Cruise Ship Safety

Passenger Ship Accidents 2012

Incidents MSC Poesia Jan 7 Costa Concordia Jan 13 MV Rabaul Queen Feb 2 MV Sharden Feb 3

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MV Sharden

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Date: February 4, 2012 
Ship: MV Sharden, 39,000 GT
Where: Civitavecchia, Italy bound for Sardinia
Incident: The 40,000 GRT, Sharden, an Italian passenger ferry owned by Tirrenia di Navigazione shipping company was damaged after hitting the pier; a 30 ft. gash in the hull above the waterline was reported. There were no injuries to any of the 262 passengers, or 53 crew members.
Disposition: The ferry was towed back to the pier and all passengers and cargo were unloaded safely without incident. Accident attributed to high winds.

 MV Rabaul Queen

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Date: February 2, 2012 
Ship: MV Rabaul Queen, 259 GT
Where: 9 nautical miles off Finschhafen, on her way from Kimbe to Lae, off Papua New Guinea's east coast.
Incident: The 22 year-old Japanese-built ferry sank off the coast of New Guinea with approximately 350 passengers and 12 crew aboard. Survivors told rescuers that large waves had hit the vessel just before it sank. Many survivors were rescued by six merchant vessels alerted by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), which had been alerted by Rabaul Shipping that the ferry had disappeared from a satellite tracking system.
Disposition:  238 rescued, 120 know missing

Costa Concordia

Date: January 13, 2012
Ship: Costa Concordia
Where: Isola del Giglio, Italy
Incident: Hit a reef and grounded very close to shore. This ship is laying on its side, resting partially on some rocks.  Approximate 150 ft. gash in the port-side hull.
Disposition: See below for updates

Just days after making an emergency stop in the port of Marseille for minor repairs as reported in Direct marseille Plus, the Costa Concordia ran aground on a reef at around 9 pm local time (UTC+1) off , having left Civitavecchia earlier that evening at the start of a seven-day cruise to Savona, Marseilles, Barcelona, Palma, Tunis, and Palermo.

At about 8 pm, 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". Passengers were later advised to put on their life-jackets. The ship tilted some 20 degrees. Amid panic, many passengers took to lifeboats, while some jumped into the water to swim to shore. Three passengers reportedly drowned after jumping overboard, and another seven were critically injured. According to the local coastguard, 3,206 passengers and 1,023 crew members were on board at the time.

The crew remained aboard and the shipping line initially insisted there was no danger of sinking. The first daylight pictures showed the ship lying on its right side and half submerged, not far outside Giglio Harbour. Other reports indicated the ship had developed a major electrical fault. According to the local coast guard, the ship has a 30-metre (100 ft) gash on its port side. The Daily Mail showed images of a large gash.

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Update: Posted Feb 7, 2012

The Giglio, Italy Webcam is back up and running. Allow time for page to load.

Update: Posted January 31, 2012

Italian authorities officially ended the underwater search for bodies today due to safety concerns.  Technical experts recommended the search end due to weather conditions and instability of the ship. No bodies have been recovered since the last update - 17 confirmed dead and 16 know missing. Salvage efforts are estimated to take up to a year to complete.

Note: At last check, the Giglio Yacht Club Webcam is still unavailable.

Update: Posted January 28, 2012 Read Initial Report

Two weeks after the tragedy, the ship remains on its side and rescue crews continue the search for bodies. As of today, 17 is the number of confirmed dead with 16 known missing.

On January 23, port officials gave the go-ahead to begin the process of pumping fuel from the stricken ship despite the on-going recovery effort. According to reports, the ship has rested firmly on the reef and is not in danger of sinking any further.  Giglio,Italy Yacht Club Webcam

Working crane barge "Meloria" alongside while SMIT divers inspect the ship; date 25/01/2012. Source: SMIT

 

In the days following the accident, a contract was awarded by the Owners to SMIT and local partners Tito Neri for the removal of the bunker oil and pollution control. The estimated amount of bunkers in the vessel is 2200 MT of IFO (intermediate fuel oil), 185 MT of MGO (marine gas oil/diesel) and lubricants, distributed over 17 tanks.

Costa Cruise Line yesterday reportedly offered every Costa Concordia passenger sailing at the time of the tragedy about $14,500 to cover expenses and emotional distress. Some experts suggest the passengers can receive as much as 150,000 and many passengers say they will refuse Costa's offer according to reports.

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Update: Posted January 22, 2012

Recovery Effort Continues   Read Initial Report

Nine days after the accident, the recovery effort continues.

• In the past two days, two bodies have been recovered bringing the confirmed death toll to 13, with a reported 20 more missing. There is some speculation that unregistered passengers were onboard the Concordia at the time of the accident making the number missing unclear.

• Recent video has emerged showing a member of the Costa Concordia crew telling frightened passengers in life jackets that "the situation is under control", even as the liner was taking on water.

• Italian officials are scrambling to get on with the recovery in spite of the weather. Complicating matters is the fact the ship is slowly inching its way down the rocks. Salvage efforts will not begin until the rescue effort is complete or abandoned.

• The investigation continues into allegations of criminal behavior by the Concordia Captain who insists he informed the Costa Command Center of the situation immediately after the accident, and the actions he took were at the advisement of the Costa Cruises Command Center Captain. He also stated he did not abandon ship but rather tripped and fell into the lifeboat - even though on the evening of the accident, the Captain was heard on audio tape telling the Port Authority Captain he was "catapulted into the water" when the ship turned on its side. The Captain has made contradictory statements and now seems to be calling out Costa Cruise Line officials to share the blame. Costa Cruise Line responded to the allegation by saying the Captain was not truthful during the initial call to the Command Center, and reported an electrical failure rather than a disastrous breach to the hull.

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Update: Posted January 18, 2012

Carnival Corporation Issues Press Release:

Costa Cruise Lines and its parent company, Carnival Corporation & plc, today confirmed their commitment to provide full support to those passengers, crew and families of the victims of the Costa Concordia grounding.

“I give my personal assurance that we will take care of each and every one of our guests, crew and their families affected by this tragic event. Our company was founded on this principle and it will remain our focus,” said Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.

In this spirit, Costa has been arranging lodging and transportation for affected passengers and crew members to return home. Every passenger and crew member or their family is being contacted and the company has offered its assistance and counseling as needed, and will be addressing personal possessions lost on board. Costa has also begun the process of refunding all voyage costs including both passenger cruise fares and all costs incurred while on board. Our senior management teams are working together to determine additional support.

“During this time of tragedy, we are doing our very best to provide the needed support to the Costa Concordia passengers, crew and their families,” said Pier Luigi Foschi, chairman and CEO of Costa Cruises.

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Update: Posted January, 15, 2012

A day after the incident, January 14, 2012, the Captain of the Costa Concordia was arrested by Italian Police and is being interrogated about the accident. Passengers reported that the Captain left the ship without all passengers safely on land. 3 people, 2 passengers and 1 crew member confirmed dead. More passengers are still missing. Three people were rescued off the ship yesterday, 2 identified as a honeymooning couple from South Korea, and a crew member.

Costa releases statement about the accident:

"While the investigation is ongoing, preliminary indications are that there may have been significant human error on the part of the ship's master, Captain Francesco Schettino, which resulted in these grave consequences," Costa Cruises, a subsidiary of U.S.-based Carnival Corp., stated. "The route of the vessel appears to have been too close to the shore, and in handling the emergency the captain appears not to have followed standard Costa procedures."

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MSC Poesia

 

Date: January 7, 2012 
Ship: MSC Poesia
Where: Port Lucaya, Freeport Grand Bahama
Incident: Ran aground on a sanbar
Disposition: The ship floated free at high tide with the help of 4 tug boats and continued sailing to her next port call.

 

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