Could the Costa Concordia Disaster Have Been Prevented?

A similar disaster to the recent cruise ship debacle could happen again. The good news is we already know how to prevent it. On the evening of January 13, 2012, the cruise ship Costa Concordia departed the port of Citiavecchia, Italy bound for her homeport of Savona with 4,200 passengers and crew.  A few hours later she lay on her side, wrecked on the rocks on the shore of Giglio Island.  How could such a thing happen to a modern ship in this age of technology? The answer is the same as in most disasters in the maritime industry: the human factor.

The governing body that produces international regulations for the maritime industry is International Maritime Organization (IMO).  The IMO produced the International Safety Management (ISM) Code, in part, to address human factors in accidents. The ISM code has been mandatory for passenger vessels since July 1, 1998. We continue to see disasters, in part, due to inadequate implementation and enforcement of the ISM Code.  The tools are already in place to prevent the next disaster. The question is, are we willing to do the work to do it right?

Source: Kevin Gilheany is a maritime industry consultant and speaker, a retired U.S. Coast Guard marine inspector, certified auditor, marine surveyor and crew endurance management expert. Through his company, Maritime Compliance International, LLC, Kevin works with companies to achieve operational excellence through leadership and compliance.

For more information: www.maritimecomplianceinternational.com or [email protected].

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