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Costa Concordia Torn Apart For Scrap Five Years After Tragedy Struck

The Costa Concordia has finally been dismantled for scrap five years after it tragically sank, killing 32 people. The ship hit an underwater rock in January 2012 and capsized in Isola del Giglio, near Tuscany. The vessel had been carrying 4,252 people and 32 of these tragically drowned when the ship sank. The captain of the ship Francesco Schettino was then sentenced to 16 tears in jail for manslaughter. He had caused outrage as he fled the ship before all of the passengers had escaped safely. His sentence was increased due to the fact he had given false information...

The Definitive Guide to the Costa Concordia Tragedy

13th January 2012 is a date that will long live on in the memory of cruisers. It was the date the unthinkable happened; the date a modern cruise ship sank with the loss of thirty two lives. There’s been a lot written about the Costa Concordia and her Captain, Francesco Schettino over the last few years and no doubt more will be written still. Below is a timeline to the tragedy; from the initial, awful news right through to Schettino’s conviction for manslaughter. The Immediate Aftermath The initial news breaks on our forum – The overriding reaction is one of shock that something like this could happen. Initial details are sketchy and wild rumours fly around as people speculate as to what could have happened. The first pictures of the wreck appear – People express their sadness at the sight of a cruise ship keeled over on its side as well as expressing worry for anyone trapped on-board (details were still very sketchy at this point). Costa slash their cruise prices – Only a day after the tragedy a debate emerges when it turns out Costa have lowered the price of all their cruises. Was it too soon for this step to be taken? Costa Cruises release a full statement – Forty eight hours after the initial disaster Costa Cruises releases a statement laying responsibility for what...

Why the Costa Concordia has Made Cruising Safer

The 13th January saw the anniversary of one of the worst (and most avoidable) disasters of the modern cruising era. We are, of course, talking about the sinking of the Costa Concordia and the tragic loss of thirty two lives on the 13th January 2012. There’s been a lot written about that ill-fated night (which you can read here) but three years on we thought we’d put out a poll to our cruise community of over 200,000 people to find out how the tragedy had affected people’s opinions on cruising as a holiday choice. Perhaps the silver lining to the accident was the adoption of ten new safety precautions (see below) by the cruise industry to standardise and improve safety on-board cruise ships. Clearly these new measures have gone a long way in in reassuring holiday makers interested in a cruise as 70% of respondents we surveyed felt that not only were safety procedures clearly explained they had also massively improved since the sinking. Perhaps as an industry the cruise lines still have a little way to go though as nearly one in five cruisers (16.28% to be exact) felt that safety procedures were still confusing with room for improvement. Although perhaps most worrying statistic to come from the survey was the fact that 7% of cruisers were happy to admit that they either never attend or never pay...

Mega Ships Banned From Port That Has Been Cast ‘Victim Of Its Own Popularity’

It has just been announced that mega cruise ships will be under strict restrictions when arriving in popular Italian port, Venice. Certain vessels will be stopped from steaming past Venice’s St Mark’s Square under a new deal between the Italian government and Venice officials; the news will see the tourist ships re-routed to a nearby industrial port. After years of debate, it is hoped the move will balance the need for tourism and jobs with the city’s delicate ecosystem. It is widely understood that Venice has been a victim of its own popularity, with an onslaught of tourism that...