The news outlets are capably handling the day-to-day and more immediate happenings about the sinking of the Costa Concordia a week ago. It's hard to believe so much time has passed and still there are so many questions — despite the captain’s admission that he took the ship too close to the rocks and paid the price.
It's interesting that he followed that same route, approved by Costa management a year ago for Island celebrations, and apparently was off course by some 600 feet. Lloyd’s List, a specialist in shipping, said it might have even been closer.
What happens from here?
An international panel of some of the finest investigators, along with the Italian Coast Guard and others, must conduct a thorough investigation. One that covers everything from the training of the crew, the training of the officers, the safety procedures, the integrity of the design and the quality of the materials used.
When that investigation is concluded, I believe it will not only be the captain who is blamed for this tragedy.
The law has to be changed. This idea of holding a safety drill within 24 hours of sailing is archaic — no ship should leave port before that is done — and I notice that some have already responded, insuring that drills will be held before sailing. All ships should have an electronic check in to ensure everyone is in place.
You, the passenger, have to take some responsibility. If you're travelling with children, make sure you have a meeting spot and get to the boats in a hurry. Teens should probably make a deal with their family to meet at the muster station.
Take some time to memorize the route from the lifeboat to your cabin. In an emergency you do not want to come flying out of your cabin and turn the wrong way.
When you consider the numbers, since 2005 there have been 100 million passengers and only 16 lives were lost prior to this accident, so cruising has had an amazing safety record. However, one life lost is one too many.
That ship will be on the rocks for some time and it should serve as a reminder of what can happen if due diligence is not carried out minute by minute, hour by hour.
Having spent many hours on the bridge of cruise ships, I can guarantee there's a lot of captains whose pride is wounded by this event. What would have happened if this captain had called "Mayday!" the moment the accident happened?
When the Carnival Splendor was without power in the Pacific just over a year ago, it was the captain who did everything right. Honours were bestowed on him and rightly show. He is in command of the ship and his men and women should be ready to act on his direction.
Both black boxes have been found in good shape. This will go a long way to determining what happened that night and whether or not any of the problems are systemic. If not, after the cruise lines examine all their safety features — with teams working seven days a week I would hope — you can e sure any changes will be implemented immediately.
If you are a veteran of cruising and you're sailing in the upcoming week, please let me know if you have noticed any differences.
I will be back Monday with my regular blogs and I will have more on the Costa Concordia as it unfolds.
Have a good weekend.
All for now.
Photo by Max Rossi/ Reuters