Costa Concordia Nearly One Year Later

Credit: Roberto Vongher  courtesy Wikipedia

 The Grim Reminder

Salvage of the Costa Concordia continues one year after the deadly accident where 30 people lost their lives during what should have been a routine sailing past Giglio, Italy.

As the ship lays on it's side, 60 Minutes visited the ship for a close up look at the salvage activities. They used special drone cameras, barges, small vessels, and several other cameras to capture the onboard experience almost a year later.

Watch this video to see some highlights of their visit.
A 60 Minutes crew delved inside the wrecked Costa Concordia to bring the first look
inside the cruise liner since it sank in January last year, killing 32 people.
More coverage from CBS News:   Costa Concordia: Salvaging a shipwreck


Impact of the Tragedy 

The clock onboard Costa Concordia is frozen in time reflecting the moment when the ship lost power. Earlier that day, passengers were anxiously awaiting the start of their holiday at sea as they boarded the ship. Little did they know that for some of their fellow passengers, these were some of their final moments here on earth.

There are many tangible and intangible impacts of this accident. Obviously, there's the cost of the rescue and salvage operations, the medical, funeral, and insurance costs to families and cruise lines. The rescue and salvage costs are proving to be much larger than even predicted several months ago. The ecosystem off this Italian coastal community has suffered losses that can't easily be measured.

Costa Cruises and parent company, Carnival Corporation were at the forefront of the industry losses, but the impact was far reaching and continues to have an impact as measures are taken across the industry to put additional safeguards in place.

For the families directly impacted by the loss of loved ones or injuries, there is emotional costs in addition to the tangible expenses. It is hard to imagine the grief that they feel. Even this article will bring back memories for those that were traumatized by the event. Our heart reaches out to all that were impacted.

Moving Forward

The cruise industry has an excellent safety record, even counting this accident and that of the Titanic one hundred years earlier.   As mentioned, CLIA, and other international over-seeing bodies, have conducted investigations and made recommendations for safety improvements as a result of the accident. We can perhaps take some solace that out of the darkness emerged some good as a result.

The industry held its breath wondering what the reaction would be by the cruising public.   It turns out that those that have sailed before, continue to sail, and many new passengers have experienced a cruise for the first time since that chilly day in January last year.  There is a large percentage of the population (close to 80%) that still hasn't cruised, so the cruise lines continue to expand their inventories to accommodate the expected growth.

There will undoubtedly be a resurgence in press coverage as we get closer to the actual anniversary.  We will continue our coverage and attempt to find representative information to share with you.

Anchor Blog Article:  Costa Concordia Listing after Deadly Accident

100th Anniversary of Titanic Sinking

RMS Titanic Remembered

Events Around the World

Events across the world are marking the Centenary of the Titanic Sinking in the Atlantic.  The RMS Titanic was a British steamliner built by the White Star Line. For her time, she was the largest passenger steamship in the world. It employed the latest technology available at the time, and was thought to have been "unsinkable". Unfortunately, as you know, that wasn't the case.

The Titanic left Southampton, UK on April 10, 1912, with 2,200 passengers and crew onboard. This was the maiden voyage of this amazing new steamship. Four days after leaving Southampton, the Titanic collided with an iceberg and sank. Over 1500 people perished making it one of the most deadly peacetime disasters in history. The high casualty rate was later believed to be due to the insufficient number of lifeboats onboard, something that has been corrected in modern day cruise liners.

Belfast

Titanic Belfast - Opened March 31, 2012

Just in time for the Centenary of the Titanic sinking,  a large interactive exhibit, Titanic Belfast®, has opened in Northern Ireland.  It extends over nine galleries, complete with special effects, dark rides, full-scale reconstructions, and other interactive features for the visitor to explore everything about the Titanic.

Your visit starts with the conception in Belfast in the early 1900s, through her construction and launch, to her infamous maiden voyage and catastrophic demise.

The journey goes beyond the aftermath of the sinking, to the discovery of the wreck and continues into the present day with a live undersea exploration centre.  This will surely be a must-see attraction for years to come.

Harland and Wolff Shipyard - builder of the Titanic

For most of the century following the Titanic disaster, it was a taboo to mention the "T-word" in Belfast, Northern Ireland, site of the shipyard that built that ship and her two sister ships, Olympia and Britannic.  It was a reminder of the industrial failure that followed the disaster.

The cranes are silent now in the shipyard, as their focus shifted to servicing ships and marine infrastructure.  They are staying out of the spotlight on the anniversary of the Titanic.  The only involvement is sponsoring a requiem mass.  Some 16,000 people packed the Belfast slipways where the Titanic was built for a free, open-air concert Friday ahead of the 100th anniversary of the luxury liner’s sinking.

Observances in Belfast include a choral requiem at the Anglican St. Anne's Cathedral and a nationally televised concert at the city's Waterfront Hall on Saturday, where  thousands were expected to attend.

Southampton

Southampton, England was the departure port for the ill-fated Titanic.   The anniversary is being marked by an orchestra which will play composer Gavin Bryars' work "The Sinking of the Titanic".

About 600 of the Titanic's approximately 900 workers hailed from Southampton, a port city in England. More than 500 from the city died.

Maritime Museum, Southampton

The Maritime Museum, Southampton hosts a permanent exhibition featuring the story of Titanic’s crew.  Visitors can find out about the Titanic crew roles onboard and personal stories.  The Museum has collections of audio of crew member’s memories of the night Titanic struck the iceberg and the consequences for them and their families.  

At Sea in Atlantic

The MS Balmoral and Azamara Journey are enroute to the spot where Titanic sank (41°43'57"N, 49°56'49"W) where a memorial service will be held some 400 miles (640 kilometers) off the coast of Newfoundland.   Miles Morgan Travel offered two cruises, Anniversary Cruise from New York on the Journey, and  Memorial Cruise from Southampton on the Balmoral.

According to details released by Miles Morgan, at 2:20 a.m. ship's time on Sunday — 0547 GMT or 12:47 a.m. EDT — a minister will lead prayers, floral wreaths will be thrown into the sea and a shipboard band, which has been entertaining guests in the evenings during the cruise, will play "Nearer My God To Thee," the tune the Titanic's band kept up as the vessel went down.

In 1912 "ship's time" was determined by predicting when the sun would be at its highest point and making that moment midday. On some vessels the clocks were constantly updated.

It is an outdated practice but to ensure that the memorial is held at exactly the right time, the Balmoral's clocks have been put back to four hours and 27 minutes before BST. That means the ship is now effectively on Titanic time.

Halifax

Halifax, Nova Scotia, has a grim connection with the Titanic disaster.  The White Star Line chartered several ships to assist in recovery efforts following the sinking of the Titanic. Two Halifax-based ships, the MacKay-Bennett and the Minia, were part of that recovery fleet. The ships' crews recovered 328 bodies, with 209 being returned to Halifax. The badly damaged or deteriorated bodies were buried at sea. Of the 119 buried at sea, 60 were unidentified at the time and 49 remain unidentified today.

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic has an extensive exhibit, Titanic: The Unsinkable Ship and Halifax, which was recently updated. The exhibit, recognized as the world's finest collection of wooden artifacts from the vessel, has 20 artifacts and dozens of photographs, including many that had never been published or displayed before. Two well known articles in the exhibit are the only intact Titanic deck chair and the shoes of the Titanic unknown child. Consult the museum's Research Page for more Titanic information.

Besides the exhibit at the museum, visitors to Halifax can also visit the graves of the Titanic victims buried there. 

• On April 14th, watch live webcast of
  Titanic Eve Night of the Bells
  from 9:30pm to 12:30am AST.
• On April 15, watch live webcast of
  Titanic Spiritual Ceremony
  from 3:00pm to 4:30pm AST.
• On April 14th, experience Titanic wireless messages in real time on Twitter
• Titanic events in Nova Scotia

Related Blog Articles:

Titanic's Unknown Child Identified 

Titanic: The Unsinkable Ship and Halifax

Retracing Titanic Cruise

Note:  Updated links on April 14, 2020 - some original links have been removed - since they were active only for the anniversary.  Click on the links to learn more about the Titanic.

World Maritime Day 2012

The World Maritime Day theme for 2012 is “IMO: One hundred years after the Titanic”, which will focus on the Organization’s roots and safety of life at sea. We had planned to write about this closer to the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, but with the activities of this weekend in Italy, thought that it would be a good time to share the progress that has been made by the International Maritime Community since that tragic day  nearly100 years ago.  This article will highlight changes that were implemented as a result of the Titanic sinking.  Undoubtedly, there will be lessens learned from the Costa Concordia accident, and the next SOLAS Convention will perhaps recommend additional safety changes. SOLAS Convention

One of the consequences of the sinking, in 1912, of the Titanic, in which more than 1,500 people lost their lives,  was the adoption, two years later, of the first International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (the SOLAS Convention).

The 1914 version of the Convention was gradually superseded, respectively, by SOLAS 1929, SOLAS 1948, SOLAS 1960 (the first adopted under the auspices of IMO, then known as IMCO) and SOLAS 1974.  SOLAS 1974 is still in force today, amended and updated many times.

Changes since Titanic Sinking

Ice patrol    (Graphic - changes in safety since the Titanic)

In the first SOLAS 1914, after the Titanic disaster, ice patrols in the north Atlantic were set up and continue to be a SOLAS requirement. 

Speed of navigation around ice

The Commission into the Titanic ruled the loss was due to collision with an iceberg brought about by
excessive speed at which she was being navigated. Under SOLAS, when ice is reported on or near his course the master of every ship at night is bound to proceed at a moderate speed or alter course.

Public address system

There was no public address system on the Titanic and news filtered to the passengers slowly, adding to the disorder and confusion. Under SOLAS, all passenger ships must be fitted with a public address system. 

Training of crew in lifeboat drill

The crew of the Titanic lacked training in loading and lowering the lifeboats and few knew which boat they were assigned to. Lifeboats were not filled to capacity because senior officers did not know the boats had been tested and were strong enough. Under SOLAS, every crew member must participate in regular practice drills and have easy access to training manuals.

Lifeboat design

Some people died from hypothermia in the Titanic lifeboats because they were open and gave no protection against the cold. Under SOLAS, lifeboats must be fully or partially enclosed. On passenger ships, partially enclosed lifeboats can be used as they are easier to get into, but they must have a collapsible roof to fold across.

Number of lifeboats

The Titanic did not have enough lifeboats for all passengers. Under SOLAS, passenger ships must carry enough lifeboats (some of which can be substituted by life rafts for all passengers, plus life rafts for 25%.

Immersion suits

The sea temperature when the Titanic sank was below freezing point and many people died in the water from hypothermia. Under SOLAS, a specific number of immersion suits must be carried on both passenger and cargo ships, mainly for the crews of rescue boats.

Location

The land station at Cape Race, Newfoundland and ships other than the Carpathia and the Californian heard the Titanic distress call but the airwaves were crackling and the Titanic’s position was misinterpreted. With EPIRBs and global positioning systems, the position of a ship in distress can be automatically sent.

Distress watch

The Californian was less than 20 miles away but the radio officer had gone off duty when the distress messages were sent. Under SOLAS, every ship while at sea must maintain a continuous watch on the distress and safety frequencies.

Distress alert

The Titanic used radio which had a limited range of 200 nautical miles. Ships can now communicate globally via satellites.

Helicopters and rescue planes

Unavailable in 1912, helicopters and rescue planes are now used to locate, search for and rescue survivors.

Lifeboat drill

No lifeboat drill was held on the Titanic. Under SOLAS chapter III an ‘abandon ship’ and fire drill must take place weekly on all passenger ships.  (This is usually held before sailing, but must be completed within 24 hours of embarkation).

Evacuation chutes

Passengers on the Titanic jumped from windows and doorways into the lifeboats as they were lowered, often injuring themselves or other passengers New emergency evacuation chutes are both safer and quicker.


IMPROVING SAFETY AT SEA

It has always been recognized that the best way of improving safety at sea is by developing international regulations that are followed by all shipping nations and from the mid-19th century onwards a number of such treaties were adopted. Several countries proposed that a permanent international body should be established to promote maritime safety more effectively, but it was not until the establishment of the United Nations itself that these hopes were realized.  Read more about IMO's history.