Cruiselines ‘to begin immediate safety drills’
Cruises are likely to begin holding safety drills before a ship leaves port following the Costa Concordia tragedy. One maritime expert admitted this could lead to delayed departures and inconvenience passengers but he said it was necessary to raise safety standards.
Under existing maritime law, a drill must be held within 24 hours of setting sail, which is why passengers who boarded the ill-fated Concordia hadn’t gone through the drill before the ship hit rocks and capsized off the island of Giglio 10 days ago.
Some cruise ships already hold a drill immediately before setting sail, but on large vessels it can take an hour or even longer if some passengers fail to follow instructions and go to their muster stations, which could delay a voyage.
But at a Passenger Ship Safety Conference in London, captain William Wright, a marine expert for the US trade body Cruise Line International Association, said he expected all cruise lines to hold a drill immediately in future, rather than wait for the International Maritime Organisation to pass a new law.
His comments came as speculation emerged that there may have been unregistered passengers and or crew onboard the Concordia. Head of the Civil Protection Authority in Italy, Franco Gabrielli is reported saying: "There could have been x persons who we don’t know about who were inside, who were clandestine" passengers aboard the ship."
He said the family of a Hungarian woman who was not registered on the ship, insist that their daughter telephoned them from the Concordia, where they say she was working, and that they have not heard from her since.
This has led to speculation that some passengers were smuggled on board by crew, or that passengers turned up and registered at the last minute but the information might not have been relayed to Costa Cruises by the time the ship capsized two hours later.
Costa Cruises denies the possibility there were unknown passengers aboard the ship, which has so far claimed 13 lives. Five of the bodies pulled from the sea have yet to be identified.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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