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Yet, from the depths of despair, the strength of the human spirit has shone brightly, reminding us of the power of unity in the face of disaster. Today, the Costa Concordia cruise ship bears a tale of caution, a lesson submerged in the depths of nautical annals. Before the concordia shipwreck turned the vessel into a byword for disaster, let me guide you through its glory days—the triumph of engineering and luxury it once represented. The MS Costa Concordia, the Italian cruise ship that killed 32 people when it sank off the coast off Isola del Giglio in 2012, has just been sitting off the Tuscan coast ever since.
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Over the next few days experts, who were appointed at an earlier hearing in March, will present their analysis of the data retrieved from the black box, audio recordings and other on-board equipment. The boat would stay off the coast of the island for another ten years until being removed in 2014. Air was pumped slowly into 30 tanks or "sponsons" attached to both sides of the 290-metre, 114,500-tonne Concordia to expel the water inside, raising it two metres (6.5 feet) off the artificial platform it has rested on since it was righted in September.
Costa Concordia: Italian tragedy that reflected state of a nation
Francesco Pope, one of Captain Schettino’s lawyers, called the prosecutors’ sentencing request “enormous” in a telephone interview after the verdict was announced. Five other employees, including the helmsman, were handed prison sentences ranging from 18 months to two years and 10 months in plea bargains concluded early in the investigation. Costa Crociere, the company that owned the ship, sidestepped potential criminal charges in 2013 by agreeing to pay a $1.3m (€1.1m; £860,000) fine. The body of Indian waiter Russel Rebello is still missing and there will be a search for his remains when the ship is dismantled. Engineers last week used vast air tanks attached to the ship's sides to float the liner, which rose above the waves deck by deck to reveal gaping windows, a rust-tainted bow and the faded Costa Concordia emblem on its flanks. Objects floating free such as suitcases, clothes and furniture will be caught in a huge net while infrared sensors will be used to detect possible oil leaks at night.
Costa Concordia
The groundwork laid by this unfortunate event serves as a fulcrum for improved oversight within the maritime domain, reassuring those who venture across the seas. Indeed, the legacy of the Costa Concordia continues to resonate, a steadfast reminder of the cruise industry has responsibility to uphold the highest regard for passenger safety, environmental stewardship, and preparedness. Following the unprecedented Italian cruise ship crash, the small community on Giglio Island swiftly became a rescue operation hub. Concordia ship now lay crippled, its metallic carcass a stark contrast to the tranquil waters that it had disturbed. As a journalist, I stand amidst the remnants of what was once a testament to luxury, now a subject to one of Italy’s most impactful maritime rescues. With the sinking Concordia losing its battle against the relentless water, an evacuation was not just necessary but imperative.
Sunken but Not Forgotten: Commemorating the 32 Lives Lost
The sinking of the Costa Concordia, a spectacle of disbelief and sorrow, is a stark reminder of the fleeting nature of security in the face of human error and natural forces. The Costa Concordia was a testament to the prowess of its owner, Costa Crociere, a subsidiary of the world-renowned Carnival Corporation & PLC. Officially launched in 2005, this floating behemoth overtook the historic Titanic in size, spanning an impressive 951 feet. With an opulent passenger capacity of 3,780, it heralded a new era of maritime luxury.
What were the circumstances leading to the evacuation of the Costa Concordia?
These vivid recollections paint a portrait of survival against staggering odds, framed by a backdrop of an Italian cruise ship accident that will forever be remembered. On January 13, 2012, passengers boarded the Concordia, anticipating the exciting journey ahead. Unbeknownst to them, this trip would end drastically different than they had imagined. The first sign of trouble came when the cruise ship initiated a “salute” maneuver near Giglio Island, deviating from its original course. The salute—a maritime tradition where ships pass close to shore in a display of honor or greeting—proved fateful for the Concordia, as it encountered unforeseen rocks.
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The length of three football fields, the crippled vessel will first be manoeuvred into position by British and Spanish tug boats in a complex operation beginning at 0630 GMT (2.30pm Singapore time). A pre-trial report, leaked to Italian media weeks before the trial, places much of the blame on Schettino. “We are losing sight of the victims of this tragedy, but they could line the pockets of the shamed captain,” the member said. In the intervening months, Schettino has sought to restore his reputation and set the record straight by giving his version of events. “We are not going to save lives if we don’t change the standards in the whole industry, not only of this particular captain,” he added.
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The captain, Francesco Schettino, 54, was convicted of multiple counts of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the vessel, the Costa Concordia, before all of its 4,229 passengers and crew members had been evacuated. The court also barred him from commanding a ship for five years and from ever holding public office. Prosecutors blamed the delayed evacuation order and conflicting instructions given by crew for the chaos that ensued as passengers scrambled to get off the ship.
The passengers, whose infections were found through random testing, were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, according to the Port of San Francisco. Videos of the incident offer a firsthand look at the 13-deck vessel barreling into the tourist-filled dock. "I think it’s the panic, the feeling of panic, is what’s carried through over 10 years," Ian Donoff, who was on the cruise with his wife Janice for their honeymoon, told Cobiella. The contract - awarded jointly to salvage companies Titan and Micoperi - was described as an unprecedented operation. Before salvage work could begin, 2,400 tonnes of fuel had to be extracted from its tanks.
Addressing the negligence that led to the catastrophic event, the Italian courts held crew members and the crisis coordinator accountable. Four crew members and the ship’s crisis coordinator pled guilty to various offenses in a critical Concordia cruise ship salvage update. Their sentences, marked by the gravity of the incident, were relatively short but underscored collective culpability. Captain Schettino, often referred to as Captain Costa Concordia, has been pivotal in the narrative, facing widespread vilification for decisions that led to the shipwreck. The gravity of the captain’s choices that fateful night is anchored deeply in the consciousness of the maritime industry and those affected by the disaster.
In July 2006 the vessel undertook its maiden voyage, a seven-day cruise of the Mediterranean Sea, with stops in Italy, France, and Spain. The captain of the Costa Concordia, the cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Italy in 2012 killing 32 people, has been found guilty of manslaughter. After the Costa Concordia lost power and started listing, the Coast Guard and rescue teams were mobilized to order the evacuation of the ship, leading to a challenging and chaotic evacuation process in the aftermath of the shipwreck. Thirty-two people lost their lives when the Costa Concordia cruise ship struck a reef and subsequently began to sink in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, had been performing a sail-past salute of Giglio when he steered the ship too close to the island and hit the jagged reef, opening a 230-foot gash in the side of the cruise liner. Through the confusion, the captain somehow made it into a lifeboat before everyone else had made it off. Other details emerged at pre-trial hearings, including excerpts of the frantic conversations between the Captain and his crew in the aftermath of the accident, captured by the ship's "black box" voice recorder. Following the conclusion of the righting operation, the ship was kept on the platform while further inspections were made and the starboard sponsons attached. Arnold Donald, chief executive of international cruiseline company Carnival, told Fox Business in June that the company has "far more demand than we have ships available to supply right now."
The ship was eventually refloated in July 2014 and taken to Genoa, where the scrapping operation is expected to take two years. Automatic tracking systems show the route of the Costa Concordia until it ran aground on 13 January. Data from 14 August 2011 show the ship followed a similar course close to the shoreline, according to Lloyd's List Intelligence. On 6 January 2012, it passed through the same strait but sailed much further from the island. He admitted making a navigational error, and told investigators he had "ordered the turn too late" as the ship sailed close to the island. As it made its way north-west along the Italian coastline, Captain Francesco Schettino ordered the ship to be steered close to the island of Giglio as a "salute".
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