Cruising The Past Cruise News “It was dog eat dog…” Passenger aboard the Carnival Corp’s Costa Concordia…
Carnival Corp’s Costa Concordia Captain hauled off to jail. Passengers aboard the stricken Costa cruise ship say that they observed Italian Master Francesco Schettino draped in a blanket aboard a lifeboat heading to safety as the vessel’s crew and passengers struggled for their lives.
There is also talk that the captain intentionally deviated from course to “buzz the island,” which if true takes this case from sinple negligence to recklessness or intentional misconduct. Arrested in Rome for manslaughter and abandoning ship, Captain Schettino talked about “lateral projections of rocks” and other phantom rubbish, rather than his own foolishness, which tore the hull apart and doomed his cruise ship. He boasted that he saved lives and was the last to leave the vessel, apparently forgetting about his chief purser who was trapped aboard the ship. The captain of a vessel is the supreme master of his ship at sea.
The captain is ultimately responsible not only for the safe navigation of the vessel, but for the discipline and order of the crew and the safety of all crew and passengers. Initial reports suggest that Captain Schettino failed on all accounts.
In an unregulated industry which looks for a scapegoat, the cruise line (Carnival Corp) will focus on an irresponsible and renegade captain as the sole cause of the disaster which unfolded this weekend.
If passenger accounts are correct, Captain Schettino will long be considered a coward who abandoned his responsibilities and duties after wrecking the Concordia and killing scores of innocents in the process.
The ship should be considered as not very seaworthy from the photos.
Billionaire Micky Arison is the ultimate man responsible for hiring the captain. He heads Carnival Corp. They own Costa. He has refused to go to Italy. Carnival Corp is as responsible for this tragedy as Schetinno. Arison has hired a major public relations firm to do a media spin so Carnival is not responsible. This is what happens when you have an unregulated cruise industry. Remember that this was an American owned ship. Arison is hiding out in Miami with other Carnival Corp executives.
Cruise and Liner History: Victims of Carnival Corp’s Costa Concordia will have difficult time getting money out of American Miama based cruise company.
The old adage says that the captain goes down with his ship, but in the case of the Costa Concordia (Carnival Corp), survivor accounts allege that Captain Francesco Schettino and his crew abandoned the sinking cruise liner while hundreds of passengers remained on board, according to CNN.
Captain Schettino reportedly had a back-and-forth with the Port Authority, who told him to “Get on board on the ship” and to report “how many people there are,” per audio released in Corriere della Serra and translated by The Telegraph.
Infrared video shot by the Italian coast guard and published by London Daily Mail showed passengers aboard the sinking cruise ship sliding down a rope to safety, one by one. Per the report, one French passenger, Daniele Perruchon, said children were screaming, “I don’t want to die,” as the crew pushed past them, trying to save themselves.
Andrea Davis, a woman from Calgary, Canada, on holiday with her husband, Laurence, described the ordeal to The Calgary Herald.
“People were stampeding and bodies were flying and crushing into walls and doors were flying off hinges and glass was flying from the upper levels,” Davis said.
Davis’ husband gave a more succinct description to the Calgary Herald.
“It was dog eat dog,” Laurence Davis said.
American passenger Karen Camacho and her husband, Luis Hernandez, were aboard the Costa Concordia and escaped via lifeboats, according to USA Today. But even since escaping the wreckage, Camacho has described the resulting days as less than ideal, having abandoned the ship with no money.
“The (U.S.) Embassy sent taxis, and we got temporary passports,” Camacho told USA Today. “We have not heard from Costa. I think they are paying for the hotel, but they have done nothing (else).”
Of course Costa is American owned Carnival Cruises.
Carnival Corporation of Miami, Costa Concordia’s parent company, posts their contract (it’s nearly 8,000 words long) on the company website. It’s likely to pose barriers to claims for both physical injury and property loss arising from Friday night’s disaster.
Such contracts are not unique to Carnival, of course. Other cruise lines use them too, and so do tour operators and adventure travel companies. But reading the fine print in light of the latest tragedy offers a rare glimpse at how the legal lingo could apply to a real life situation. Before you sign on to one of these deals, you should know what it says.
Here’s the bottom line on some key contract terms that could limit claims by victims of the latest tragedy and could affect you if you take a cruise.
If you get hurt, don’t blame them. This is called an “assumption of risk.” For example, in one spot the Carnival contract says, “The Guest admits a full understanding of the character of the Vessel and assumes all risks incident to travel and transportation and handling of Guests and cargo.” In a separate paragraph it indicates, “Guests assume responsibility for their own safety and Carnival cannot guarantee Guest’s safety at any time.”
Translation: Whatever happens isn’t the cruise company’s fault. This probably won’t help Carnival if Costa Concordia’s captain is convicted of manslaughter (a crime). But if he is found to be negligent (in this context meaning he did something he shouldn’t have done and as a result people were harmed), this clause could help shield the cruise company.
Have fun trying to collect for property damage. If you plan to bring certain valuables on board, like jewelry, money or cameras, you must let Carnival know ahead of time in writing, and agree not to pack those items in your luggage. The contract says luggage “means only trunks, valises, satchels, bags, hangers and bundles with their contents consisting of only such wearing apparel, toilet articles and similar personal effects as are necessary and appropriate for the purpose of the journey.”
In addition, the contract makes every attempt to limit the situations in which Carnival is responsible for lost luggage.
