Brussels, 30/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - The cruise industry is eager to prove its worthiness and will be beginning an internal investigation into on-board safety procedures. The Commission is also seeking to learn the lessons from the running aground of the Concordia, in a review of European legislation on maritime passenger safety procedures (see EUROPE 10536).
Barely a month after the shipwreck of the cruise ship, Costa Concordia, off the Italian coast on 13 January last, which left 17 people dead and 15 still not accounted for, the cruise industry is reviewing safety. On 27 January, the European Cruise Council (ECC) announced that it would be beginning a comprehensive assessment of the critical human factors and operational aspects of maritime safety in an effort to obtain an understanding of the factors that contributed to the Costa Concordia disaster. This review in response to the accident will focus on ECC cruise member companies' operational safety practices and procedures in relation to navigation, evacuation, emergency training. The results could lead to the ECC formulating recommendations for the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to continue improving navigation safety procedure.
As part of the maritime safety standards review and in light of the disaster, European Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas has announced his intention to consult the sector and he will be meeting and ECC delegation on 2 February next. (MD/transl.fl)