Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Costa Concordia Situation, more information! & Cruise Safety!


A lot changes in the course of 24 hours in this sad story. We now have a captain remanded to house arrest, something many think is a bit more freedom than he deserves. We also have a higher official death toll at 11 (9pm Tuesday evening here) with still 25 missing.  The ship has a non-stop search operation ongoing now so they can try to find any remaining survivors.
Where does this lead us overall?  Well, we still have more questions about the chain of events that led us to a Friday the 13th crash at sea that has left many folks dead.  There are many who are now calling for increased safety training for passengers as well as the crew, specifically those assigned to lifeboats.  Increased training definitely is a good idea as there are gaps in the training which can be filled.
Generally speaking there is likely a bit of damage for the cruise industry to work out.  The inaction and inappropriate actions by the captain of the Costa Concordia really worry some people. Those who are new to cruising have to know or be convinced that in fact the crew actions were the exception not the rule. The crew on most ships will make sure everyone is taken care of and help like they should during an emergency situation.   Most crew are well trained and want things to go smoothly.  Keep in mind a successful evacuation helps the crew survive as well.
We have to consider cruising is generally incredibly safe.  The ships are designed for passenger comfort and seaworthiness.  The deck officers generally operate only in safe seas and avoid overly dangerous maneuvers where possible. The deck officers review the planned course and account for weather and other factors before entering the course into the official trip plan each trip.  Even for trips run over and over again the plan is double checked each trip/day/shift to ensure everything is going as planned.
Many captains would actually rather be at sea commanding the ship from the bridge than spending most of their day being the star of the ship. Most prefer working for the cruise lines because of the more stable work environment and that they do get to interact with more people and have better food and accommodations than they would on a cargo ship or tanker. Regardless, you will find professional master mariners sailing in the top deck officer positions on most cruise ships. Even the cruise lines want it that way since so much rides on safe passage.
Add to the good safety record that cruising is generally one of the best vacation bargains available, cruising is still a great way to spend your vacation.

No comments:

Post a Comment