Costa Concordia Accident

8/3/2019 Costa Concordia Accident

1/40

The desperate hunt for survivors on board the luxuryItalian cruise liner that capsized in theMediterranean continued today as rescue workers

plucked a honeymooning couple alive from thewreckage.It comes as firefighters said this morning that a thirdsurvivor had been located inside the cruise ship andvoice contact had been made with the trappedpassenger.More than 4,000 people were evacuated when theCosta Concordia ran aground off the coast ofTuscany on Friday night, leaving two Frenchpassengers and a Peruvian crew member confirmeddead. But last night up to 40 people were stillmissing.The man and woman, both 29 from South Korea,

were honeymooning on board the liner and becamestranded two decks below rescuers when the vesselbecame semi-submerged. Thirty-five people took 90minutes to bring them to safety in the early hours ofthis morning after hearing their screams.The newlyweds told firefighters they had not seen orheard any other survivors during the 24 hours they

were trapped.Meanwhile, the Concordias captain, FrancescoSchettino, and first officer Ciro Ambrosio weredetained last night at the police station in PortoSanto Stefano on the Italian mainland, as they faced


2/40

continuing questioning about the events leading upto the disaster. Prosecutors are investigatingpossible charges of multiple manslaughter and

abandoning the ship while passengers were still indanger.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO


3/40

Lucky to be alive: Newlyweds from South Korea areled to safety by Italian firefighters after rescueworkers found them trapped in the partly sunk shipthis morning


4/40

Rescue: The Costa Concordia is pictured thismorning as rescuers in a boat co-ordinate therescue effort during the desperate hunt for moresurvivors


5/40

Danger: Italian firefighters' scuba divers approach

the Costa Concordia as they prepare to enter it totrack down survivors and any of the 40 missingpeople


6/40

Waiting game: Hundreds of passengers in lifejackets are pictured on board the Costa Concordiaon Friday night as they wait to be rescued from thestricken vessel


7/40


8/40

Italian Coast Guard personnel recover the black boxfrom the Costa Condordia cruise ship that ranaground off the west coast of Italy


9/40

Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia carrying morethan 4,000 people ran aground and keeled over off

the Italian coast near the island of Giglio in Tuscany,Italy, last night


10/40

The Costa Concordia after the evacuation off theItaiian coast had been completed. Tonight CaptainFrancesco Schettino was being quizzed by police


11/40

The cruise ship that ran aground is seen off the westcoast of Italy as a helicopter hovers above to try andfind passengers


12/40

The damage to the vessel can be seen quite clearly


13/40

The captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship,Francesco Schettino is taken into custody in

Grosseto, Italy


14/40

Italian news agency Ansa said 4,165 out of the4,234 people on-board were safe but did not know

the whereabouts of the remaining 69


15/40

Lifeboats are pictured in the foreground. Among thedead was a man around age 65, who officials

believe may not have been able to withstand thecold of the sea at nightProsecutor Francesco Verusio said the Concordiahad approached the tiny island of Giglio the wrongway, while sources said that the 52-year-old


16/40

captain, from Naples, had abandoned the ship ataround 11.30pm local time about an hour after itstruck a rocky outcrop and started taking in water

while the last passengers were not taken to safetyuntil 3am yesterday morning.

As the liner lay virtually flat on its starboard side lastnight, a 160ft gash visible on its upturned hull,rescue workers raised the possibility that there maystill be bodies in the submerged section.Fire services spokesman Luca Cari said specialistdiving teams would check all the interior spaces ofthe ship and added: We dont rule out the possibilitythat more people will be lost.One report said last night that 29 Filipino kitchenworkers were feared trapped in the bowels of the951ft, 390million Concordia.

Last night concerns were raised about the chaosand confusion on board and the delays inevacuating the vessel.It was also suggested that the passenger list maynot have been kept up to date, which might accountfor some of those missing.Recounting scenes reminiscent of the film Titanic,

survivors spoke of crawling in darkness alongupended hallways and stairwells as crockery andglasses smashed around them.


17/40

The Concordia's grounding should serve as a wake-up call to the shipping industry and those whoregulate it, the maritime professionals' unionNautilus International said


18/40

Passengers spoke of having to crawl along nearvertical hallways and stairwells to escape the ship asit began to take on more and more waterThere were also reports of passengers wearing life

jackets over evening dress jumping overboard into

the cold, night sea and trying to swim ashore.One of the most dramatic accounts of the nightcame from 22-year-old Rose Metcalf, from Dorset,who was among the last few people to leave thevessel.


19/40

She was one of eight British dancers working on theConcordia and spoke of hanging on to a water hosewhich a friend had tied to the ships handrail when itbegan to list.Later, after being rescued by helicopter, she left amessage for her father saying: I dont know howmany are dead. I am alive ... just. I think I wasthe last one off. All 37 Britons on board werebelieved safe last night.


20/40

The ship was on a Mediterranean cruise startingfrom the Italian city of Civitavecchia with scheduledcalls at Savona, Cagliari and Palermo, all also in

Italy; Marseilles in France; and Barcelona andPalma de Mallorca, Spain.

As divers searched areas of the ship that were nowunderwater, there was some concern for their safetyif the vessel shifted.It is a very delicate operation because the shipmight move or sink farther, said a spokesman forItalys coastguard. This could endanger the divers,trapping them inside the wreck.Many of the passengers were sitting down to eat inthe Concordias restaurants when they heard a loudbang followed by a terrible groaning noise.Diners were instructed to remain seated even as the

ship began listing. According to the captain, the shiphad an electrical problem. But although it soonbecame clear that the problem was far worse,passengers continued to be told for a good 45minutes that there was a simple technical problem.Even when the situation became clearer crewmembers delayed lowering the lifeboats even

though the ship was listing badly. We had to screamat the controllers to release the boats from the side,said Mike van Dijk, a 54-year-old from Pretoria,South Africa. We were standing in the corridors and


21/40

they werent allowing us to get on to the boats. Itwas a scramble, an absolute scramble.Robert Elcombe, 50, from Colchester but who now

lives in Australia, said he and his wife Tracy got intoa life boat but were ordered out again when staffsaid it was only a generator problem that could befixed. He said: But as we got back inside the ship ittilted so steeply that I had to grab hold of people tosave them as they flew down the corridor. It was realTitanic stuff. We lost everything: passports, luggage,money. But at least were alive, unlike somepeople.


22/40

Close-up: A woman looks at the cruise ship as it lieshalf in the water off the coast of Italy. Three peoplehave been killed


23/40

Disaster: The Costa Concordia lies partlysubmerged this morning after hitting rocks. Sopassengers were rescued by helicopter


24/40


25/40

A woman is cared for by a rescue worker and a childis taken to safety. Thousands of people have beenaffected by the incident


26/40

Rescue workers help a woman as she is led to

safety at Porto Santo Stefano. Lifeboats haddifficulty launching


27/40

Passengers arrive at Porto Santo Stefano


28/40

The evacuees were taking refuge in schools, hotels,and a church on the tiny island of Giglio, a popular

holiday isle about 18 miles off Italy's central westcoastGeorgia Ananias, 61, from Los Angeles, recalledcrawling along a hallway as the ship began to


29/40

upturn. She said an Argentine couple handed hertheir three-year-old daughter, as they were unable tokeep their balance. I grabbed the baby. But then I

was being pushed down, she said. I didnt want thebaby to fall down the stairs. I gave the baby back. Icouldnt hold her. I thought that was the end and Ithought they should be with their baby. I wonderwhere they are.Passengers Alan and Laurie Willits from Ontario saidthey were watching the magic show in the shipsmain theatre when they felt an initial lurch, followeda few seconds later by a shudder.They said the ship then listed and the theatrecurtains seemed like they were standing on theirside. And then the magician disappeared, said MrWillits.

When he left the stage it panicked the audiencemembers who fled for their cabins.LEVIATHANS THAT PLOUGH THE SEASOwned by giant US cruise line Carnival, the CostaConcordia is the worlds 26th largest passengership.But despite a 114,500 gross tonnage, 951ft length

and a capacity for 3,206 passengers and 1,023crew, she is a relative minnow compared to the twobiggest ocean liners, Oasis of the Seas and its sistership Allure of the Seas, operated by RoyalCaribbean International. They displace 225,282 tons


30/40

each and are 1,187ft long. Each accommodates6,296 passengers and 2,165 crew.Third is the 155,873-ton Norwegian Epic, operated

by Norwegian Cruise Line, while Queen Mary 2,flagship of Cunard like P&O also part of Carnival is seventh at 151,400 tons.The top ten liners by size are: 1/2 Allure of the Seas/Oasis of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International. 3Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Cruise Line.4/5 Freedom of the Seas/Liberty of the Seas, RoyalCaribbean. 6 Independence of the Seas, RoyalCaribbean. 7 Queen Mary 2, Cunard. 8/9 Navigatorof the Seas/Mariner of the Seas, Royal Caribbean.10/11 MSC Fantasia/MSC Splendida, MSC Cruises.


31/40

A Carabinieri boat approaches the Costa Concordiaas it lies partly submerged in the water off the coastof Tuscany

Collision: Rocks embedded in the ruptured side ofthe Costa Concordia reveal the extent of thedamage to the hull

There were reports last night that captain Schettino,had been dining with passengers when the accidenthappened but the ships operating company,Costa Crociera, said he was on the bridge.


32/40

He then discovered that the ship was four miles offcourse, but was unsure why. One theory is that anelectrical fault had wiped out the ships navigational

power and steering control. Captain Schettino toldinvestigators that charts showed he was in watersdeep enough to navigate.He was quoted as saying: The area was safe, thewater was deep enough. We struck a stretch of rockthat was not marked on the charts. As far as I amconcerned, we were in perfectly navigable waters.Francesco Paolillo, a coastguard commander, saidthe vessel hit an obstacle, ripping a gash acrossthe left side of the ship, which started taking onwater. He said the captain tried to steer his shiptoward shallow waters, near Giglios small port, tomake evacuation by lifeboat easier.

But when Captain Schettino realised the severity ofthe situation, he gave the order to abandon ship withseven short whistles.Within minutes the Costa Concordia, began to listdramatically, reaching an angle of 20 degrees in justtwo hours. The angle became too steep for lifeboatevacuation, and instead, five helicopters from the

coastguard, navy and air force airlifted the last 50passengers still aboard.By early morning, nine hours after the incident, theCosta Concordia, was at an angle of more than 80degrees.


33/40

Officials last night said the dead were a Peruviancrew member and two French tourists.One Italian passenger said: There was just utter

chaos and panic. No one from the crew seemed toknow what they were doing.No one counted us, neither in the life boats nor onland, said Ophelie Gondelle, 28, a French militaryofficer. She said there had been no evacuation drillsince she boarded on January 8.The evacuees initially took refuge in schools, hotelsand a church on the tiny island of Giglio, about 18miles off Italys west coast. Mayor Sergio Ortelliissued an appeal for anyone with a roof to opentheir homes to survivors. By yesterday afternoonthey had all been flown to the mainland.


34/40

Gashed open: The hull of the massive CostaConcordia was gashed open as it ran aground,killing at least eight and injuring dozens more


35/40

Operation: Rescue boats of the stranded cruise shipCosta Concordia arrive in the harbour and dozens of

passengers are pictured on the quayside


36/40

Coastguard officials confirmed that 3,200passengers were onboard at the time along with1,000 crew members and all had been evacuated bylifeboat and taken to the island of Giglio


37/40

CRUISE SHIP INDUSTRY HAS BOOMED WITH

MILLIONS OF PASSENGERS ENJOYING

HOLIDAYS

By Polly DunbarSince the 1980s, the cruise industry has boomed,with more than 19 million passengers taking one lastyear and nine or more newly-built cruise ships of100,000 tonnes or greater being built every year forthe past decade.Traditionally, the vast majority of cruises have beentaken by Americans to the Caribbean islands, butthe Mediterranean market is rapidly expanding, withItaly the prime destination.Cruise liners are designed for pleasure voyages, inwhich the surroundings and the luxurious amenetiesare the major focus of the experience, rather than

the transportation itself.As a result, they are built differently from oceanliners, which usually have high freeboards andstronger plating to withstand adverse conditionsencountered in the open ocean, such as the Atlantic,and lower fuel consumption. Cruise ships also haveU-shaped bottoms, whereas ocean liners - including

the 1,132-ft RMS Queen Mary II, which is often usedfor cruising - usually have deep V-shaped bows tohelp them power through the waves.However, as an industry, cruising has a safetyrecord generally regarded as excellent. Over the


38/40

past two decades, an estimated 90 millionpassengers have enjoyed a cruise without majorincident. The overwhelming majority of deaths on

cruise ships are from natual causes or suicides.Although cruise ships appear to be top heavy, mostof their weight is at the bottom, while the structuretowards the top is designed to be comparativelylightweight.

According to Malcolm Latarche, editor of the globalshipping magazine IHS Fairplay Solutions, the 950-ftCosta Concordia, which was built in 2005, wasdesigned to standards comparable with oceanliners.The Concordia was capable of travelling across the

Atlantic, or anywhere in the world. It wasconsiderably smaller than the Queen Mary II, but it

was built to the same standards, he said.Modern cruise ships are built to be as sturdy andsafe as possible. They have to be - they can becarrying thousands of passengers.Mr Latarche believes the Concordia disaster mayhave been triggered by an electrical fault, whichcaused a loss of power in the ship and led it to crash

into rocks.Although the damage caused to the ship wassevere, there are many safeguards in the design ofa state of the art cruise ship to prevent it turningover. There is a second hull within the outer hull.


39/40

Inside the inner hull there is a steel structure like anice tray to contain the water and prevent it spreadingthrough the ship.

In this case, the master rightly attempted to return itto the shore, but it seems to have keeled overbecause it hit shallow water on the coast. An oceancruise ship is not designed to float in 20ft of water. Itneeds much more than that to remain upright.Passenger ships - defined as any ship carrying morethan 12 passengers - must comply with InternationalMaritime Organisation regulations, which coverevery aspect of the construction and operation.

According to Mr Latarche, the fact that the averagetonnage of cruise ships has doubled in the lastdecade makes a full-scale evacuation at sea almostimpossible.

Under new regulations introduced by the IMO in2010, the very latest ships are now designed to beable to return to port even in the event of a major fireor loss of power on board, in order to makeevacuation unnecessary.The Concordia was commissioned five year prior tothe new rules, but, Mr Latarche said: Even if the

most sophisticated ship in the world went intoshallow water, the likelihood is it would turn on itsside.This was a unique situation in which a number ofcircumstances all came together.


40/40

follow me on twitter! @akosiishey and

@akosipatrishey thanks

Documents

Costa Concordia Accident