Post-Concordia, Costa Cruises Issue New Safety Rules
Costa Cruises has announced that it is adopting new safety rules for its fleet — this, in the wake of the deadly Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster in January that left the vessel capsized off the coast of Italy and claimed the lives of 32 people.
Under the new rules, guests will receive emergency training before the ship leaves port and officers in uniform must be in attendance during that training to answer any of the passenger’s questions or concerns. Guests will be issued electronic cards that will track whether they have attended the safety drills.
Also, the new rules allow officers to be more hands-on during an emergency. While maintaining the power to intervene, the Captain will no longer be the only person who can issue orders in an emergency situation. Passengers aboard the doomed Costa Concordia had complained that confusion among the officers, as well as an absentee captain, led to deadly mistakes during the evacuation of the ship.
Among other policy changes, Costa will also be implementing a real-time route monitoring system, which will allow the company to monitor and control the course of all of its ships when they are out at sea.
More Costa Concordia News
Costa Cruises has paid more than 2 million euros ($2.6 million USD) to French survivors of the Costa Concordia shipwreck. The agreement was reached with 235 of the 456 French citizens who were onboard. The lawyer representing the 235 survivors said that the settlement does not preclude any further legal action.
While it is good that these safety measures are being implemented now, it’s tragic that lessons learned came too late for those who were injured or died aboard the Costa Concordia. The experienced cruise ship accident attorneys at Farah & Farah know what it takes to fight for your rights if you have been injured on a cruise ship. Call (800) 533-3555 to consult with us today.
