This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.
Video And Post-Mortem of Spectacular Carnival Cruise Liner Accident Off Tuscan Coast
To those who woke up on Saturday to images of a massive cruise liner keeled over following a very peculiar Friday night accident off the coast of Italy, no, this was not a prop for the latest James Cameron movie: it is the Carnival Corp's Costa Concordia, which carried over 4,200 passengers and crew, and foundered after hit a submerged rock off the Tuscan island of Giglio in very calm conditions. At last count 11 passengers and 6 crewmembers were missing, with at least 6 confirmed dead as of last night.
Here is a summary of what is known as of now, via the BBC:
- Costa Cruises, which operated the boat, is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation.
- The boat's captain has been arrested and charged with homicide
- Italy's Generali (of Zero Hedge Trade Marked A&G fame) is among the group of insurers of the Costa. It has since said the "Net Impact would be very marginal" - how about the gross impact?
- Costa Cruises president Gianni Onorato said a normal evacuation had been almost impossible because the ship had listed so quickly
- The captain, Francesco Schettino, 52, had worked for Costa Cruises for 11 years, who has now been arrested, insisted he had been last to leave the ship, and said the rock was not marked on his nautical chart
- The chief prosecutor in the city of Grosseto told reporters that Capt Schettino "very ineptly got close to Giglio", according to Italy's Ansa news agency
- Italian, German, French and British nationals were among the 3,200 passengers on board. There were also 1,000 crew.
- Some passengers told the Associated Press news agency that the crew had failed to give instructions on how to evacuate the ship.
Video, courtesy of RT:
Reuters explains why this event will likely have a major impact on the Cruise line industry:
The spectacular cruise liner accident off the coast of Italy is not just a disaster for the ship's owners, but could inflict wider damage on an industry already facing stiff headwinds.
"This is a PR (public relations) nightmare for the Costa brand," said Jaime Katz, equity analyst from investment research company Morningstar in Chicago.
"The question is, when that's been stripped out, whether the Carnival brand will be tarnished."
The accident could hardly have come at a worse time for the group, with the global economic crisis already making potential cruise customers nervous about their jobs and finances.
"I think the important factors are that this adds insult to injury, with struggling economic markets in Europe and all the unrest you've seen in the Middle East," Katz said, noting that the accident came at the peak season for the industry.
"Carnival still books a large portion of their bookings at this time of year. What company, in the middle of the busiest season for their business, wants to be weighed down with that sort of PR?" she asked.
Costa Crociere has been fully owned by Carnival since 2000 when the Miami-based company bought the half it didn't already own. At that time Carnival, which makes about 40 percent of its revenues in Europe, said Costa Crociere would be its primary platform for expanding in this part of the world.
In December Carnival, which accounts for about half of the global cruise line business, lowered its prices for 2012 voyages because of weaker demand in crisis-hit Europe.
Sharon Zackfia, a research analyst with William Blair & Co., a global investment services company, said it was too early to know the full costs for Carnival but they would include passenger refunds, potential litigation and repairs.
There is also the problem of consumer attitudes souring on the industry as a whole because of safety concerns - a mindset that, along with consumer fears over the sluggish U.S. economy and the EU debt crisis, could freeze some people's plans for overseas travel.
"Any time you have something like this happen, there is worry that it will have an impact on how the public views the safety of the industry in general," she said, adding, however, that the industry in general had a good safety track record.
Another potential problem for the shipowner and insurers is environmental damage.
Local officials have expressed concern that the ship's fuel, a full load as it had just begun the cruise, could spill into the pristine waters of the island, which is in a marine reserve. However by early Sunday there was no sign of pollution.
Italian reports said salvage operations were being held back until all passengers were accounted for.
Carnival stock short interest via BBG:
Below is the Carnival Corporation statement on the Costa Concordia
On January 13, 2012, Costa Cruises' vessel, the Costa Concordia, departed from Civitavecchia, Italy with approximately 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members on a seven-day voyage. At approximately 10:00pm CET, the vessel struck rock off the coast of Isola del Giglio, Italy and sustained significant damage causing the ship to list severely. The order was given to abandon ship and deploy the lifeboats.
Tragically, there are reports of some deaths and injuries. This is a terrible tragedy and we are deeply saddened. Carnival Corporation & plc offers our sympathies and heartfelt condolences to all of the Costa Concordia guests, crew members and their families. Carnival Corporation & plc and Costa Cruises are committing our full resources to provide assistance and ensure that all guests and crew are looked after.
We want to express our deep gratitude to the Italian Coast Guard and local authorities and community members who have gone to extraordinary lengths to assist in the evacuation of the ship and provide support for our guests and crew.
We are working to fully understand the cause of what occurred. The safety of our guests and crew members remains the number one priority of Carnival Corporation & plc and all of our cruise lines.
Costa Concordia was sailing on a Mediterranean cruise from Civitavecchia (Rome) with scheduled calls at Savona, Italy; Marseille, France; Barcelona, Spain; Palma de Mallorca; Cagliari and Palermo, Italy.
Friends and family members may use the following country-specific contact numbers to reach Costa Cruises:
Italy 848505050
U.S. 800-462-6782
Austria 00438109006565
Germany +4940570121314
France +33155475554
Spain +34934875685
Portugal +34914185951
UK 08453510552
Carnival Corporation & plc is the parent company of ten cruise lines including Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Ibero Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and P&O Cruises (Australia).
»
- 35433 reads
- Printer-friendly version
- Send to friend
- advertisements -
Like the Valdez maybe.. stoned and drunk...
Oh God, they will be scrapping people off the rocks for years...Quick, break out the corexit..
I apologize for this tasteless joke, if it were my family on there I'd be pissed at such humor.
Junk at will...
I junked you for old time's sakes, to let you know I still see you :)
-Chumblez.
I junked you because there is a chicken trying to lay an egg in my chair and it has me quite irritated...
(once a chicken sets its mind to laying an egg in your chair, there is no changing its mind. Its circling my chair as I write, pecking at the upholstery...)
That's a warning. Treat yo chickens better or that thing'll grow up to take your throne.
That's a deviled egg.
I'm going to shake that sucker really hard and see if I can't make a scrambled egg!
I junked all of ya, for old times sake!
Now you got junk in your trunk too. Maybe that's what happened to the boat? Too much junk in the trunk.
LOL! Green 'un.
Hey, check out this thread. Indeed, here's to the Old Times! :)
-Chumblez.
I junked you because I'm new and wanted to feel like I belong...Bitchez! Is that how you do it?
What did Hulk think was gonna happen when he decided to get mixed up with the chicks? Lotta chicks have an intense nesting instinct.
If only the chicks liked me as much as my hens do!
The chicken is clearly telling you that you are not pulling your weight.
YOU SIT ON THE EGGS FOR A WHILE.
She wants to go shoot your guns and go fishing.
I'd sit on em if I weren't afraid of getting one lodged! Hamsters are one thing, but getting my villi tugged on by a poult has me a bit concerned...
Pecker, hen pecked, hmmm...ow.
I thought of that too, Valdez revisited. If you followed the story however, Hazelwood was blamed for the incident without any real proof and it was known that Exxon failed to fix the radar on the Valdez for some time before one of the mates actually wrecked the ship. Wouldn't be surprised if 'cutting corners' resulted in this accident, just like BP in the Gulf...save a buck, waste a life...
Well, I got to have my rock climbing wall. The higher the better.
GEORGE: Ahoy! Mr. Eldridge. I understand you were on the Andrea Doria.
ELDRIDGE: Yes, it was a terrifying ordeal.
GEORGE: I tell ya, I hear people really stuff themselves on those cruise ships. The buffet, that's the real ordeal, huh, Clarence?
ELDRIDGE: We had to abandon ship.
GEORGE: Well, all vacations have to end eventually.
ELDRIDGE: The boat sank.
GEORGE: According to this, it took.. 10 hours. It eased into the water like an old man into a nice warm bath - no offence. So, uh, Clarence, how about abandoning this apartment, and letting me shove off in this beauty?
ELDRIDGE: Is that what this is all about?! I don't think I like you.
GEORGE: It's my apartment, Eldridge! The Stolkholm may not have sunk ya, but I will! Ha, ha, ha!
That's funny :)
That looks like the EU ... All aboard the Failboat!
White Star Line comes to mind. How was this bet placed?
Once the ship hits the rock, the captain seems only concerned about saving the ship from sinking, by running it aground. The passengers are kept in the dark the entire time. Lifeboats are not used. Passengers all had to fend for themselves. Is this procedure systemic in the cruise industry? That is, save the ship from sinking, at all costs!
I must be missing something ... "save the ship from sinking at all costs" would seem to me to be an appropriate reaction, especially if you aren't sure how fast it might sink and whether you could get all of the people off in the remaining time ... I personally would be be more worried if the cruise line had a policy of letting the ship sink even if there was a chance of preventing that by running it aground.
Eric L. Prentis wondered:
I don't know about the cruise industry, but that's the standard operating procedure for TBTF banks.
If that happened in rough seas, the boat might be in splinters right now. Rocks and surf are not forgiving.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Point_Disaster
More live Videos of the accident:
http://www.webcompact.net/index.php/news/5166-video-costa-concordia
I realize it's Sunday but, fuck, dude. Get outside.
I am Chumbawamba.
Odd that the Captain of the ship is arrested 24 hours after the consequences of improper risk mangement and shitty models have accrued to "the people".
If he was the Captain of a bank that was blowing up the economy (and thus "the people"), they would be asking those same "people" to bend over, and pay up. Then, the Captain would either be "removed" with a muti million dollar golden parachute, or allowed to continue in his current position, with a greater portion of his salary coming in the form of stock options.
Perfect example of why 300,000 people applied to Goldman in the last 24 months and 7 applied to be Captains of a Ship.
If this guy had been captain of a failing financial institution, he would certainly be awarded some sort of Congressional Medal of Honor and given the Treasury Secretary post.
Ron Paul 2012. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!
The cost of ship recovery will be deducted from passanger's Visa cards. It's in the fine printed terms and conditions.
Along with a 15% gratuity.
A good question for the salvagers is what the hell you do with this $300 million dollar wreck. Cruise ships aren't built like they used to be. You can't batten the hatches and fill them with air and refloat them. I suspect that this will become a dive wreck.
Sent 535 congressman in to exhale. It will bob to the top like a ping-pong ball.
This is the fourth cruise liner catastophe in less than 2 years:
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_Splendor#2010_fire">November 2010</a> - Carnival Splendor off the coast of Mexico (fire in the engine room cut all electrical power)
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Ocean_Star_Pacific">April 2011</a> - Ocean Star Pacific off Mexico (disabled due to fire in the engine room)
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13407581">May 2011</a> - MSC Opera in the Baltic (lost all electrical power after a control board fire)
<a href="http://gcaptain.com/loss-electrical-power-costa-concordia/?37470">January 2012</a> - Costa Concordia off Italy (electrical fault disabled navigational power)
It's almost as if someone want to send a message to TPTB that ships can be vulnerable targets.
More cruise ships fitting the pattern:
November 2009 - Norwegian Dawn in the Carribean (mechanical problems and lost power)
I've now found so many examples, I'm just going to link to a blog that tracks these cruise electrical system, steering system and propulsion failures. I'm not sure what to think about whether this is incompetence or conspiracy, but I won't be taking a holiday cruise any time soon.
The striking thing to me is that these occur in all geographies from Antartica to the Baltic, and affect all the major cruise lines.
When one compares the record of ship failures to the safety record of airplanes, the contrast is very clear.
http://www.cruisejunkie.com/Disabling.html
Are cruise ships being built in China now?
Wartsila has some large holdings in China.
Chinese made components may or may not be to spec. No one knows until there is a failure. Nothing with electronics is exempt from this problem.
Chinese bearings also come to mind...
Confucius say: He who trust Chinese-made bearings will end up squeaky wheel.
Confucius also say: He who trust Chinese-made bearings will end up no wheel.
Who can say the GPS wasn't electronically interfered with? Check for derivitives of the insurer. Put/Shorts on the cruise line would have been to obvious.
Skippperrrrrr! There you go again Gilligan!
Just starting a 7 day cruise. 3,300 passengers plus 1,000 crew can eat alot of food in 7 days! All that food, fuel, booze, everything to keep a small city going for 7 days! Complete loss there. Now salvage costs and cost of repair. Litigation costs won't be known for years. Cost of damaged corporate reputation, imeasurable but will be high. The ultimate cost will resound in the industry for years to come.
Add wrongful death suits to your damages list.
You have to be insane to get on one of these things. Floating death traps
Fiat currency systems?
Captain's first mate expalins it all:
http://www.yandy.com/Anchors-Away-Costume.php
Opportunity for Leonardo Di Caprio to possibly cash in on a Titanic sequel. I say bullish for 20th Century Fox and James Cameron.
I guess these guys don't have a fathometer.
I imagine you'll find a fair number of lawyers/prosecutors on the coasts and Islands around the Med who are also Mairitime or Admiralty lawyers. The laws are pretty uniform due to international agreements but they are harshers than a lot of on land civil law since the focus can be on "responsibility" as opposed to intent. One way to look at it is a Captain of a ship can be considered "an offficer of the court" since his word is law in so many instances. You can read about situations that if watch officer is drunk and the ship gets in trouble, the captain still takes the fall because he is responsible for the discipline of the crew.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiralty_law
Having cruised a lot years ago, I remember 2 incidents that made me think Costa Captains act like they are driving speed boats. In 2005, I was aboard the QM 2, anchored in St Maarten. My wife and I were invited to the bridge by the Captain for a sailaway bridge tour. Costa was just leaving. The way they steered that ship towards the QM 2 and veered very close at the last minute scared the hell out of our Captain. In 2007, I forget where we were docked, but a Costa ship backed fast into a berth like he was parking a car. Busted up a gangway (they had it protuding from a door) in the process. Having been on 30 + cruises, never had I seen things like this on the ships we were on. Never cruised Costa, so maybe that's why. I'm surprised that being so close to land that a Pilot wasn't required. A pilot guides the ship in waters considered to be potentially hazardous, like entering and leaving tight ports. I'll bet this changes the macho Captain culture at Costa.
Worst. Vacation. Ever.
-Chumblez.
What a beach.
The deckhands were said to be running through the ship yelling, "Vacation! Vacation!" The cruisegoers were like, "Yes, thank you, it's quite lovely." The deckhands were like, "No, the ship, we're vacating it!"
ha ha ha ha ha. I'll be here all week. Be sure to check out the buffet.
-Chumblez.
how much was the ship insured for and by what co? might be a question to ask.gps systems being what they are.
I would imagine Lloyds of London for the insurer, and I would say for the totality of repair/salvage costs. Costa will have their insurance premiums increased following this I imagine...
I would not be surprised if we see i the news 2 years from now that the ship has been leaking many thousand tons of oil into the sea and debris from the wreck is scattered around the ocean floor and beaches in the area.
I bet everyone on that boat used to have gold. Now it's gone.
Those notorious boating accidents. When will we ever learn?
Unexplained deaths, massive viral infections, fires, crashes, inept crew...who in their right mind wants to vacation on these things?
Like I said above, the spectre of disaster is part of the fun...
I sense a reality show coming, Cruise Ship Survivor !!!
who needs anymore reality shows when every diseased corrupt nation-State on the planet is up shit creek without paddles or water wings!
Drown you motherfukers, drown
You're forgetting about all the luxury of being crammed into a 6' X 8' "stateroom" that doubles as its own bathroom, and the rigidly controlled shepherding of the flock into kickback-promoted shoreside tourist traps selling the exact same overpriced jewelry as in 10,000 identical tourist traps in every other cruise ship port around the world.
Most fifth graders could tell you that ship is too close to the island.
For that size of a boat to be within a stone's throw of the shore is EPIC FAILURE.
Draft, bitchez.
Hard liquor, bitchez.
Liquor then beer, never fear.
Beer then liquor, never sicker.
Thats one fucker of a bite mark out the hull of that liner.
Godzilla?
Kind of looks like it was about to rust through.
Blue Oyster Cult
Oh no, there goes the Tuscan Coast, go go ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3_7Xm6dHUg&feature=related
No - Wartsila!
http://www.wartsila.com/en/Home
Arrrr! Ye call that a rock do ye?
http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/310077e86b344401040f6a7067...
Bullish for sharks. I'll be out for dinner the rest of the day.
If there are any bankers in the water, well, you know what to do...
Send in a school of lawyers.
Carnival had an engine fire and huge accident in 2009.
I'm thinking downsizing via the insurance industry.
RECALCULCULATING
There was a interesting accident in Iceland during the War when a B-24 bomber crashed into Fagradalsfjall mountain at a place called Kastid. This happened May 3rd 1943.
Gen Frank Maxwell Andrews commander off all US troops in Europe was on that plane and got killed along with 13 other people. The only one who survived the crash was George A Eisel who was the tail gunner, he walked away from the plane with a couple of scratches.
Eisel grins from his hospital bed in Iceland
http://www.arkmilitaryheritage.com/_private/images/wwii/DISC_4/77.09.983.jpg
Eisel was also in a crash shortly before this incident when he was flying in N-Africa, 3 died in that crash.
If Frank Andrews would not have been killed, he would have led the D-Day invasion, and Eisenhower would probably never have become president.
Pictures from the wreck http://www.ferlir.is/?id=11645 The plane was torn to shreds and exploded so violently that lots of rocks in the area are wrapped in Aluminum that melted and splattered on them. The plane flew over the airfield and made no attempt to land, even thoug there was no reason not to, and no radio communication could be made with the plane.
One picture of the wreck at kastid can be seen here. http://www.ferlir.is/?id=5625 and http://www.ferlir.is/?id=3342
This is still today one of the biggest air crashes in Icelandic history, unfortunetly there were no black boxes in those days.
Uhh, Not sure if anyone noticed but the ship is ABOVE water.. Unless you hit your head in the collision why the hell is anyone dead? The dang ship never sank, are these frickin passengers stupid enough to get off a grounded ship in calm conditions? Of course it looks like about a 50 yard swim in a life jacket so... I would have found the bar, salvaged it and died of anoxia from laughing with a touch of alchohol poisoning..
That listing stuff, ya know, where the boat is lying on it's side in the water. Just a guess, some folks could have been trapped in that side (drowned). Also sucked out of the hole and under the boat. I have a great imagination, I look at that pic and see lots of ways to die (fires, trapped in buckling doors and metal), I could go on and on...
It big, me small.
I was a bit tongue in cheek.. Elderly yes, buckled bulkheads, walking on walls etc.. For anyone under 55, impact, shake it off, find the bar..
Apologies for being dense! And now I see how you Calmyourself.
1% <55. Nailed it.
Oh come on, isn't the spectre of disaster part of the thrill of a cruise? Things that can sink, capsize, crash, or explode occasionally do so.
let me see... Italian officers and multirracial/multicultural crew....what can possibly go wrong?
Indeed. + 1
Usual stuff, Il Capitano will be found to be drunk, take the blame and big insurance payout.
Now, if anyone holding paper on this or parent company, hmmmmmm.
In that video, there is a red lighthouse in the foreground. Was the cappy driving over to say hi?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKIvdvC0O6o
unbelieve ...
I hold FCC commercial licenses in air, space and marine. If they were watching they would have seen what was comming. I don't know what country's "FCC?" licenses you need to operate in those waters (?) ... BUT ... someone is very much at fault. Maritime law is very different from the (so-called) laws we all know. Better get a GOOD Maritime lawyer ... and FAST !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvA0pd_1MxQ&feature=related
bush's fault
....he knew, it was an inside job.
OF COURSE it was Bush's fault, goes without saying...
and you're a racist too.
That cruise captain is a relation to Ben Bernanke. He was crusing his floating hotel at 30 M from the island coast; a bit like BB does with the world economy. It's hit a rock but we don't know it, the virtual economy; unlike that boat it will take time to keel over, as the FED keeps pumping hot air and fiat money, and the band keeps playing saying to the clients, "What keel-over, the boats doing fine." RobotTrader must be a crew member from the Costa boat, on loan to ZH to fool the dancers on the floor that we can go on dancing cheek to cheek. What a honey moon this is turning out to be! Hey, the South Koreans! Good to be alive and on hard ground!
Whoever was on the rull,aparently was already drunk.
yep, it was a Carnival and a bunch of clowns were manning it
was it a G20 meeting aboard?
maybe another of the 580 EU meetings (that have decided nought) in the past 2 years??
has Italy sunk yet?
..there's a nation-State race to the bottom of the ocean
Get the popcorn, they're going down with massively more noise, fireworks and toys outta the pram than this elegant cruiseliner
I just booked a cruise.
I also bought a Toyota right after the gas pedal thing.
Garp would agree
I phoned the mother in law this morning, told her I'd booked her a nice mediteranean cruise this year, all on me, leaving Italy this summer. She's over the moon at my sweet generosity. Now, if Carnival can just keep things afloat (sorry) until the summer.
Well forget port and starboard. Make sure your cabin is on the high side.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avaSdC0QOUM&ob=av3e
That's what happens when the Captain has a "Top Gun" Fetish with a huge floating tub.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8rZWw9HE7o
Should've updated the map on the GPS. This may be another victim of the satnav.
"the map is not the territory" - Alfred Korzybski
Has anyone noticed how it's much less significant but much more spectacular than the Euro downgrading?
Sign in an captains office: The difference between this place and the Titanic is.... they had a band!
Italy's Generali (of Zero Hedge Trade Marked A&G fame) is among the group of insurers of the Costa. It has since said the "Net Impact would be very marginal" - how about the gross impact?
This is a perfect example of a black swan event.
The wreckage of europe?
in nomen omen....
The Costa Concordia, the new flagship of the Costa Crociere fleet, is set to become Italy's largest cruise ship. The ship - whose name, the owners say, expresses the wish for continuing harmony, unity and peace between European nations....
www.timesofmalta.com/articles/?view/20050919/local/?malta-on-new-liners-...
Maybe Concorde or Concordia as the case may be is cursed name,just like Corsair
was
for cars. Phantom Corsair, Henry J Corsair, Edsel Corsair.
As ruler Barama has anointed me to Caption Hindsight, I've examined the scene and have made a decision. That ship, that size, is too damn close to the rocks. Therefore I'm ordering a 10km barricaded perimeter while NATO forces deliver bombs for peace on those evil rocks. What the Hell are they doing there anyway? The captain is lucky he got out alive.
To quote an old Family Guy scene:
Let me check my insurance handbook...
"Insurance... Fr...aUD???"
Looks like only a marginal impact on the stock! What could be the impact on the insurer?
how much metal fatigue did the ship have?
http://expose2.wordpress.com
Why didn't the passengers shower that morning? ... because they figured they'd wash up on shore.
Smells like insurance fraud. Did the ship keel over at free-fall speed?
cruise ship
backed securities
CSBS
So far only Mussolim got close to understanding the truth about this thing and I am surprised to see that such an alert public as ZH readers didn't get the "signature" in this well arranged disaster.
First of all: ships like this do not go against islands: IMPOSSIBLE! One have to do it intentionally. So what does the disaster represent:
IL GIGLIO= the templar flower vs Concordia= the peace amongst people.
On friday the 13th (Jaques de Molais death) , THE GIGLIO SINKS THE CONCORDIA that means that the Templars sink the world harmony. To notice also that the ship had 13 decks ...13 decks (got it),...each one of them dedicated to a European nation.
Probably they wanted to kill more people, since they were telling the passengers to stay calm and remain in the cabins. Fortunately the passengers didn't obey and run for their lives.