Italy cruise ship Costa Concordia aground near Giglio

[jimmys]

Just a little bit about damage stability as it is not common Knowledge. As far as I am aware this is a two compartment ship, that is any two compartments including adjacent compartments can flood and the vessel should survive. With two compartments flooded the vessel will not submerge the margin line which is 100 mm below the bulkhead deck. There is not a lot of reserve. With two compartment ships the length of compartments is driven down. The freeboard of this type of rule ship is at the minimum and any incline will submerge the bulkhead deck with the result of uncontrolled flooding. I suspect it happened here.
The hole is about the engine rooms and the sudden reduction in speed with the flooding will cause havoc. The emergency generator cut in but with the list would not continue, eighty degrees is a no no.
The vessel will have battery maintained lighting with each lamp holder having a battery under charge. Muster sations alleyways and stairwells. Lasts a few hours. Not nice.
Lifeboats are complex and liferafts even more so and a bit much for waiters, cooks and stewards to cope with. Never saw one officer???

[JK]

normally after loss of power emergency generator should kick in and supply emergency power within 30 seconds

yes, but how long would it stay on with the extreme list this ship took?
And as Martin pointed out, she is sister ship to the Carnival Splendour and look at the electrical woes she had after the engine failure.

Here is a timeline. This all took place in a very short time:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1jZnYNMZ4

Now the report is the Captain was in the bar drinking....no word if it is a cranberry and soda, just the wide open presumption it was booze. Next will it be shenanigans on the bridge alleged....

[JollyJack]

Curiouser and curiouser...there are reports of passengers waiting for 2 hours to get into survival craft.

The vessel is classed with RINA, a member of IACS, and her last survey was on 3rd June 2011 (source EQUASIS). Presumably, this survey by the classification society verified that everything monitored by the Certificates was of an acceptable standard, including safety equipment and Safety Management System (and this encompasses emergency procedures)

She was subjected to a Port State Control inspection in Valletta on 15 April 2011. (Paris MOU)

As a Convention vessel, flagged in a Convention state (Italy) on Paris MOU White List (source EQUASIS), she is obliged to meet SOLAS standards.

(Remember SOLAS, initiated by the Titanic sinking?)

Chapter III, regulation 21 (1.4) states:

"All survival craft required for abandonment by the total number of persons on board shall be capable of being launched with their full complement of persons and equipment within a period of 30 minutes from the time the abandon ship signal is given."

This raises some fundamental questions about ship safety.

Was the order to abandon ship given? If not, why not? Did the SMS break down? If so, why?

Did RINA inspect the vessel thoroughly, ensuring the SMS met all required standards and that the Safety Equipment met expectations, or did the Surveyor have a coffee with the Captain and leave with a carton of Marlborough and a bottle Johnny Walker after signing the Certificates?

Were the crew trained in Passenger Safety Management? (responsibility, shipowner)

Did the crew meet emergency duty requirements required in STCW VI/2? (responsibility, shipowner)

Were the crew drilled in emergency procedures as required by STCW?. (responsibility, shipowner)

Why did passengers wait for hours to get into a survival craft?

Was the emergency procedure to abandon ship followed? If not, why not? (responsibility, shipowner)

Did the Port State Inspection verify that the survival equipment actually worked? (responsibility Malta PSC)

Did Italy, who issued the Safety Management Certificate and the Document of Compliance actually check the system was workable and used appropriately? (responsibility Flag)

And, most importantly, will any of the above, RINA, Italian flag administration, shipowner, ever face Justice?

To me, it's another indication of allowing classification societies to regulate shipping. It's similar to putting paedophiles in charge of the kindergarten, rapists running a girl's school or a fox in charge of a chicken coop. It's simple common sense to follow the money trail, and Classification Societies are paid by shipowners. Guess whose interests are protected?

[JK]

Oh Lord, JollyJack I laughed out loud at your last paragraph, but fully agree.

I read somewhere they they couldn't launch a couple of boats. No word on why that is though.

The big liners meet the Class requirements, but the question is has Class moved quickly enough to address safety concerns of liners of these size.

The latest from BBC.
5 more bodies have been located
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16598232

[jimmys]

The recording of conversations between the master Schettino and the local coordinator has been made public. The Master and the Mate are ashore and the local coordinator is ordering them back aboard to assist with the abandon ship and with the dead. They refuse. I dont think we can expect much from the crew with officers like that.
IMO took over the individual duties of each administration as regards rules and it was a political decision. The individual surveys were given to Class and that was a financial decision. All port state control is an inspection regime and the inspectors are not now surveyors, just rubber stampers.
Costa can provide training for the crew, but it does not matter how much training you give it does not lead to competency, education is needed and Costa dont provide that.

[The Dieselduck]

Wow what a event. Here is the transcript. Not what I would characterize as honorable on the master's part. http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/stor ... 52613814/1

Reading it would suggest that the abadon ship was given, here is great pics and info http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... found.html (I think someone already mentioned)

Like mentioned before in regards to message / info control: I too suspect that Carnival has great deal of resources and that their crisis plan are in full swing dealing with the sinking. I suspect though, that they have an even bigger corporate response team in full damage control. I would characterize this accident as the Deep water Horizon of the passenger ship business. I was telling my wife shortly after I heard of the disaster, how it would be convenient that the Capt be under the influence. That would make PR task so much easier, like the Exxon Valdez, all the blame on one person - nice and tidy - like usual.

Of course there was a navigational mistake made somewhere, certainly would point to breakdown in bridge procedures and contrary to normal training. I too suspect that they realize that the ship was too close and try to turn but swung the stern into the rock outcrop. Like mentioned before, the flooding was catastrophic and emmediate, I would suspect hitting in the aft engine room and propulsion motor room. I suspect they lost these two critical compartments immediately and dramatically, before closing the watertight doors. Judging from the picture I saw, I would say they had power on the main bus for much of the evacuation, there seem to me to be too many lights on to be just emergency generator.

I suspect that without the main propulsion, the Capt used his thrusters to push the ship into shore swinging out of deep water. Even with, guestimation, of 10 to 15 comp, the compromised compartments were just too big, too numerous, to widthstand free surface effect and sent the ship into uncontrolled list and capsize. Well that's my hypothesis from the info that's is floating around.

I am stupified of the salvage operation on the horizon, undoubtedly the largest in history... well, apart from naval ones. SMIT has been contracted to do it, will a hell of a job.

At the end of the day, news reports are quick to jump on the chaos, but ultimately the crew is to be commended to a great extent. After all, there were over 4000 souls onboard, in darkness, and no matter what you train for, this really is an unbelievable and extraordinary event that even weekly drills would hardly mentally prepare you for. Another point about not seeing officers during the evacuation, of course not the few onboard probably had a hell of a time. I can only imagine the EOOW on watch, that poor chap, and his motorman (men) are probably still on adrenaline - for sure they are not sleeping.

Like the Deepwater Horizon, and many other social and mechanical accidents, it shows that proper oversight is probably overlooked by governments on the assurances of industries - mainly through marketing rhetoric that they are safe. Well another accident proves that a healthy dose of scektiscism is in order.

I sure hope that these investigations are not kept under wraps to protect corporate interest like usual. But I will not hold my breadth. We've seen several jurisdiction put up official information websites, the latest like new Zealand rena's, cutting through the media dramatization and misinformation - here nothing yet...

[jimmys]

The vessel was underway on course when the rock impact took place. The flooding on the port side would cause the vessel to veer to port, also the forces of impact would cause the vessel to veer to port,the combination of these impacts plus the flooding being in the engine room area meant a loss of power. We can see the engine room overboards in the pics right above the impact area. The emergency generator cut in as the witnesses state and there was power. The emergency generator does not provide thruster power and the bridge has no manoeuvring power. The vessel has pod propulsion and there is no rudder. The reversal of course was not in the power of the deck officers and was a combination of the accident forces. She came back on herself and run aground. Further list caused the the loss of emergency power and she blacked out.
The hole in the side is marginal to cripple a two compartment ship such as this and it is unfortunate the impact happened in the engine room area.
I do not know what happened prior to the impact but what happen after it was consequential and the Master is not superman. Some of the comments on other sites concerning him are disgraceful.

[JK]

that is pretty well the best description that makes sense of events, I have seen .
The punters are having a field day in their comments. Egged on by the Company's PR machine, no doubt.

I came across a sight with some of the safety Q&A on BBC, I wonder if I can find it again. It was actually pretty good for a newspaper.
I love BBC, their site is so easy to get around.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16599236

[JK]

Maybe the Captain can use this as a defense:

http://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/20883-shi ... moved.html
Ship captains claim Earth moved

Posted on 17th Jan 2012 12:10 | By Cliff Edge

Earth scientists studying the after-effects of last year’s Japan earthquake, registering a 10 on the Richter scale, have discovered that the shifting continental plates have tilted the earth a little further on its axis. The result is a tiny, but measurable, alteration in time, distance and position in space.


Ships on the rocks - did the rocks move in the way?

The news didn’t surprise Tauranga resident Minnie Driver, who claims that her recent accident on Cameron Road was a direct result of her sat-nav being suddenly inaccurate.

“It’s been fine for ages, but since the earthquake it keeps telling me to turn about 25 metres before I get to the junction I want. True, I’ve met some interesting people, and surprised a few who were sweeping their drives, but this is clearly a new problem. I’ve spoken to makers Tim Tim, but they have investigated and blame lunchtime drinking. That’s scandalous, and probably only partly true.”

Other supposedly incompetent drivers have now come forward, and been joined by numerous other GPS users including trampers & boaties, many of whom have been hopelessly lost and branded as ‘stupid’ by emergency service staff.

They claim that GPS systems haven’t accounted for the shift in Earth’s position.

The captain of the Costa Concordia has claimed that the rock wasn’t on his chart.

The Rena’s master was surprised by the supposedly well-charted Astrolabe Reef, and both are now expected to claim that the ‘earth moved’ for them.

[JK]

This is interesting, don't have any idea if it is valid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn7o1mnvM2c

draft simulation of the dangerous passage of the concordia cruise ship using transas navi trainer 5000 simulator; based in real AIS track

[jimmys]

Great simulation track. I was having my Lambs navy stimulation last night when this rather attactive young lady came on the screen and stated that her and her husband were on the vessel, they were British. He was a crew member an engineer officer. They were in the officers accommodation at the incident. The usual television movement and lists were described. Her husband left her to go to the engine room to assist. He was not long gone and on his return stated to her the engine rooms were flooded, get warm clothes and life jackets its time to go. They were both saved !!!
Maybe stb side damaged as well. Will be interesting to see. A lot of flooding.

[JK]

I find it amazing that the ship is laying on her side, all of the machinery has spilled its oil, the vents are underwater and there has been no spill reported yet. Smit will began the effort of removing the fuel from the ship as the rescue effort has been stopped. That should be tricky, the ship has shifted and as the fuel is removed it will only shift more.

And reports are coming out that the ship has sailed closer to the island with the companies approval on a past trip.

But Richard Meade, the Editor of Lloyd's List, said: "The company's account of what happened, of the rogue master [Capt Schettino] taking a bad decision, isn't quite as black and white as they presented originally."

"This ship took a very similar route only a few months previously and the master would have known that.

Rogue Master, indeed Costa's PR machine is on overdrive. Next we will hear he worships Satan, from the company.

I wonder if the ship will be demolished on site .

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16606405

[jimmys]

The Master Mr Schettino has stated that while helping passengers he tripped and fell into a lifeboat, he was stuck there for one hour and the boat was launched with him in it. Also in the boat was Mr. Dimitri Christidis the Mate and Mr.Silvia Coronica the Third Mate. Its not clear whether they fell together. They were all coordinating the rescue from the lifeboat.
Its no wonder a lot of bad feeling against the Deck Officers.

[JollyJack]

It brings to mind the captain of the cruise ship which sank off South Africa, he "coordinated rescue efforts" from ashore. Seems the rule now is "Captains and Mates first!"

[JK]

the Captain should stop talking. He is digging a grave with his tongue, before the investigation!