Oasis Cruises Cancelled Following Shipyard Accident

Crane Topples onto Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas in Bahamas Shipyard - 8 Injured - Cruises Cancelled

Bahamas Press posted this video on YouTube on April 1st.  It was not an April Fool's joke.  Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas was undergoing planned repairs in Freeport, Bahamas shipyard when a crane toppled onto the ship damaging it and the facility.  Fortunately, there were no fatalities or life-threatening injuries.  Royal Caribbean has since inspected the ship and cancelled the next 3 sailings.

Oasis will head from Grand Bahama shipyard to be serviced at facilities in Cadiz, Spain. Oasis will resume her scheduled itineraries, beginning with the May 5 sailing from Barcelona.

"We are very grateful that there were no life-threatening injuries and everyone is recovering, as the safety of our crew and guests is always our number one priority."  ~Royal Caribbean statement



What the News Media Isn't Telling You

The news media tends to focus on the negative aspects of cruise industry incidents.  In fact, some outlets even tied this event to norovirus outbreaks that had occurred earlier.  Shame on them for bringing that up at a time when they should have been reporting on the injured parties and impact on the shipyard, the Bahamas economy, impacted families, and the cruise line.   For the record, norovirus isn't unique to cruise ships, but those are usually the stories that get told. Here is one of our old blog posts on the topic. 

This shipyard accident couldn't have come at a worse time.  This is Spring break time with families longing to get away, especially those who have had it with winter weather.   The Oasis is one of the largest ships afloat (along with her sister ships), so that means the most passengers possible were impacted by the cancellations.

Responding to the incident as quickly as they did was no small feat. If you've ever had a car accident, you can put yourself in Royal Caribbean's shoes at a much smaller scale.   Your family members were probably relying on the vehicle to get to appointments; perhaps a vacation.  You need to find other means of transportation and perhaps cancel some planned activities.    Now consider that involving more than 5,000 people on just this one cruise alone.

When you have the largest ship afloat, you can't just pull into a shipyard down the way.   So they had to find a shipyard that had availability to handle a ship that size.   Passengers need to be re-accommodated (recall this is Spring break and ships are already at full capacity).   You can't just get a ship out of the garage and put it into service (like you would with your car).

Royal Caribbean put together a compensation package for impacted cruise passengers and travel professionals, and communicated that shortly after examining the ship to determine the extent of damage.   We won't reveal the complete details, but it included refunds for the existing cruise and future cruise credits as well as assistance for flight change fees.   It was a most generous package.

We'd like to commend Royal Caribbean for the way they've responded to this incident and cared for their impacted passengers and travel professionals.   We are proud to call them a partner.

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Costa Concordia Black Box

Voyage Data Recorder (VDR)

The pre-trial hearing for the Costa Concordia disaster has been continued until October 15th due to technical difficulties analyzing the ship's "black box".  

The Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) would look very similar to the one pictured here courtesy of Maine Insight.  It's purpose, much like a similar device on an airplane, is to capture critical data about the ship which could be used in an investigation.

In addition to capturing vital data, it is capable of recording up to 12 hours of voice data, which would be very useful in the investigation.

Sensors are located on the ship's bridge, and other prominent locations, from which data is constantly collected and stored in the unit  Conversations from the bridge  could be manually triggered as well, such as during an incident, so that a fresh set of data would be gathered starting from that point in time.

Data is compressed and digitized for storage in the protective storage unit, mounted in a safe location.
The device can withstand severe weather, fire, collisions, and other hazards.     (Read more)

Costa Concordia VDR

There have been reports prior to today that the VDR on the Costa Concordia was faulty.   An email leaked to Italian media claimed that a faulty black box, open watertight doors, faulty ship instruments, and unapproved maps were partially responsible for this terrible accident.

When Judge Valeria Montesarchio  rescheduled the hearing today, we learned that it is indeed possible that there were some issues with the VDR.   The findings from that unit were to have been made public today.

Follow the Legal Proceedings:   Costa Concordia Legal Update
Complete Coverage: Costa Concordia Listing after Deadly Accident

Concordia Captain Freed from House Arrest

Captain Francesco Schettino, Captain of the Costa Concordia when it ran aground off the coast of Giglio, Italy, was released from house arrest by Italian judges on Thursday.  He no longer has to remain confined to his home in Meta di Sorrento near Naples but must remain in the town.

Schettino is accused of multiple counts of manslaughter, causing the accident, and abandoning ship prematurely. 

He would also no longer be bound by the strict conditions of house arrest, which prevented him from communicating with anyone apart from his lawyer and close family. The judges' ruling said that the period Schettino had spent under house arrest had already had a deterrent effect and he would remain under adequate supervision by authorities.

Related:
Costa Concordia Listing after Deadly Accident

Extraordinary Images and Efforts at Concordia Site

Rescue Divers inside Costa Concordia         Credit Sky News

Spill Guards in Place Giglio, Italy                  Credit Sky News

Haunting Images from Site of Costa Concordia Catastrophe

We continue our coverage of this extraordinary event by bringing you a selection of images that are equally extraordinary.  

Click for DigitalGlobe Image from Space

Click for Sky News Gallery 

USA TODAY Image Gallery

On Friday, 13 January 2012,  over 4,000 passengers and crew set sail from Civitavechia, Italy, on a Mediterranean voyage which would take their ship past the small village of Giglio.  The captain of their vessel decided to salute the town and some of its inhabitants, that had a tie to the cruise line, and sail close by to shore.   There was a rocky coast line, but since they were marked on his charts, he felt that they could safely be avoided.

He wasn't the first captain to do a sail-by like this, but unfortunately, human error or perhaps equipment failure turned a seemingly innocent maneuver into a tragic event. 

MAIN BLOG POST (Updated several times since the accident)

Costa Concordia Listing after Deadly Accident

Fighting Against Time and the Elements

Since late Friday night, a monumental rescue and recovery effort has been underway just offshore Giglio. Fortunately, the majority of the passengers and crew were safely evacuated, however as of this writing, 6 people have perished and 29 are unaccounted for.   As the hours progress, the chances of finding them alive diminishes. 

For the first day or so, the weather cooperated with the rescue workers and they were able to work non-stop, even in darkness.  Monday, that all changed as the seas picked up and a light drizzle fell.  All work had to stop when the ship shifted slightly.   The rescue efforts have resumed again, but now there is another concern.   A liquid leaked from the ship causing alarm that this could also turn into an environmental disaster.   Barriers are in place to contain any spill that may occur.

There remains 500,000 gallons of fuel onboard the vessel in 17 tanks according to Costa Cruises.  The mayor of Giglio and environmentalists anxiously await the removal of the fuel.   A salvage company has been employed by Costa Cruises to begin the fuel recovery once rescue efforts have been completed.  If the fuel were to be removed during the rescue efforts, the ship could slip again, increasing the danger of the operation.

Many Unanswered Questions

Why was the ship so close to shore?   Was it human error or faulty maps or equipment?   Why was the evacuation delayed?  Why did the captain leave the ship while evacuation was ongoing?  Was the crew adequately trained?  Were procedures ignored or do they need to be improved?

The "black boxes" have revealed some interesting facts already, making many wonder why the captain took various actions he did on that fateful night.   The investigation will provide answers.  Undoubtedly those in the wrong will be held accountable.  The industry will learn from these events and take corrective action, just as it did almost 100 years ago when the Titanic hit a very similarly shaped submerged object.

Please keep everyone impacted by this tragedy in your thoughts and prayers.  While the ship will ultimately be repaired, some lives will never be the same.   Our hope is that out of tragedy good will emerge.

Parasailing Excursions Suspended

Cruise Lines 

Suspend Parasailing Excursions

A tragic accident, during a ship-sponsored shore excursion, has prompted a federal and local investigation and put the popular water excursion on hold.

A 60 year old female passenger was parasailing in tandem with her 34 year old daughter in St. Thomas, USVI, when she fell to her death.  Her daughter, who was also injured, is recovering in a local hospital.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, strong gusts of winds in the area may have contributed to the accident.  The local parasail company has suspended operations voluntarily until the investigation is concluded.

The passengers involved were sailing on Celebrity Eclipse.  Both Celebrity Cruises and parent company, Royal Caribbean, suspended all parasailing shore excursions in the Caribbean following the accident.  Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Lines followed suit, cancelling those excursions in St. Thomas pending the outcome of the investigation.  All lines took this action "in the abundance of caution".

Additional Resources:

Professional Association of Parasail Operators 

US Coast Guard Prevention Blog

Parasail Safety Council