2012 Not a Good Year for Embattled Cruise Ship Industry
So far, the year 2012 has been an accident-plagued year for the cruise ship industry.
Coming on the heels of the deadly Costa Concordia shipwreck in January which left 32 people dead, and the Costa Allegra cruise ship fire that occurred in the an engine room in February, leaving 1,000 people stranded for days without lights, air conditioning, or working toilets, yet another luxury liner has run into trouble.
The cruise ship Azamara Quest, operated by Miami-based Azamara Club Cruises, was temporarily stranded in southern Philippine waters after an engine room fire disabled the cruise ship. Although the fire was quickly extinguished, five crew members suffered smoke inhalation. One of the crew members was in serious condition and required hospitalization.
The liner, which had embarked on a 17-day Southeast Asian cruise, was dead in the water for 24 hours before emergency power was restored and the ship slowly made its way to Sandakan, Malaysia, its next port of call.
There were no reports of passenger injuries and the company stated that the rest of the cruise would be canceled. More than one third of the passengers were Americans.
In other cruise ship-related news, a Miami-based Carnival Corp. liner was seized March 30 by order of a U.S Judge in a lawsuit over a death in the Costa Concordia shipwreck. It was released to sail the next day.
A U.S.-based attorney for the family of a German tourist who died in the Costa Concordia accident sought the Carnival Triumph, which was set to sail out of Galveston, Texas, as security in lieu of Carnival posting a $10 million dollar security bond.
Details of the resolution are confidential. A tersely worded statement from Carnival would only say that the matter had “been resolved.”
If you have any questions about your legal rights and options after a cruise ship incident, the cruise ship accident attorneys in Florida at Farah & Farah are ready to field your questions and answer your concerns. Call us at today (800) 533-3555.
Sources: http://www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/CAMPAIGNS/Distracted+Driving/One+Text+or+Call+Could+Wreck+It+All; http://www.nsc.org/safety_road/Distracted_Driving/Pages/DDAM.aspx?VanUrl=ddmonth
