What Was the Last Cruise Ship to Sink?

By Robert Palmer

What Was the Last Cruise Ship to Sink?

The last cruise ship to sink was the Costa Concordia, an Italian cruise liner that capsized and sank off the coast of Tuscany in January 2012. The accident occurred when the vessel struck a submerged rock, resulting in a large gash that caused the ship to take on water.

At the time of the disaster, there were 3,229 passengers and 1,023 crew members onboard. The captain and many of his officers initially abandoned ship before all passengers had been evacuated, resulting in 32 fatalities. It was one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in recent history.

The Costa Concordia was built in 2006 and was operated by Costa Crociere, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation. It had a double-hull design and was equipped with numerous safety features such as life rafts and life boats designed to carry passengers off the ship if an emergency occurred. Despite these safety measures, many passengers were still unable to evacuate due to inadequate communication from crew members and overcrowding on some of the escape routes.

An investigation into the sinking revealed that it could have been avoided if appropriate safety protocols had been followed. The captain was found guilty of multiple manslaughter charges, negligence and abandoning his post before all passengers had been evacuated safely. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in the disaster.

In addition to criminal proceedings, multiple civil suits were filed against Costa Crociere for damages caused by their negligence leading up to—and during—the sinking of their vessel. As a result of these lawsuits, Carnival Corporation set aside $1 billion for compensation payments for victims of the disaster.

The wreckage of Costa Concordia was eventually towed away from its resting place off Tuscany’s shores and taken away for scrap metal recycling in July 2014 after two months worth of salvage operations costing over $1 billion USD. The wreck is now considered one of history’s most expensive maritime salvage projects ever undertaken.

In conclusion, the last cruise ship to sink was Costa Concordia which experienced a catastrophic failure due its lack of proper safety protocols. This incident resulted in 32 fatalities as well as multiple lawsuits against its operator Costa Crociere who set aside $1 billion dollars for compensation payments for victims affected by this disaster. Salvage operations eventually removed what remained from its resting place off Tuscany’s shores after over 2 months worth of work costing more than $1 billion USD making it one of history’s most expensive maritime salvage projects ever undertaken