Carnival Corp Taking Steps to Address Safety Concerns

In the Wake of 

Costa Concordia Disaster

Carnival Corporation & PLC is the parent company of Costa Cruises, and as you might imagine, has fallen under scrutiny of the entire world as this tragic accident continues to dominate the news.

Carnival is not burying its head in the sand and ignoring the situation, but besides assisting those directly impacted by the accident, they are taking an internal look at safety within their entire fleet which consists of 10 cruise lines.

Through their Facebook site, they are also answering safety concerns of their guests and providing updates on the Costa Concordia.

If I were CEO of the largest cruise line company, I might be thinking something along the following lines...   Everyone would love to turn back the hands of time so that this tragic event could be prevented, but unfortunately that is not possible.  We must learn from this, and take steps to make sure this doesn't occur again in the future.   Carnival Corporation regards safety as number one priority and will review our safety training and procedures on each of our cruise lines taking any necessary corrective actions discovered during the review process.

That is not a direct quote by any means, but based on various comments on their Facebook page and in the media, it's not that far off from reality.

We too would like to do our part to reinforce safety procedures at sea and to try to answer concerns of our readers utilizing information from Carnival Corporation, CLIA, and other sources.

SAFETY VIDEO

If you are a past guest of Carnival Cruise Lines, you will recognize this video. For the benefit of those who haven’t seen it before, what follows is the safety video shown onboard all Carnival Cruise Lines ships. They use this to help inform guests of procedures to follow in an emergency situation.

It is much like videos you'll find on commercial airlines.  Safety is everyone's responsibility - please pay attention to the video as well as familiarize yourself with emergency exits, signs, and other safety related information before you sail.



    Carnival Q&A

Q. Many of you have asked about our ships navigation systems and if we have equipment to detect rocks and depth. 

A. All of our ships are equipped with the most advanced navigation technology and our officers are expertly trained in its use. Our ships are equipped with two independent depth sensors that can detect variations in ocean floor depth. Further, we have several radars, GPS, electronic charts, gyros etc for safe navigation in all conditions. All bridge systems have a redundant back-up system in case of system malfunction. As part of our comprehensive bridge team management system, we always have multiple people on the bridge watch.

Q. Some of you are asking if it’s safe to go on a cruise. 

A. The safety of Carnival Cruise Lines' passengers and crew is our number one priority and we have an excellent record of safe operation throughout our company’s history. Cruising continues to be one of the safest means of travel and marine accidents are an extremely rare occurrence. All of our ships meet or exceed international safety and training requirements, and are equipped with the most advanced navigation technology, which our officers are expertly trained to use. 

Here’s a link to additional information on cruise ship safety on the website of Cruise Lines International Association:        Ship Safety

Q. Many of you have asked about evacuation & emergency procedures and training on cruise ships.

A. All Carnival Cruise Lines vessels meet or exceed international safety and training requirements. All of our ships also conduct emergency response drills every 3 – 6 months with the U.S. Coast Guard.

All of our ships comply with international rules that require these drills to be done within 24 hours of departure and in almost all cases, Carnival Cruise Lines' ships do it prior to sailing.  

Finally, all of our crew members undergo comprehensive safety training and we are constantly evaluating and updating their training to make sure they are prepared for any emergency.


Carnival Corporation continues to respond to questions from guests and we will share additional information as it becomes available.  We too would be happy to respond to your concerns.    See our Contact tab for ways to reach us.

All of us in the industry are deeply saddened by these events and pray for all those that lost their lives or were injured, for their families and friends, for the crew, for the rescue workers, for anyone in the Carnival "family" who have been touched directly by this event.

MAIN BLOG POST (Updated several times since the accident)

Costa Concordia Listing after Deadly Accident

CARNIVAL PRESS RELEASE - SAFETY REVIEW

MIAMI – January 19, 2012 – Following the tragic Costa Concordia accident, Carnival Corporation & plc, parent company of Costa Cruises and nine leading cruise lines around the world, today announced a comprehensive audit and review of all safety and emergency response procedures across all of the company’s cruise lines.

Carnival Corporation & plc and the cruise industry as a whole have maintained an excellent safety record over the years. “However, this tragedy has called into question our company’s safety and emergency response procedures and practices,” said Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc. 

“While I have every confidence in the safety of our vessels and the professionalism of our crews, this review will evaluate all practices and procedures to make sure that this kind of accident doesn’t happen again.”

The review is being led by Captain James Hunn, a retired U.S. Navy Captain and currently the company’s senior vice president of Maritime Policy & Compliance. Following a 32-year career in the Navy, Hunn has held senior positions at Carnival Corporation & plc for nearly a decade, focusing on corporate-wide efforts to establish maritime policy standards, while overseeing the company’s health, environmental, safety, and security practices.

Hunn and senior health and safety executives from each of the lines will review all safety and emergency response policies and procedures, officer and crew training and evaluation, bridge management and company-wide response and support efforts. Hunn will report to the Health, Environment, Safety & Security Committee of the Board, and to Howard Frank, vice chairman and chief operations officer of Carnival Corporation & plc.

In addition, the Health, Environment, Safety & Security Committee is engaging outside industry-leading experts in the fields of emergency response organization, training and implementation to conduct an audit of all of the company’s emergency response and safety procedures and to conduct a thorough review of the Costa Concordia accident.

Frank said, “This company-wide initiative will identify lessons learned and best practices to further ensure the security and safety of all of our passengers and crew.”

Carnival Corporation & plc also supports the call for a comprehensive evaluation of safety regulations by the International Maritime Organization, which was requested earlier today by the Cruise Lines International

How Does Oil & Hurricanes Mix

Approaching Hurricane Season

Brings New Oil Spill Concerns

June 1st is the official start of the Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season which runs through November 30th.  As you may know, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Office of Response and Restoration has been on the scene of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill from the start.

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has just released the NOAA 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook which calls for a 85% chance of an above normal hurricane season in the Atlantic region.

Not the storm you are looking for?  Click Image or Here

As the start of the hurricane season approaches, there are many concerns about the impact of a hurricane interacting with the oil spill.   NOAA scientists have prepared a document which addresses the following questions:

• What will happen to a hurricane that runs through this oil slick?
• What will the hurricane do to the oil slick in the Gulf?
• Will the oil slick help or hurt a storm from developing in the Gulf?
• Will the hurricane pull up the oil that is below the surface of the Gulf?
• Have we had experience in the past with hurricanes and oil spills?
• Will there be oil in the rain related to a hurricane?

Their analysis can be found in the following document:
Hurricanes and the Oil Spill: A Factsheet and Frequent Questions

In general, the oil slick isn't expected to have a significant impact on the hurricane.  The track of the hurricane and other factors would determine  the movement of oil from the slick and whether the biodegradation process might be accelerated by the hurricane.

Continual monitoring is needed since the details of the evolution of the storm, the track, the wind speed, the size, the forward motion and the intensity are all unknowns at this point and may alter this general statement.

We will continue to monitor both the oil spill and any developing tropical cyclone reporting details to help you be prepared for your cruise vacation during hurricane season.

Continue reading my series on hurricane preparedness as this week of preparation draws to a close.