News in Review – November 2013 – Teacher Resource Guide THE RAISING OF THE COSTA CONCORDIA SETTING THE STAGE: From Tragedy to Engineering Feat Imagine vacationing with your family
on a luxury cruise ship, visiting exotic
places and enjoying live entertainment
and excellent meals; if you can, you
are not alone! Over the last few years
the popularity of cruises has
skyrocketed. Globally in 2012, over
20 million people took a cruise!
(www.telegraph.co.uk, September 13, 2013)
Cruise lines have designed travel packages that
are affordable, themed —such as Disney cruises
that appeal to young families — and stop near
major global tourist sites. To accommodate this
huge market, bigger and bigger ships have been
built that can carry the equivalent of a small
town. The current largest cruise ship, Royal
Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, can carry 6 300
passengers and 2 394 crew members! This ship
and others include numerous decks, restaurants,
theatres, activity rooms and swimming pools.
One even has an artificial ice rink!
As popular as these cruises have become, there
has been concern about the safety of these
floating towns. There have been incidents where
ships lost power at sea, fires broke out, or
viruses spread among the crew and passengers.
Yet the cruise industry claims that this method
of travel is one of the safest in the world. In
January 2012, this claim was challenged when
the Italian cruise ship, Costa Concordia, ran
aground, killing 32 people. How could such a
technical marvel as this ship capsize and result
in so many deaths and wounded?
Costa Concordia’s ill omen The Costa Concordia was launched in 2006 with
an inauspicious debut when the champagne
bottle christening the ship failed to break; this
was seen as a bad omen by many mariners. The
ship was 17 stories high and included the usual
amenities — restaurants, swimming pools,
theatres, spas, and a huge central atrium that
extended over nine decks. It also had the latest
state of the art navigational technology and the
latest generation of engines. The ship was
assigned to the Mediterranean Sea route with
stops along the coasts of Italy and Spain. The
captain of the ship was Francesco Schettino who
had been with the cruise company since 2002,
working in security and as second in command
prior to acquiring the captaincy of the Costa
Concordia. He was a popular captain and was
respected by his peers. The voyage was expected
to be routine, with a full complement of
passengers and crew on board.
The ship set sail at 7 p.m. on January 13, 2012.
Shortly thereafter the passengers headed to one
of the many restaurants for dinner. The ship
slowly made its way along the Italian coastline
towards the island of Giglio in Tuscany. As the
ship approached this area, Captain Schettino was
on the bridge along with his friend and the ship’s
maitre d’, Antonello Tievoli, a native of Giglio.
The captain decided to honour his friend by
performing a salute to the residents of the area.
This involved the ship slowly moving close to
News in Review ∙ CBC Learning ∙ newsinreview.cbclearning.ca
21 NOVEMBER 2013 — THE RAISING OF THE COSTA CONCORDIA
land in full display to impress the locals. This
was not an unusual practice, and Captain
Schettino had performed it at least once before.
The captain expected the ship to come within
approximately 700 metres from shore. He felt
that was far enough from the reefs to avoid any
danger. However as the ship manoeuvred,
following the captain’s orders at a relative fast
speed of 15 knots, it hit submerged rocks at 9:42
p.m.. The first sign of trouble came when the
lights went out. Many passengers felt the initial
collision; it was followed by a harder blow that
sent dishes and furniture flying around the
rooms. The night of horror had begun!
Blunders and delays Most passengers realized something dramatic
had occurred but did not know the extent of the
damage. They looked to the crew for
information and guidance. At first the crew was
told there had been an electrical problem and the
appropriate action was being taken to solve the
issue. Many passengers, however, believed this
was incorrect and began scrambling to the
outside decks with their life jackets. What the
passengers and many crew members did not
know was that the ship had a 70 metre gouge
below the waterline and water was flooding the
ship’s engine generators.
With no power the ship began to drift out to sea.
It was clear that if the ship was not contained
close to shore it could completely sink, with
many causalities and deaths. It appears that the
captain may have successfully powered up a
reserve generator and steered the ship to shore,
News in Review ∙ CBC Learning ∙ newsinreview.cbclearning.ca
22 NOVEMBER 2013 — THE RAISING OF THE COSTA CONCORDIA
or the prevailing winds and currents guided the
ship. Some passengers had called relatives and
friends on shore, and soon word reached the
Italian Coast Guard that there was some type of
incident involving the ship. When a captain of
the Coast Guard contacted the ship he was told
there was no immediate emergency, that there
had been an issue with the electrical system and
that the situation was under control. However as
more calls were made to people on shore by
panicked passengers, it became clear there was
something more serious happening.
At 10:28 the Italian Coast Guard operations
center called on all available ships to head to the
collision site to offer assistance. At this point the
ship began to list on its side, creating panic
among the passengers and crew. As passengers
tried to make their way towards the decks, it was
hard to believe that the captain still had not
given the order to abandon ship. In fact when
some passengers questioned the crew they were
told to return to their cabins and await further
instructions.
After the Costa Concordia settled on the rocks
and began to list even further, authorities on
shore began a rescue operation. Ships headed to
the site and marine helicopters were called into
service. The local hotel and church were opened,
ready to received rescued passengers. Finally at
10:58 the order was given to abandon ship. By
this time over 2 000 passengers were lined up on
the decks, many wearing only their night clothes
while waiting to be evacuated. Once the lifeboat
gates were opened, people rushed forward and
mass panic ensued. Families were separated,
people were screaming, children were crying,
and there seemed to be no one in charge. Slowly
order was restored, and by 12:15 over 3 000
people had been safely evacuated from the
stricken ship. At this time, however, the ship
continued to roll on its starboard side and many
people were forced to jump and swim to shore.
Captain abandons sinking ship Captain Schettino had decided at this time that
he would also abandon ship, and while
retrieving items from his cabin, he claimed to
have slipped and fallen into a lifeboat.
As the ship continued to roll over, those
passengers still inside feared that the ship would
completely turn over and trap them inside.
People tried to scramble up to the side of ship
that was still above the water. One passenger
managed to acquire a rope and used it to help
people scurry down the side of the ship to
waiting rescue boats. This was a difficult
process as the side of the ship was slippery.
Many elderly passengers did not understand the
process or were too frightened to take the
chance. However with the help of some
international sign signals and assistance,
passengers were able to navigate the route.
While these events were taking place, Captain
Schettino was contacted on his cell phone by
one of the Coast Guard supervisors. The captain
indicated he had left the ship. The supervisor
was stunned that the captain would leave the
ship while there were still people on board. This
went against the most basic maritime law that
the captain remains on the ship until all
passengers and crew have been safely evacuated.
The captain was ordered to return to the ship and
coordinate the rescue operations. He claimed he
was in the process of helping rescue passengers
from his boat and soon landed on shore.
Captain Schettino was located at 11:40 p.m. and
was taken away by a representative of the cruise
company.
By 5 a.m. almost the entire ship’s complement
was rescued, but unfortunately 32 people would
die due to drowning or hypothermia.
News in Review ∙ CBC Learning ∙ newsinreview.cbclearning.ca
23 NOVEMBER 2013 — THE RAISING OF THE COSTA CONCORDIA
Efforts turn to salvage In the morning light it was clear that although
the vast majority of people were safe, the
crippled ship now lay on its side and posed a
huge threat to the environment. Now the focus
shifted from a rescue to a salvage operation.
After the rescue operation was over, divers were
sent into the submerged section of the ship to
attempt to locate the remains of the missing.
Thirty bodies were located and removed from
the ship.
Now the authorities had to deal with how to
remove the ship from the rocks and float it to a
suitable harbour. It was decided that once the
ship was safely removed and transported it
would be cut up for scrap metal; there would be
no future Costa Concordias. The first priority
was to drain the fuel tanks before the gas and oil
polluted the sensitive waters of Giglio.
Once this was completed engineers investigated
their options. They needed to right the ship and
then either tow it to a port or place it on a barge
that would take it to a safe haven. The question
was how do you upright a ship weighing over
114 000 tons that was deteriorating in salt water
and open to the elements?
The answer was provided by basic physics —
parbuckling. The submerged section of the ship
would have chains connected to the land which
would act as a stabilizing feature. The visible
section would have metal compartments
attached to it and they would be filled with
water. As the water filled the compartments, the
weight would gradually cause the ship to slowly
move upright. The basic work to attach the
cables and compartments took a number of
months, and the actual operation took 19 hours.
It was the largest such operation in maritime
history. It was a testament to the ingenuity and
hard work of the international corps of engineers
that such a task was successfully completed.
The story of the Costa Concordia is still not
completed. The ship is resting upright and plans
are being made to move it for dismantling.
Captain Schettino and 5 other crew members are
on trial for their actions. The captain faces
manslaughter charges. Although technology
could not prevent the Costa Concordia’s demise
it was able to safely remove it and avoid further
destruction.
Dramatic recovery effort This short clip from The National offers excellent animation and time‐lapse footage of the operation to upright the Costa Concordia: cbc.ca/player/Shows/Shows/The+National/About+the+Show/Sasa+Petricic/ID/2406722823/ News in Review ∙ CBC Learning ∙ newsinreview.cbclearning.ca
24 NOVEMBER 2013 — THE RAISING OF THE COSTA CONCORDIA
VIDEO REVIEW Pre‐viewing 1. Have you taken a cruise? If so, what did you like about it? Did you have any concerns about traveling
on such a large vessel? Did you notice any safety precautions?
2. After passengers were removed from the Costa Concordia, it was decided to try and upright the ship
from the rocky area on which it rested. What might be the challenges of uprighting the ship?
3. What plan would you recommend to raise this ship? (As you watch the video, keep your own ideas in
mind and compare them to the actual procedure carried out by the engineers.)
While viewing 1. Why did Italians feel so responsible for the sinking and raising of the Costa Concordia? Do you think
their feelings were justified?
2. What evidence can you find that indicates there was little organization to help passengers escape the
ship? What could have been done to calm the passengers?
3. What explanations can you provide regarding the captain’s actions that night? Categorize your points
under titles such as reasons condemning the captain, and reasons sympathetic to the captain. Which
reasons do you find more compelling?
Condemning News in Review ∙ CBC Learning ∙ newsinreview.cbclearning.ca
Sympathetic 25 NOVEMBER 2013 — THE RAISING OF THE COSTA CONCORDIA
4. Why would the authorities decide to risk raising the vessel and not just dismantle it where it sank?
5. Do you think the technological feat of raising the Costa Concordia demonstrated that technology has
more positive than negative uses?
Post‐viewing 1. Should cruise ships be automated with just a small crew to oversee passages to avoid future sinkings?
To help you organize your information you can use the following chart.
Arguments supporting the idea Arguments against the idea Decision 2. It is ironic that the sinking of the Costa Concordia happened 100 years after the sinking of the Titanic.
Compare the sinking of the Costa Concordia to the Titanic. Which event do you think was the more
significant?
•
See the following site which provides a comparison: www.livescience.com/18004-costaconcordia-titanic-comparison.html.
•
Use the Historical Significance worksheet on the News in Review website to help you decide:
newsinreview.cbclearning.ca/worksheets/historical_significance/
3. Reviewing the information on the events of the sinking of the Costa Concordia, what suggestions
would you make to try and ensure such a disaster does not occur again? Working with a partner or
group to identify the various events that lead to the sinking and poor evacuation and suggest possible
solutions.
Problem/concern News in Review ∙ CBC Learning ∙ newsinreview.cbclearning.ca
Possible solution 26 NOVEMBER 2013 — THE RAISING OF THE COSTA CONCORDIA
4. How safe are current cruise ships? Examine a website for a cruise line and analyze one of the ships.
For a sample site to begin your research see the following information from Carnival Cruise Lines:
www.carnival.com/legal/safety-security.aspx. To help you organize the information you could
complete a K-W-L chart:
What I WANT to know (need to research) What I KNOW What I LEARNED News in Review ∙ CBC Learning ∙ newsinreview.cbclearning.ca
27