Tag Archives: Costa Cruises

Removal of sunken Costa Concordia ready to begin, may take up to a year

Posted on by alanwhitt

The plan is in place … and now the work begins.

Costa Cruises has unveiled a complex four-part plan to removed the sunken Costa Concordia from its current resting place off the coast of Giglio Island.

Alan Whitt

The ship ran aground  of the coast of Italy the night of Jan. 13 and killed 32 people.

This is actually step two. The ship’s fuel tanks – full as the ship began a seven-day cruise – were previously emptied, preventing a potential environmental disaster.

Removal of the 114,500-ton ship won’t be easy, and the entire process could take up to a year, not only to remove the ship but to restore the area to it’s original state. That will include cleaning the sea bottom and replanting marine flora while minimizing the impact on Gigilio’s economy and tourism industry.

After stabilizing the ship, a platform will be built. Tanks that can be filled with water will be fixed to the side of the ship that is out of the sea. Two cranes fixed to the platform will pull the ship upright.

When the ship is upright, the water-tight tanks, known as caissons, will also be fixed to the other side of the hull. The caissons on both sides will then be emptied, after treating and purifying the water to protect the marine environment, and filled with air.

Once floated, the wreck will be towed to an Italian port and dealt with in accordance with the requirements of Italian authorities.

Costa, owned by Carnival Corp., has been extremely careful in managing a mess allegedly created by the carelessness of the ship’s former captain, who remains under house arrest while awaiting possible criminal charges for his role in the worst maritime disaster since the Titanic sank 100 years ago.

Costa Concordia tragedy impacts Carnival Triumph in Galveston

Posted on by alanwhitt

Huh? I didn’t really read that a Texas judge ordered Carnival Triumph to be detained in Galveston, did I?

Alan Whitt

This ridiculous turn of events has nothing to do with ship safety, a criminal act or non-payment of any debt.

The judge did this in connection with a $10 million lawsuit filed by the family of a German tourist lost in the Costa Concordia tragedy two months ago.

So what does the sinking of Costa Concordia in Italy have to do with a cruise ship in Galveston? Other than the fact that Costa Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Line are both owned by Carnival Corp. … absolutely nothing.

The judge’s warrant allowed Carnival Triumph to disembark passengers until a “prompt hearing” could be scheduled. Carnival eventually struck an agreement that allowed the ship to sail as originally scheduled.

I’m not going to share my opinion about the legal profession and some of its slimy members, but this is exactly why people have so little faith in the system. Forget maritime law and all that mumbo jumbo. Whatever happened to common sense?

Does this mean that every ship in the Carnival Corp. fleet can be grounded, including ships with Carnival, Costa, Holland America, Cunard, Princess, etc.? Does it mean that thousands of people could possibly have their cruises ruined around the world even though their only “crime” was booking a vacation?

I’m all for those impacted by the Carnival Concordia getting their pound of flesh and a hefty payday. But I resent anyone else being turned into collateral damage.

Good news (and not) from scene of Costa Concordia tragedy

Posted on by alanwhitt

Thirty down. Two more to go.

Alan Whitt

With the discovery of five more bodies in the Costa Concordia wreckage, we appear closer to cementing the death toll and allow families to begin a proper healing process.

However, although bodies have been recovered, decomposition means it will take time to actually identify the victims. Two months submerged in the salty seas is a long time. Hopefully the two American victims are among those recovered so far.

While the human toll has been depressing and mostly negative, there is a bit of good news to report on the environmental front. Costa officials announced that the removal of fuel from the ship has been completed with no damage to the surrounding eco-structure.

The next step in putting this messy saga behind them is Costa beginning to evaluate bids for removal of the ship from its current watery grave … with hopes to one day resurrect 4,200-passenger vessel.

Meanwhile, Italians will have to get use to the sight of a massive cruise ship laying on it’s side off a formerly picturesque coast. The estimated time to remove the ship after a bid is accepted in 10-to-12 months.

Cruise industry manages public relations in wake of ship’s sinking

Posted on by alanwhitt

It’s hard to believe that it was less than a month ago that Costa Concordia changed the direction of a cruise line and the lives of those who sailed on the fallen ship.

Alan Whitt

The truth is that it’s actually been 19 days since Costa Concordia sank off the coast of Italy.

Unlike some industries where things are tightly wrapped and those in charge refuse to share information with the public, the actions of the cruise industry has been pure public relations genius.

Just about every cruise line CEO has made videos, written blogs or released press releases highlighting the incredible safety record of cruising in general, and their fleets in particular. Hearing it from the top is always a comforting thing.

Changes have already been instituted to eliminate one of the glaring inadequacies that allowed the ship’s sinking to degenerate into the most horrific cruise ship tragedy since the Titanic sank 100 years ago.

That would be the muster drill, which now will take place before any cruise ship sets sail and give each passenger detailed instructions on what do do and where to go in an emergency. Previously, the rule allowed the crucial safety drill to take place within the first 24 hours of sailing. Needless to say, there was near total chaos on Costa Concordia because the drill wasn’t scheduled until the next day.

The forthright conversations generated by the cruise industry has helped minimize cancellations by frightened cruisers. Some have acknowledged a slight downturn in reservations in the first two or three days, but a return to normalcy after that.

Just as the cruise industry has reacted quickly, so have the passengers. Lawsuits have been filed on both sides of the ocean. At the current rate the combined asking price is likely to shoot past $1 billion.

Costa Crociere, owner of the ship, continues to struggle with the situation. It has extended the deadline for affected passengers to accept a compensation offer of $14,000 plus a cruise refund and expenses to March 31. Costa either realizes people need more time to digest of the offer … or they haven’t had many bites.

The one area that continues to go at a snail’s pace is a usual one – the criminal justice system. The ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino remains under house arrest as charges are considered.

Costa Concordia not dead yet; will sunken ship be resurrected?

Posted on by alanwhitt

Will Costa Concordia sail again?

Should the ill-fated cruise ship sail again?

Alan Whitt

A damage assessment authorized by Costa parent company Carnival Cruise Lines is currently underway to determine if Costa Concordia can be repaired.

A single cruise ship is an investment of several hundred million dollars and it’s understandable that a cruise line would want a fallen ship up and running if possible.

Costa Concordia obviously would be out of service for a substantial time if repairable, at least through the remainder of 2012. That down time likely will result in a loss of income in the $85-$95 million range, not to mention millions in other costs. And let’s not forget the million-dollar lawsuits already filed along with the barrage expected to come.

The tragedy has negatively impacted Carnival bookings across its entire fleet with a double digit drop … and that doesn’t even take into account the reduction in Costa bookings.

“Costa’s booking activity is difficult to interpret because of the significant re-booking activity stemming from the loss of the ship’s use and related redeployments; however we believe it to be down significantly,” according to the filing submitted today to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The report goes on to say that Carnival does not expect the tragedy to have a long-term impact on business.

Which is why Costa Concordia will sail again if physically fit.

People have relatively short memories. While it may take awhile to get people back onboard it’s going to happen.  And you’ll likely get a few morbid folks who’ll want to be in the unique position of sailing on a ship that has seen the bottom of the ocean.

Captain of ill-fated Costa Concordia says he fell off ship

Posted on by alanwhitt

It’s tough to have a sense of humor with anything surrounding the tragic disaster that is Costa Concordia.

Alan Whitt

But the ship’s captain – under house arrest for his involvement in the sinking of his ship and loss of at least 11 lives – is offering a comical explanation as to why he abandoned ship before its’ passengers did.

Captain Francesco Schettino said he tripped and fell into a life boat that was being lowered into the sea.

“I had no intention of escaping,” Schettino said as he appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday, according to an Italian newspaper.

“I was helping some passengers put the life boat to sea. At a certain point the mechanism for lowering it, blocked. We had to force it. Suddenly the system unblocked itself and I tripped and I found myself inside the life boat with a number of passengers.”

Hmmmm. Anyone buying that?

I’m sure he also accidentally refused to return to the ship when he was ordered to by Italian Port Authority officials.

Perhaps he’ll accidentally serve up to the 15 years he’ll face if convicted of crimes he’ll likely face once the investigation is concluded.