Costa Cruises said it appears “significant human error”

January 15, 2012 4:48 PM
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Costa Cruises said it appears “significant human error” by the captain of the Costa Concordia possibly caused the 114,000-ton ship to hit rocks and tip over on its starboard side in waters off the coast of Italy. Five people were killed and 15 remain unaccounted for.

“We are working with investigators to find out precisely what went wrong aboard the Costa Concordia,” Costa said in a statement released Jan. 15. “While the investigation is ongoing, preliminary indications are that there may have been significant human error on the part of the ship’s master, Captain Francesco Schettino, which resulted in these grave consequences. The route of the vessel appears to have been too close to the shore, and in handling the emergency the captain appears not to have followed standard Costa procedures. We are aware that the lead prosecutor has leveled serious accusations against the ship’s captain, who joined Costa Crociere in 2002 as a safety officer and was appointed captain in 2006.”

Schettino was detained by Italian authorities on suspicion of manslaughter and abandoning ship, according to local news reports. The captain maintained in an Italian TV interview that he was the last to leave the ship.

In the statement, Costa said the company is “deeply saddened by this tragedy, and our hearts and prayers go out to everyone affected.” More than 1,100 Costa employees have been working in the wake of the accident, supporting ongoing search-and-rescue operations and helping guests and crew members return home.

“Our immediate priority is to account for all passengers and crew, and to secure the vessel to ensure that there are no environmental impacts,” the statement said. “We have engaged the services of a top specialized salvage company to develop an action plan and help establish a protection perimeter around the ship. It should be noted that the prosecutor has seized the ship and the DVR — the so-called ‘black box’ containing all navigation data — and the vessel can be accessed by Costa only with permission from the authorities. In light of these accusations and the continuing investigation, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time.”

Costa said all crewmembers hold a BST (basic safety training) certificate and are trained and prepared in emergency management and to assist passengers abandoning the ship with numerous drills. Every two weeks all crewmembers perform a ship evacuation simulation.

The company also said a lifeboat and evacuation drill for all guests is conducted within 24 hours of embarking, as required by law, although some passengers reportedly said that did not happen. Costa has a computerized system that ensures all passengers undergo this drill. Costa also said there are lifeboats and jackets on board in excess of the number required for all passengers and crew.