This article has been updated since its original publication to reflect news developments.
The captain of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, which ran aground and capsized last night off the coast of Italy, killing at least three people with 50 more missing, has been arrested. Recently released statements from Costa Crociere (a Genoa-based cruise line that’s part of the massive Carnival Corporation family) and the Carnival Corporation (read them below) indicate that the ship ran aground, causing a major gash, then lost electricity and began taking on water. At one point it listed at 20 degrees (it finally turned on its side and capsized at about 45 degrees) as an emergency rescue operation commenced.
The captain reportedly maneuvered the ship as close as possible to the island of Giglio. Terrified, some passengers actually jumped overboard into the frigid sea and swam to the island, though most were rescued by lifeboats. Equally if not more terrifying was the fact that some 50 people, awaiting rescue after the captain announced the abandon ship order, could not get to lifeboats. They were pulled to safety via helicopters. According to news reports 50 people are still unaccounted and divers have been searching the ship. That search has been called off until daybreak on Sunday, due to low visibility in the dark.
Obviously at this point speculation is running rampant. Major news services are reporting that the internationally oriented Costa had passengers aboard the ship, from Italy, Germany, Great Britain and Australia, among others. We’ve heard no reports at this point that Americans were onboard.
Costa Concordia had just departed from Rome's port of Civitavecchia, en route to a seven-night Mediterranean cruise, on Friday afternoon.
The capsizing of a cruise ship is highly unusual though the last occurrence took place in 2007 when Louis Hellenic’s Sea Diamond went down off the coast of Greece’s Santorini. Two passengers died in that tragedy.
Here are two statements from Costa (Carnival Corporation) that we received earlier today:
- This one's from Carnival Corp./US:
Carnival Corporation & plc Statement Regarding Costa Concordia
MIAMI (January 14, 2012, 3:45pm EST) - This statement is from Carnival Corporation & plc in Miami, FL. Carnival Corporation & plc is the parent company of Costa Cruises.
On January 13, 2012, Costa Cruises’ vessel, the Costa Concordia, departed from Civitavecchia, Italy with approximately 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members on a seven-day voyage. At approximately 10:00pm CET, the vessel struck rock off the coast of Isola del Giglio, Italy and sustained significant damage causing the ship to list severely. The order was given to abandon ship and deploy the lifeboats.
Tragically, there are reports of some deaths and injuries. This is a terrible tragedy and we are deeply saddened. Carnival Corporation & plc offers our sympathies and heartfelt condolences to all of the Costa Concordia guests, crew members and their families. Carnival Corporation & plc and Costa Cruises are committing our full resources to provide assistance and ensure that all guests and crew are looked after.
We want to express our deep gratitude to the Italian Coast Guard and local authorities and community members who have gone to extraordinary lengths to assist in the evacuation of the ship and provide support for our guests and crew. We are working to fully understand the cause of what occurred. The safety of our guests and crew members remains the number one priority of Carnival Corporation & plc and all of our cruise lines.
_Costa Concordia _was sailing on a Mediterranean cruise from Civitavecchia (Rome) with scheduled calls at Savona, Italy; Marseille, France; Barcelona, Spain; Palma de Mallorca; Cagliari and Palermo, Italy.
- This one's from Costa in Italy:
Saturday 14th January, 5.30pm
"I want to express our deep sorrow for this terrible tragedy that devastates us”, said Gianni Onorato, President Costa Crociere.
"First of all, I would like to thank all the authorities, law enforcement and volunteers for all their efforts in helping and assisting our guests involved in this terrible event. We are not at this time able to provide answers to all of the questions as we are working in close cooperation with the authorities to try to understand the reasons for this incident.
On the basis of the preliminary evidence, the ship Costa Concordia under the command of the Master Francesco Schettino, was sailing as normal from Civitavecchia to Savona, when suddenly the ship struck a rock.
The Master who was on the bridge at that time, understood the severity of the situation and immediately performed a maneuver aimed to secure the guests and crew, and started the security procedures in order to prepare for an eventual ship evacuation. Unfortunately, this operation was complicated as result of a sudden tilt of the ship that made the disembarkation difficult.
Thanks to a coordinated effort by the Coast Guard, from that moment on, rescue operations have been further strengthened.
We have mobilized all possible resources ashore to assist our guests and crewmembers and prevent any possible environmental impact."
