What Cruise Ship Crashed in Italy?

By Alice Nichols

On the 13th of January 2012, the Costa Concordia cruise ship crashed into a rock off the coast of Isola del Giglio, Italy. The accident took place during a scheduled Mediterranean cruise and resulted in 32 deaths and 64 injuries.

The cruise ship was carrying 4,229 passengers and crew at the time of the crash.

The accident occurred after a navigational error when the captain decided to sail close to shore in order to perform a ‘salute’ maneuver for passengers on board, who had been able to view the lights of Isola del Giglio from afar. However, due to an incorrect reading on navigational charts, Captain Francesco Schettino sailed too close to shore and the ship struck a rock that tore a 160-meter long gash along its left side.

The impact caused flooding of several engine rooms and within two hours of striking the rock, the vessel was listing heavily and eventually capsized. The evacuation process began shortly after but went on for many hours as only half of the lifeboats were suitable for use due to their location on one side of the vessel which had already sunk below sea level.

The aftermath of this disaster was immense with multiple investigations being launched by both Italian and European authorities into why this tragedy occurred. It was determined that there were multiple factors that contributed to it including design flaws in the cruise ship, inadequate safety procedures onboard, errors in navigation as well as negligence from members of staff.

Conclusion:

The Costa Concordia cruise ship crashed into a rock off Isola del Giglio on January 13th 2012 resulting in 32 deaths and 64 injuries. Investigations showed multiple factors which contributed to this accident including design flaws in the cruise ship, inadequate safety procedures onboard as well as errors in navigation and negligence from members of staff.