GUILTY Italy - Costa Concordia Cruise Ship runs aground/flips, 2012

Yoda

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It has been reported a cruise ship ran aground off the coast of Italy. US/uk news has not been updated but Italian news has a photo of the ship on it's side. Six dead, some still missing.

http://www.repubblica.it/
 
BBC is reporting 3 confirmed dead. Looking at the photo of the ship on its side, it's a miracle there weren't more casualities. 3200 on board.

_57886098_listing.jpg


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16558910
 
I just signed on to my computer and saw the pic with the ship on it's side. I came here first knowing you guys would have a thread going.

This is just horrible. BDE, from your link it says 70 missing over 4000 were on board.
 
DH and I are cruise afficianados and, in fact, will embark on a Caribbean voyage in two weeks. We've encountered rough seas with high waves that made the vessel rock and roll, but we've never had to deal with something as frightening as a listing/sinking ship.

I've been watching live coverage on CNN and am shocked at the way this situation was handled by the ship's Captain. Passengers had not mustered prior to sailing which means that many would not have known about evacuation procedures. DH and I have never been on a cruise (more than 25 to date) where we left the embarkation port without a muster drill. While it's true that people would likely panic in a scary situation like this, at least passengers would have been versed in evacuation procedures and know what they're supposed to do and where to go if it becomes necessary to abandon ship.

Thoughts and prayers for the victims, injured, missing, and their families.

If you're interested in reading discussions by frequent cruisers, check out message boards at Cruise Critic.
 
Ocean liners are so top heavy these days they scare me just to look at them. I've been shipwrecked (decades ago, 80' yacht) and I'd prefer not to repeat the experience.

The ship must have listed further during the night. One picture of evacuating passengers shows them standing upright in a hallway. Several articles mention a 20 degree list, but the pictures from the morning look more like 35-40 degrees to me.
 
Ocean liners are so top heavy these days they scare me just to look at them. I've been shipwrecked (decades ago, 80' yacht) and I'd prefer not to repeat the experience.

The ship must have listed further during the night. One picture of evacuating passengers shows them standing upright in a hallway. Several articles mention a 20 degree list, but the pictures from the morning look more like 35-40 degrees to me.

True, and cruise lines keep building bigger and bigger vessels that I think are tragedies waiting to happen. DH and I have seen those Royal Caribbean Behemoths of the Seas :D (Allure and Oasis of the Seas) at Port Everglades and can't imagine being on a ship that has 6000 passengers. Largest ships we've sailed on have 3000, and that seems like a lot! When you consider the crew and staff, a ship carrying 6000 passengers could have close to 3000 additional souls on board :eek:
 
How fortunate that this disaster took place within swimming distance of the shore!
 
CNN.com breaking news headline - not 'clickable' yet:

Captain of cruise liner that ran aground off coast of Italy arrested, prosecutor says.
 
Above, I wrote that the list in the morning looked like 40 degrees to me. Actually, it looks closer to 90, somewhere in the 70 to 80 degree range. (I just realized there are 360 degrees in a circle, not 180!)
 
Okay, now there's an article about the arrest -- for manslaughter and abandoning ship. Having followed nautical charts while living our sailboat for a year, I believe 2.5 miles off-course is a lot. Especially in such shallow rocky water.

Police arrest Italian captain of cruise ship that ran aground, killing 3


Rome (CNN) -- The Italian captain of the cruise ship that ran aground -- killing three person and injuring 20 more -- was arrested late Saturday and is being investigated for manslaughter and abandoning ship, said a local prosecutor in Grosetto, Italy.

......

The ship was 2.5 miles off route when it struck a rocky sandbar, according to the Italian Coast Guard. Local fishermen say the island coast of Giglio is known for its rocky sea floor.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/14/world/europe/italy-cruise-deaths/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
 
CNN.com breaking news headline - not 'clickable' yet:

Captain of cruise liner that ran aground off coast of Italy arrested, prosecutor says.

I wonder if the article will tell more about the Captain telling passengers that this was an electrical problem?
 
The Captain of a seafaring vessel is inherently responsible for everyone onboard. In the event of a catastrophe such as this, the Captain has a duty to the passengers and crew members to stay on the ship even when his own life is in danger. Shame on this Captain for saving his own hide instead of remaining on the listing/sinking vessel!
 
From what I can tell, the main issue is not sending a mayday ASAP. He took matters into his own hands and tried to maneuver the ship closer to shallow water for easier evacuation. Once it tilted and evacuation was already underway, that's when he notified the appropriate authorities. He should have sent out a mayday immediately.
 
Scary. Can't imagine what it would have been like for the passengers. I have a great fear of deep water and drowning, and the pictures are frightening to look at.
The Captain hopefully will never be in charge of another ship again.

Prayers for the families of the victims.
 
This is horrible. Cruising is my most fav way to vacation. I've only been on 4 though, but I cannot imagine how scary this must have been. esp for those who died.
 
How fortunate that this disaster took place within swimming distance of the shore!

No kidding. I cannot imagine how many lives would have been lost if they hadn't been so close to land. (Of course, the accident wouldn't have happened in open seas, but still.)

Praying for the missing and the grieving families. I hope that the passenger list error means that no other people are really missing or dead.
 

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