns and salvage

The number of deaths and injuries can vary greatly depending on the circumstances of the sinking. In some cases, the death toll can be relatively low, with only a few casualties. The Costa Concordia was owned by Costa Crociere, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & PLC. It featured four swimming pools, a casino, and reportedly the largest spa on a ship. In July 2006 the vessel undertook its maiden voyage, a seven-day cruise of the Mediterranean Sea, with stops in Italy, France, and Spain.

thoughts on “How Many Cruise Ships Have Sunk?”

The fact that the ship sunk in such cold waters also played a part, as those not in lifeboats had almost no chance of survival. Passengers on the Diamond Princess and Grand Princess, two of the worst-hit ships, were forced to quarantine inside their small staterooms — some without windows — as infections on board spiraled out of control. After watching thousands of passengers get ill and more than a year of devastating financial losses, the global cruise industry is coming back to life. At least 28 passengers and one crew member among the Silver Nova's 633 passengers fell ill during their 16-day Easter-themed cruise that set sail in Callao, Peru, the agency said. Pay attention to safety drills and briefings, as they provide valuable information on what to do in different scenarios.

Regulatory and industry response

Before the rear segment is cut free, support vessels weld enormous air-filled metal boxes called caissons to its exposed starboard side. These are partly filled with water, adding weight that rotates the stern upright when it is cut free. On both sides these are filled and emptied of water, to reach the perfect level of buoyancy to keep the stern afloat. Instead, the removal team opts for a thick cable of diamond-encrusted wire that can slice through inches-thick steel.

OCEANOS SINKING

sinking of cruise ship

She sank slowly, but there was some confusion on board which meant that 314 people died of the 1,252 passengers and crew on the ship. Due to the size of the explosion and the speed of listing, only six lifeboats could be launched, and in total 1,198 passengers and crew lost their lives, with 764 survivors. Of these, 5 occurred when no passengers were on board, and in another, there was an engine fire during a cruise but all passengers and crew were safely evacuated. One of the key factors in ensuring the safety of cruise ships is the use of advanced navigation systems. These systems are designed to provide accurate and real-time information about the ship’s position, speed, and course. The Oceanos cruise staff & entertainers ran the successful rescue of every one of the 581 passengers and crew.

Cruise Passenger Dies in Sinking of Bahamas Excursion Boat - The Maritime Executive

Cruise Passenger Dies in Sinking of Bahamas Excursion Boat.

Posted: Tue, 14 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Originally ordered by Norwegian Cruise Line, and due to be named Seaward, the shipyard underwent financial troubles and cancelled the order. NCL complained, so the shipyard agreed to continue working, but then NCL sold the ship to P&O where she sailed as Spirit of London. In 1986, the ship was operating a cruise from Sydney, exploring New Zealand on a two-week itinerary. While sailing past Cape Jackson, around 30 miles northwest of Wellington, the ship hit rocks. She first launched in 1930 and was formally completed in 1931, and served as an ocean liner sailing from Canada to Europe for nine years.

Evidence introduced in Schettino’s trial suggests that the safety of his passengers and crew wasn’t his number one priority as he assessed the damage to the Concordia. That’s not exact, obviously – more ships have been built more recently and there are over 300 cruise ships currently sailing, so an average of 150 for the last 50 years is probably accurate. Most were rescued but 34 people did lose their lives including 27 passengers, 5 crew and 2 members of the salvage team. Of the 1,066 people on board, 1,036 made it into lifeboats or the water and were rescued. I’ve omitted passenger ferries, since this is specifically about cruise ships.

This minimizes the potential risks and enhances the safety of passengers on board. When a cruise ship sinks, a thorough investigation is conducted to determine the cause of the incident. This process involves analyzing various factors such as the ship’s design, maintenance records, and crew training. For more information on cruise ship safety and emergency procedures, you can visit the official website of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at

Through the confusion, the captain somehow made it into a lifeboat before everyone else had made it off. A coast guard member angrily told him on the phone to “Get back on board, damn it! Their basic design means that they are engineered to keep them upright, with ballast tanks preventing the ship from tipping over. How verified these stats are is questionable but the point is that cruise ships are an extremely safe way of travelling.

sinking of cruise ship

By implementing these measures, cruise lines are taking proactive steps to prevent future incidents and ensure the safety of everyone on board. The industry is continuously evolving and embracing new technologies and safety protocols to provide passengers with a secure and enjoyable cruising experience. Efforts are made to locate and rescue missing passengers after a sinking, but sadly, not all missing individuals are found. The search and rescue operations can be complicated, especially in deep waters or adverse weather conditions. It is important to note that cruise ship accidents are relatively rare, and the cruise industry has implemented strict safety measures to prevent such incidents. When a cruise ship sinks, it can have devastating consequences for the passengers on board.

The final mad scramble to evacuate the listing liner and then the extraordinary generosity of Giglio islanders who offered shoes, sweatshirts and shelter until the sun rose and passengers were ferried to the mainland. With Giglio Island lying in a protected marine area, environmental issues relating to the Concordia wreck were of particular concern. The vessel was on the edge of an underwater cliff, leading to worries that the ship might slip and break apart, causing an oil spill. To lessen any potential damage, oil booms were placed around the wreckage, and in February 2012 salvage workers began removing more than 2,000 tons of fuel; the undertaking was completed the following month.

Orient Queen was a cruise ship that was owned by the Abou Merhi Group in Lebanon. Sailing from Beirut it offered cruises to the eastern Med, including ports in Turkey and Greece. The MV Explorer was a small cruise ship that had many owners in her life, launching first in 1969. She has the honour of being the first cruise ship specifically used for cruises to the Antarctic Ocean. Unfortunately she also has the record of being the first ship to sink there too. In 1979, whilst being chartered to Costa Lines, the ship caught fire in port at Saint Thomas.

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