As most are aware, on January 13, 2012, the Costa Concordia ran aground, hitting rocks which tore a 300 foot hole in its hull, off the coast of the Italian island of Giglio. To date, sixteen people are known to have perished in the Concordia tragedy, and one month later, there are still sixteen more missing, presumed dead by authorities.
It is shocking to have so many deaths, especially considering the circumstances of the Concordia tragedy.
My earlier column, Life safety cruise ship regulation reform is essential, discussed issues of lifeboats and passenger/crew drills to prepare for emergencies like those faced by the passengers of the Costa Concordia and called for significant regulation reform.
While it may be considered “damage control” by the cruise ship industry, to their credit, CLIA, the Cruise Lines International Association, the world’s largest cruise association, launched the Cruise Industry Operational Safety Review, in response to the Concordia tragedy.
The “review” consists of four major components:
1. An internal review of the operational and safety procedures by all CLIA members.
2. External independent expert consultation.
3. Best practices and policies identification and sharing.
4. A promise to collaborate with the IMO (International Maritime Organization) governments and regulatory bodies to implement regulatory changes.
The review is ongoing. ECC, the European Cruise Council, which represents the leading cruise companies operating in Europe, and PSA, the Passenger Shipping Association, which represents cruise and ferry companies in the United Kingdom, have both welcomed CLIA’s Safety Review and are cooperating with it.
Last Thursday, February 9, CLIA announced, along with both the ECC and the PSA, that they have adopted a new emergency drill policy requiring mandatory muster drills (lifeboat drills) for embarking passengers, prior to their ship’s departure from the port.
The muster drill policy exceeds the existing legal requirements of SOLAS, (the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea) Chapter III, Part B, Regulation 19, 2.2, stating that muster drills must take place within 24 hours of sailing, for all cruise ship passengers and crew.
Now, if you’re a passenger on any of the ships of the cruise lines who belong to CLIA, ECC and PSA, before your cruise departs from its port of embarkation, you will be required to participate in the muster drill.
This is good news for cruise ship passenger safety, and should have no negative economic impact on the participating cruise lines.
The muster drill, in my opinion, is essential practice for passengers and crew alike. The crew improves their ability to carry out emergency orders to ensure passenger safety and to help passengers abandon the ship, if necessary.
Passengers become familiar with the ship’s emergency procedures and what they must do to protect themselves in case of fire or other emergencies, and if they must abandon the ship. Familiarity helps eliminate, or at least reduce, confusion and panic on the part of the passengers, which would be natural in the event of a real emergency.
The quick adoption of this new policy, more stringent than SOLAS requirements, while a quick grab of “low-hanging fruit,” is an effective change, nevertheless.
While this action, which can be undertaken quickly and easily, as we wait for a wider range of solutions, is an excellent safety upgrade, it is extremely disappointing. There is at least one other safety upgrade which is so simple, and easy, that it should require no additional thought on the part of the cruise ship industry to immediately implement.
CLIA, ECC and PSA should have upgraded their muster drill policy to include a requirement that all passengers must wear their life vests at their muster station during the muster drill, and that every passenger’s vest must be inspected by a crew member to ensure each passenger can put it on and secure it properly.
I have attended many muster drills over the years and have personally witnessed countless passengers put on their life vests so badly, that if the passengers would ever have to slip or jump into the water, the vests would come off.
Requiring cruise ship crews to inspect every passenger’s life vest, as put on by the passengers, would go a long way to ensure cruise ship passenger safety. The life vest inspection and instruction is more “low hanging fruit,” and should not negatively impact the cruise lines’ “bottom line.”
CLIA, ECC and PSA should immediately implement a mandatory life-vest rule, requiring passengers wear life vests at the muster station during the muster drill. The crew should then inspect each passenger’s life vest to ensure it’s properly put on and secured. Those who wear it improperly should be instructed about how to put it on and secure it.
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