Cruise Ship Safety: Ok to Head Back to the Water?

In the wake of the Costa Concordia accident off the coast of Italy, many people with upcoming cruise plans are rightfully nervous about their decision to head out to sea. Cruising has always been considered a fairly safe way to travel—a 1996 study by the U.S. Coast Guard showed that the cruise industry offers travelers the safest form of commercial transportation. All cruise vessels are put through several rigorous standards of safety, designed to prevent cruise ship accidents like the recent Costa Concordia tragedy from occurring. The cruise industry must submit to quarterly ship safety inspections by the Coast Guard or other international maritime safety organizations. Cruise lines must also comply with the Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping (STCW), which ensures that ship crews are appropriately trained on safety matters.

Incidents like the recent Costa Concordia grounding and the July 2011 sinking of the Russian river boat The Bulgaria have, however, brought to light discrepancies and holes in the enforcement of industry safety standards. For example, in November of 2011, the United Nation's affiliated International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted guidelines for minimum numbers of staff required onboard cruise ships to maintain passenger safety, but left the terms vague and up to individual governments to impose. This lack of clear standards leaves the door open for poor staff-to-passenger ratios, which can lead to tragedy in cases where staff is desperately needed to maintain calm and facilitate emergency procedures in unforeseen disasters. Safety standards also dictate that passengers on board a ship must have a staged lifeboat drill within 24 hours of departure, but many reported going 36 hours or more without any safety drills or explanations.

Anomalies in the realm of safety enforcement shine just a small light on the potential dangers cruise ship passengers face. An added frustration to passengers may come from the fact that there is no industry standard about what types of accidents must be reported to the IMO. For example, the Costa Cruise fleet, now responsible for the grounding of the Costa Concordia, internally reported a 2010 incident in which its ship, the Costa Europa, collided with a pier while docking in an Egyptian port. The accident resulted in the death of three crewmembers and injuries to four passengers, but appears nowhere on the IMO database of incidents at sea. Thus, even if passengers make attempts to research cruise carrier safety records prior to booking a vacation, they may not be getting a complete picture simply by examining public records.

Any time you board a large vessel like a cruise ship you are, unfortunately, putting your life in the hands of the cruise company's administration and staff. While most vacationers will enjoy incident free travel, not every passenger is so lucky. If you have been injured at sea while onboard any type of vessel, consulting an experienced offshore injury attorney is your best option for securing the compensation you deserve. Contact a maritime lawyer from Arnold & Itkin today to begin your path to recovery and restitution.