After accident, Carnival Corp. wants safety review
Jan 20, 2012, 2:01 AM
MIAMI (AP) – Carnival Corp., the parent company of Costa Cruises, announced on Thursday a comprehensive audit and review of all safety and emergency response procedures across all 10 of the company’s cruise lines.
Carnival Chairman and CEO Micky Arison said in a news release that last week’s accident of the Costa Concordia in Italy has called into question the company’s safety and emergency response procedures and practices.
The Costa Concordia capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio on Jan. 13 after the ship detoured from its programmed route and slammed into a reef. At least 11 people were killed and 21 are missing.
“While I have every confidence in the safety of our vessels and the professionalism of our crews, this review will evaluate all practices and procedures to make sure that this kind of accident doesn’t happen again,” Arison said.
The review is being led by retired U.S. Navy Capt. James Hunn, who currently is the company’s senior vice president of Maritime Policy & Compliance.
Hunn and executives from each of the corporation’s subsidiary cruise lines will review all safety policies, employee training, bridge management and response and support efforts. Carnival reported that it also is engaging outside experts to audit of all of the company’s emergency response and safety procedures. The outside experts will also conduct a review of the Costa Concordia accident.
“This company-wide initiative will identify lessons learned and best practices to further ensure the security and safety of all of our passengers and crew,” chief operations officer Howard Frank said.
Earlier Thursday, Cruise Line International Association President and CEO Christine Duffy called on the International Maritime Organization to undertake a comprehensive evaluation from the findings of the Costa Concordia investigation to ensure the cruising industry remains safe.
“While there is still a great deal not yet known about this incident, all of our members recognize the seriousness of these events and want to ensure that we apply the lessons learned from this tragic event,” Duffy said in London.
Carnival’s said in the news release that it welcomes such an evaluation.
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