Hello Cruise Planners! As some of you may have seen/heard…there was a tragic accident in Europe off the coast of Italy, with the Costa Concordia running aground (near Giglio).
Cruise Planners did NOT have ANY passengers sailing on this ship at the time, (98% of passengers were sourced Internationally: 1000 German, 500 German, 160 French)- nevertheless, this does effect the industry.
We can take comfort in the fact that albeit tragic, this was a very unusual situation…and majority of passengers/crew were evacuated safely, without harm. There is a report of 3 casualties at this point, which of course is part of the entire investigation. Costa Cruises is owned by Carnival Corp, which will be leading this in compliance with maritime safety and regulatory agencies.
As you all know, Safety of passengers is a huge concern of ALL the cruise lines. It is not taken lightly, and this occurrence will only lead to greater emphasis and review of current procedures, to make even further enhancements going forward.
Some info about this specific sailing:
- The major cruise lines do MANDATORY Muster drills upon sailing the first day.
- Costa Concordia had not yet, as it sailed yesterday.
- This is different as their itinerary boards new passengers along the way, so scheduling “seems” to be an issue. (I am certain this will be a BIG part of the investigation, after they figure out WHY the ship had the accident to begin with).
- Cruise ship design, construction and operations are governed by internationally-mandated standards designed to maximize the safety of passengers. Such standards have been adopted by all governments affected by cruising.
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