Concordia News: Please Post Here

[silverfoxcruiser]

i would like to make a suggestion. This thread is followed by a great many viewers, some of whom do not respond, but simply want to learn. Please put aside the arguing, posturing, and exclamations during the differences of opinion, and keep the thread civil. I would really hate to see it disappear. Thank you. Silver

[sidari]

John ... As you may know there have been many changes to UK law and more so in England where now if you make an Injury claim against a person or corporation which is found to be malicious then the person making such a claim has to pay All costs involved, this has cut down on the number of non claims being made by people who saw it as a way to make money with various Insurance scams such as road traffic collisions.

[Uniall]

John ... As you may know there have been many changes to UK law and more so in England where now if you make an Injury claim against a person or corporation which is found to be malicious then the person making such a claim has to pay All costs involved, this has cut down on the number of non claims being made by people who saw it as a way to make money with various Insurance scams such as road traffic collisions.

 

 

I'm well aware of the changes. They may have cut down on the number of fraudulent legal claims but they also have a chilling affect on the filing of borderline claims. Penalties for a later finding that the claim was "maliciaous prosection" (USA term) also increase the likelyhood of the potential defendant from cooperating with voluntary resolution between the parties.

 

In my experience, fraudulent claims are not the major problem in the US. The real problem is the unwarranted jury awards for "punative damages." If our system only allowed damages for actual losses, pain and suffering and (where called for) replaced punative damges with atttorney's fee awards it would be much better. But, I'm not in sync with my profession on that issue.

 

Ironically, that's the issue to watch, if the system is blown wide open in the Concordia litigation. If the strictures of maritime law are abandoned and the constrictions of the terms in the cruise contract are voided, it could open the door to punative damages. The reports that young passengers physically prevented seniors from boarding the life boats and Costa crew did nothing to aid the seniors is a perfect scenario to blow the lid off.

Edited May 19, 2012 by Uniall

[SomeBeach]

I'm well aware of the changes. They may have cut down on the number of fraudulent legal claims but they also have a chilling affect on the filing of borderline claims. Penalties for a later finding that the claim was "maliciaous prosection" (USA term) also increase the likelyhood of the potential defendant from cooperating with voluntary resolution between the parties.

 

In my experience, fraudulent claims are not the major problem in the US. The real problem is the unwarranted jury awards for "punative damages." If our system only allowed damages for actual losses, pain and suffering and (where called for) replaced punative damges with atttorney's fee awards it would be much better. But, I'm not in sync with my profession on that issue.

 

Ironically, that's the issue to watch, if the system is blown wide open in the Concordia litigation. If the strictures of maritime law are abandoned and the constrictions of the terms in the cruise contract are voided, it could open the door to punative damages. The reports that young passengers physically prevented seniors from boarding the life boats and Costa crew did nothing to aid the seniors is a perfect scenario to blow the lid off.

 

I'm not a lawyer but I'll "sync" with you. ;)

 

[Max49]

The reports that young passengers physically prevented seniors from boarding the life boats and Costa crew did nothing to aid the seniors is a perfect scenario to blow the lid off.

 

Wow, that sounds pretty sad. I have not see these reports, do have any links to this story?

[Uniall]

Wow, that sounds pretty sad. I have not see these reports, do have any links to this story?

 

It was a small part of an overview article in the Chicago Tribune. It indicated that the elederly Minnesota (?) couple who died were turned away from the life boat by young Italian passengers who told them they lived a full life and it was young people's turn. Where the Trib got the info, I don't know. So much of their stories are now written by AP or Reuters. A once world class newpaper has fallen a long way.

[SomeBeach]

It was a small part of an overview article in the Chicago Tribune. It indicated that the elederly Minnesota (?) couple who died were turned away from the life boat by young Italian passengers who told them they lived a full life and it was young people's turn. Where the Trib got the info, I don't know. So much of their stories are now written by AP or Reuters. A once world class newpaper has fallen a long way.

 

With a story like this it is hard to separate what is true.

I can say, from pix that I have seen, the couple from MN was within about 2 ft of boarding a life boat. That does make it hard to understand why they didn't make it.

[sidari]

John ..thanks for the info re damages, well a lot of people are going to be suprised in the coming months to hear that there have been issues over the weeks and months prior to the 13th of January where Concordia lost power for an hour or more on a number of occasions including the 13th of January and back up Gen sets not working.

 

It would also seem that there is an ongoing Electrical issue on All of the ships in the class including those owned and run by Carnival cruises which it also appears the builders,designers and Carnival know about.

[Tonka's Skipper]

John ..thanks for the info re damages, well a lot of people are going to be suprised in the coming months to hear that there have been issues over the weeks and months prior to the 13th of January where Concordia lost power for an hour or more on a number of occasions including the 13th of January and back up Gen sets not working.

 

It would also seem that there is an ongoing Electrical issue on All of the ships in the class including those owned and run by Carnival cruises which it also appears the builders,designers and Carnival know about.

 

 

 

 

The most famous fires were the Carnival Spenldor and the Queen Mary II, which is not the same class for the same electrical set up!

 

Sadari.......are you saying there was a electrical breakdown before the vessel hit the rock?

 

 

AKK

[sidari]

Tonka .... I think everyone knows that there was a Power outage before the ship hit the rock and if the Gensets did not kick in right away as is being claimed then while Schettino was being stupid being so close to land without power even he could not have avoided a collison.

 

The fact that these ships along with the ones operated by Costa are having these failures makes you wonder if Costa by throwing Schettino under a bus after the collision saw it as a way of trying to cover up this problem!

 

 

Carnival Splendor is part of the Destiny/Conquest class of ship along with Destiny,Valor,Victory,Triumph and Conquest. Carnival and Costa are the only 2 lines who operate these vessels.

 

While QM2 may be a one off the electrical system on that ship is clearly a problem as can be seen from the Fire and the longer power outages on the World cruise which left it drifting at sea only for a Carnival spokesperson to say it was due to maintenence ... :eek:

Edited May 21, 2012 by sidari

[CruiseAdict218]

Tonka .... I think everyone knows that there was a Power outage before the ship hit the rock and if the Gensets did not kick in right away as is being claimed then while Schettino was being stupid being so close to land without power even he could not have avoided a collison.

 

The fact that these ships along with the ones operated by Costa are having these failures makes you wonder if Costa by throwing Schettino under a bus after the collision saw it as a way of trying to cover up this problem!

 

 

Carnival Splendor is part of the Destiny/Conquest class of ship along with Destiny,Valor,Victory,Triumph and Conquest. Carnival and Costa are the only 2 lines who operate these vessels.

 

While QM2 may be a one off the electrical system on that ship is clearly a problem as can be seen from the Fire and the longer power outages on the World cruise which left it drifting at sea only for a Carnival spokesperson to say it was due to maintenence ... :eek:

 

Actually Destiny/Triumph/Fortuna Class is completely separete class than the Conquest Class. The Destiny/Triumph/Fortuna Class includes the Destiny, Triumph, Victory, Fortuna & Magica. The Splendor comes from the the Concordia Class which is based off but is not the same as the Conquest Class.

 

Conquest Class:

Carnival Conquest

Carnival Glory

Carnival Valor

Carnival Liberty

Carnival Freedom

 

Concordia Class:

Costa Concordia

Costa Serena

Carnival Splendor

Costa Pacifica

Costa Favolosa

Costa Fascinosa

Edited May 21, 2012 by CruiseAdict218

[sidari]

Regardless of class name it seems all suffer from the same Electrics and same power outages!

[CruiseAdict218]

Regardless of class name it seems all suffer from the same Electrics and same power outages!

 

Lol, that is true.

[Max49]

Tonka .... I think everyone knows that there was a Power outage before the ship hit the rock ... :eek:

 

Holy Cow, I thought I had been following this story fairly close, but I had never heard that before. Did Schettinos' attorneys determine this power failure was before he hot rodded it into the rocks? I'm sorry, I never heard this "defense strategy" before. Did it take 4 months to think of it?

[sidari]

Max ... have you been wearing blinkers and ear defenders since it happened? the first thing that happened was the power loss and then the collision, why do you think the Coastguard was informed they had a Blackout ? just for the fun of it.

 

"I never heard this "defense strategy" before. Did it take 4 months to think of it? "

 

Ok maybe you can tell me where anyone claims it is a Defence Strategy ?

[Tonka's Skipper]

Max ... have you been wearing blinkers and ear defenders since it happened? the first thing that happened was the power loss and then the collision, why do you think the Coastguard was informed they had a Blackout ? just for the fun of it.

 

"I never heard this "defense strategy" before. Did it take 4 months to think of it? "

 

Ok maybe you can tell me where anyone claims it is a Defence Strategy ?

 

 

Sidari.............seems I remember the power problems happening after the ship hit the rock, the engine there flooded and the ship was on emergency power, which of course is limited.............no need to be rude .............AKK

[Aplmac]

Sidari.............seems I remember the power problems happening after the ship hit the rock' date='

the engine there flooded and the ship was on emergency power, which of course is limited..[/quote']My thoughts too.

 

Where now is this power outage BEFORE the collision coming from?

First I've heard of it.

 

Schettino might be a jerk of the first magnitude

but I hardly think he woulda been doing his Star Boy Routine, coming freshly out of a power outage

but what do I know? Nothing! ;)

 

.........................

Regarding other Carnival vessels, I've cruised once on DESTINY, and four times on VICTORY

with no power problems.

[Tonka's Skipper]

My thoughts too.

 

Where now is this power outage BEFORE the collision coming from?

First I've heard of it.

 

Schettino might be a jerk of the first magnitude

but I hardly think he woulda been doing his Star Boy Routine, coming freshly out of a power outage

but what do I know? Nothing! ;)

 

.........................

 

Regarding other Carnival vessels, I've cruised once on DESTINY, and four times on VICTORY

with no power problems.

 

 

I totally agree.........I am not the brightist light in the barn, but I am pretty sure there was no power outage before the rock!

 

 

I do agree with Sidari in that *something * is going on with *some* Carnival Corporation vessels with power and mechcanicail problems, whether its a design or maintiance or operational issue I have no idea.

 

We will have to wait and see what unfolds.....

 

AKK

[Uniall]

I totally agree.........I am not the brightist light in the barn' date=' but I am pretty sure there was no power outage before the rock!

 

 

I do agree with Sidari in that *something * is going on with *some* Carnival Corporation vessels with power and mechcanicail problems, whether its a design or maintiance or operational issue I have no idea.

 

We will have to wait and see what unfolds.....

 

AKK[/quote']

 

You're quite correct.

 

The fleet power outage problem has been caused by Canrnival's attempt to use "cute little hamsters" in lieu of "big ugly rats", as called for in the specs, to run on the generator's treadmill ..........LOL

[Tonka's Skipper]

You're quite correct.

 

The fleet power outage problem has been caused by Canrnival's attempt to use "cute little hamsters" in lieu of "big ugly rats", as called for in the specs, to run on the generator's treadmill ..........LOL

 

you see......if they had feed the Hamsters *super hero pet food*..they would not have needed the big ugly rats!

 

AKK

[CruisersNC]

Right....the Concordia was rolling along at quite a clip when it struck the cliff....then shortly after the collision power failed when the engine room flooded. This has long ago been substantiated.

[sidari]

Tonka ... was not meaning to to rude to anyone.

 

Here is some info a friend has sent having recently been on a Costa cruise and having spoken to people who worked with schettino and on the Concordia as well as other ships.

 

I have been talking to Francesco's peers over the last couple of days and some of the engineering staff...both of whom have served with him and sailed on Concordia...I am not going to comment yet on the media report...BUT....

 

After my conversations that were very frank and honest....there is A LOT more to the accident and far more involvement regarding Concordia's behaviour that night...not saying Francesco is 100% innocent as he made a judgement error but the ship had a far bigger part in the incident than the media realise.

 

But as with all incidents, there are far more than one causal circumstance that happens.

 

And as for the Italian coast guard, DiFalco, his actions were highly unprofessional that night and in the following days and weeks....his future is also in question.

 

From my discussions aboard Classica last week, it appears that the ship herself was more of a villain than a victim. She had been blacking out in the weeks prior to the incident...often more than once a week...for anything upto an hour at a time. No cause could be confirmed for the blackouts.

 

However....history does show that her exact twin sister, Carnival Splendor, also suffered (and still suffers) intermittant electrical problems...the worst being the fire a couple years ago.

 

There is also evidence that all Conquest class ships are prone to unexplianed blackouts...opinions seem to stem from the Destiny class being overstretched and under equipped.....essentially the ship is being enlarged but the basic infrastructure such as electrical equipment has remained as it was with the original Destiny class and not significantly increased with the growth of the design nor the intricate design features on board that load the electrical equipment all the more...with the added load of more cabins and the equipment within those cabins.

 

There is a power deficit that causes problems...especially at night when the ship is lit up like a giant glow-worm on steroids.

 

It is a design flaw that the architects and builders at Fincantieri & CCL know about but as yet have not done anything to remedy it.

 

So as much as the media and armchair critics would love to bury the hatchet in Francesco's back...the ship herself was no angel and she (along with the rest of the ships in her class within Costa and Carnival Cruises fleets) have a definitive weakness that has proven to be a major problem with Splendor and in all probability was a significant causal factor in the loss of Concordia.

 

Concensus is that she DID blackout before she ran aground and that the emergency gensets DID fail to kick in for several minutes....just as they failed aboard Carnival Splendor when she had her electrical systems fire which disabled her off Mexico.

 

The time taken to run the checklist when a blackout occurs is tween 30 and 60 minutes...it means running through all systems manually via the various panels both in the engine control room where the genset panels are also in situ...and the bridge controls & instrumentation. This would explain why there seemed to be a delay from the blackout to the evacuation order being given.

 

It will, therefore, be interesting to see what findings are made from the black box recorder and Concordia's own service records and repair logs...as they will inevitably leave a breadcrumb trail that leads to her eventual demise on Giglio on January 13.

 

it's not passengers who are aware of the design flaw/issues with the Conquest class. The conversations I had were with engineering officers on board Classica who had served aboard Fortuna, Magica, Pacifica, Concordia, Serena & Favalosa and all the ships experienced more frequent blackouts than the Vista 1 & 2 ships (Atlantica, Mediterranea, Luminosa & Deliziosa).

 

The Carnival Cruise Line ships...Destiny, Valor, Victory, Triumph, Conquest & Splendor have all suffered electrical problems, again moreso than their Vista 1 & 2 ships (Spirit, Legend, Miracle).

 

Since Costa and Carnival are the only operators of the type of ship in question...Destiny/Conquest classes...they are the only ships that are affected and both Carnival Corporation and Fincantieri are fully aware of the problems but as yet have not offered methods to remedy it.

 

It is exactly the same as the ongoing (and increasing frequency) of blackouts aboard QM2...Carnival Corporation KNOW they are happening but as yet have not offered explanation or remedy.

 

Electrical failures on cruise ships are relatively commonplace...but there is a higher percentage of them happening on the Destiny & Conquest class vessels than any other vessel currently operating for the Corporation's cruise lines...with the exception of QM2.

 

The crews know about the problem and they are reporting it to Carnival Corp, but its being glossed over or excuses are being made to passengers when they occur...on Carnival Corp's instructions, that is why passengers have not said anything, cos its fairly common and the reasons given have been plausible for those not technically minded...which covers around 90% of cruise passengers.

 

Thing to remember is that often these power outages are not even noticed by passengers....afterall, if you are on your lounger by the pool, you are unlikely to notice the lights have gone out or that you have stopped moving.

 

Not to mention when in port and an outtage occurs, many people are off the ship and won't be any the wiser when they reboard at the end of the day.

 

It has only happened to me once but I knew it was likely to happen due to behaviour of lighting the night before...they kept dimming and flickering on/off all evening. The next morning whilst eating breakfast in the cabin, the lights went off....I had an inside cabin, so it was obvious...and once dressed in the dark, I went outside and 99% of passengers were going about their usual business completely oblivious to the fact that we were without power and dead in the water. The only passenger to realise something wasn't quite right was a lady stuck in a glass lift tween decks and even she wasn't concerned as lifts sometimes do get stuck (even on dry land) for a variety of reasons.

 

I knew the gensets had gone down cos I read the signs the night before, but I was in a tiny minority of passengers to notice anything odd.

 

So you shouldn't assume that it will always be noticed, because it is rarely the case...and since the emergency gensets fire up within moments anyway, that makes it even less noticeable to the average passenger....even if it happens at night.

 

Destiny came first (with Fortuna, Magica & Victory)...they are the smaller versions of the same base design of ship.

 

Conquest & Concordia classes are stretched variants of the original Destiny class...the Dream class are stretched again but with a rounded stern rather than the angled box stern of the earlier models.

 

In the same wat that Boeing have gradually stretched the 747, intrinsically they are the same ship, just longer, taller versions of the original with slight differences in interior layout for each size.

 

Essentially it is how Fincantieri can build them so fast, as if on a conveyor belt...they are all prefabricated sections welded together...(they use the same techniques for the Vista 2 class aswell, hence why they managed to throw Queen Elizabeth together in 6 months).

 

Design tweaks internally are made on each variant...such as the room service kitchen on the Destiny & Conquest classes is midships but its aft in the Concordia class ships, having been replaced midships by more cabins.

 

There is nothing wrong with stretching or enlarging an existing design BUT in this case, the electrical systems are Destiny class standard for the bigger versions, the systems wer not upgraded to suit the bigger ship and it#s bigger payload on those systems....hence the increased electrical problems on the larger variants of the original Destiny class.

[Ratt]

Tonka ... was not meaning to to rude to anyone.

 

Here is some info a friend has sent having recently been on a Costa cruise and having spoken to people who worked with schettino and on the Concordia as well as other ships.

 

I have been talking to Francesco's peers over the last couple of days and some of the engineering staff...both of whom have served with him and sailed on Concordia...I am not going to comment yet on the media report...BUT....

 

After my conversations that were very frank and honest....there is A LOT more to the accident and far more involvement regarding Concordia's behaviour that night...not saying Francesco is 100% innocent as he made a judgement error but the ship had a far bigger part in the incident than the media realise.

 

But as with all incidents, there are far more than one causal circumstance that happens.

 

And as for the Italian coast guard, DiFalco, his actions were highly unprofessional that night and in the following days and weeks....his future is also in question.

 

From my discussions aboard Classica last week, it appears that the ship herself was more of a villain than a victim. She had been blacking out in the weeks prior to the incident...often more than once a week...for anything upto an hour at a time. No cause could be confirmed for the blackouts.

 

However....history does show that her exact twin sister, Carnival Splendor, also suffered (and still suffers) intermittant electrical problems...the worst being the fire a couple years ago.

 

There is also evidence that all Conquest class ships are prone to unexplianed blackouts...opinions seem to stem from the Destiny class being overstretched and under equipped.....essentially the ship is being enlarged but the basic infrastructure such as electrical equipment has remained as it was with the original Destiny class and not significantly increased with the growth of the design nor the intricate design features on board that load the electrical equipment all the more...with the added load of more cabins and the equipment within those cabins.

 

There is a power deficit that causes problems...especially at night when the ship is lit up like a giant glow-worm on steroids.

 

It is a design flaw that the architects and builders at Fincantieri & CCL know about but as yet have not done anything to remedy it.

 

So as much as the media and armchair critics would love to bury the hatchet in Francesco's back...the ship herself was no angel and she (along with the rest of the ships in her class within Costa and Carnival Cruises fleets) have a definitive weakness that has proven to be a major problem with Splendor and in all probability was a significant causal factor in the loss of Concordia.

 

Concensus is that she DID blackout before she ran aground and that the emergency gensets DID fail to kick in for several minutes....just as they failed aboard Carnival Splendor when she had her electrical systems fire which disabled her off Mexico.

 

The time taken to run the checklist when a blackout occurs is tween 30 and 60 minutes...it means running through all systems manually via the various panels both in the engine control room where the genset panels are also in situ...and the bridge controls & instrumentation. This would explain why there seemed to be a delay from the blackout to the evacuation order being given.

 

It will, therefore, be interesting to see what findings are made from the black box recorder and Concordia's own service records and repair logs...as they will inevitably leave a breadcrumb trail that leads to her eventual demise on Giglio on January 13.

 

it's not passengers who are aware of the design flaw/issues with the Conquest class. The conversations I had were with engineering officers on board Classica who had served aboard Fortuna, Magica, Pacifica, Concordia, Serena & Favalosa and all the ships experienced more frequent blackouts than the Vista 1 & 2 ships (Atlantica, Mediterranea, Luminosa & Deliziosa).

 

The Carnival Cruise Line ships...Destiny, Valor, Victory, Triumph, Conquest & Splendor have all suffered electrical problems, again moreso than their Vista 1 & 2 ships (Spirit, Legend, Miracle).

 

Since Costa and Carnival are the only operators of the type of ship in question...Destiny/Conquest classes...they are the only ships that are affected and both Carnival Corporation and Fincantieri are fully aware of the problems but as yet have not offered methods to remedy it.

 

It is exactly the same as the ongoing (and increasing frequency) of blackouts aboard QM2...Carnival Corporation KNOW they are happening but as yet have not offered explanation or remedy.

 

Electrical failures on cruise ships are relatively commonplace...but there is a higher percentage of them happening on the Destiny & Conquest class vessels than any other vessel currently operating for the Corporation's cruise lines...with the exception of QM2.

 

The crews know about the problem and they are reporting it to Carnival Corp, but its being glossed over or excuses are being made to passengers when they occur...on Carnival Corp's instructions, that is why passengers have not said anything, cos its fairly common and the reasons given have been plausible for those not technically minded...which covers around 90% of cruise passengers.

 

Thing to remember is that often these power outages are not even noticed by passengers....afterall, if you are on your lounger by the pool, you are unlikely to notice the lights have gone out or that you have stopped moving.

 

Not to mention when in port and an outtage occurs, many people are off the ship and won't be any the wiser when they reboard at the end of the day.

 

It has only happened to me once but I knew it was likely to happen due to behaviour of lighting the night before...they kept dimming and flickering on/off all evening. The next morning whilst eating breakfast in the cabin, the lights went off....I had an inside cabin, so it was obvious...and once dressed in the dark, I went outside and 99% of passengers were going about their usual business completely oblivious to the fact that we were without power and dead in the water. The only passenger to realise something wasn't quite right was a lady stuck in a glass lift tween decks and even she wasn't concerned as lifts sometimes do get stuck (even on dry land) for a variety of reasons.

 

I knew the gensets had gone down cos I read the signs the night before, but I was in a tiny minority of passengers to notice anything odd.

 

So you shouldn't assume that it will always be noticed, because it is rarely the case...and since the emergency gensets fire up within moments anyway, that makes it even less noticeable to the average passenger....even if it happens at night.

 

Destiny came first (with Fortuna, Magica & Victory)...they are the smaller versions of the same base design of ship.

 

Conquest & Concordia classes are stretched variants of the original Destiny class...the Dream class are stretched again but with a rounded stern rather than the angled box stern of the earlier models.

 

In the same wat that Boeing have gradually stretched the 747, intrinsically they are the same ship, just longer, taller versions of the original with slight differences in interior layout for each size.

 

Essentially it is how Fincantieri can build them so fast, as if on a conveyor belt...they are all prefabricated sections welded together...(they use the same techniques for the Vista 2 class aswell, hence why they managed to throw Queen Elizabeth together in 6 months).

 

Design tweaks internally are made on each variant...such as the room service kitchen on the Destiny & Conquest classes is midships but its aft in the Concordia class ships, having been replaced midships by more cabins.

 

There is nothing wrong with stretching or enlarging an existing design BUT in this case, the electrical systems are Destiny class standard for the bigger versions, the systems wer not upgraded to suit the bigger ship and it#s bigger payload on those systems....hence the increased electrical problems on the larger variants of the original Destiny class.

 

You and I have at times been on the same page in regards to people jumping to conclusions and wanting to convict and sentence the captain before all the facts are known. I do have to say that like so many things that we've heard up to the this point, your comments above really are nothing more then opinions about different situations.

 

I find it hard to believe that the power went off BEFORE the ship hit the rocks. This would have been reported on long before now and with all of the "specials" that the networks have put out it would have at the minimum been mentioned on some or all of them as a possible theory. I remember one of the specials reporting that there was a long stutter and then the power went out. If as you indicated above that the power could go out without the majority of passengers even noticing, how do we explain the shutter? If this was the cause of the power outage but NOT the ship hitting the rocks I don't think this would have been the cause of previous outages as it would have been felt by a high percentage of the passengers as it was the night of the accident.

 

As for the history of the the Condordia losing power? If this was true and there had in fact been recent power outages and the captain (as well as the other command officers) still performed the sail by, the captain and command officers should pay dearly.

[camarodrivenrs]

I agree, if the officers and captain knew of potential power issues, why in the world would they be setting such risky courses? It would be like a pilot losing his instruments and still flying into clouds.

[sidari]

Ratt .... In my previous post they are not my comments as i mention at the begining, they are from a friend who was on a recent Costa cruise and spoke to the people mentioned in the text.

 

I have no reason whatsoever to disbelieve this person or those that were spoken to who gave their comments regarding the problems with Concordia and the other ships in the Carnival fleet, after all these people know a lot more than we do about what happened that night.

 

Concerning the loss of power prior to the collision this would of course go some way in explaining why it took so long to make the decision to abandon ship due to having to make Manual checks of the ships systems.

 

With regard to the Media including TV, they could only include the issue in programmes if they knew about it and without fear of contradicition some would have left it out because it would not fit in with their way of making the cruise industry look bad.

 

I agree about the setting of risky courses but power outages are occuring on a regular basis and no one can predict when they will happen. so i can only guess that the officers on Concordia or whoever it was felt that they were safe! we now know otherwise.