On the evening of January 13th, 2012, the cruise industry was forever changed after the modern, family cruise ship, the Costa Concordia collided with rocks and sank off the coast of Italy.
- The thought of a modern cruise ships, catering to families and couples on a romantic Mediterranean getaway, would be able to sink like she did, is truly unfathomable. Let’s break down what happened from start to finish and check out the true story of modern histories most famous ship disaster.
- 4,229 Passengers and Crew were aboard the Costa Concordia.
- Captain abandoned the ship while 80 people were still aboard.
- Carnival Corp. paid out only $15,000 for passengers who had died.
What is the ship had been a mile off the coast?
- Over 3,000 could have died.
The Great Video on the Costa Concordia Disaster
On 13 January 2012, the Costa Concordia struck an underwater rock and partially sank off the coast of Isola del Giglio, Tuscany.
- The eight-year-old Costa Cruises vessel was on the last leg of a cruise around the Mediterranean Sea when it deviated from its planned route at Isola del Giglio, sailed closer to the island, and struck a rock formation on the sea floor. Although a six-hour rescue effort brought most of the passengers ashore, 34 people died – 27 passengers, five crew, and later, two members of the salvage team.
A subsequent investigation focused on shortcomings in the procedures followed by Costa Concordia’screw and the actions of its captain, Francesco Schettino, who left the ship prematurely.
- He left about 300 passengers on board the sinking vessel, most of whom were rescued by helicopter or motorboats in the area. Schettino was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Despite receiving its own share of criticism, Costa Cruises and its parent company, Carnival Corporation, did not face criminal charges.
Costa Concordia was declared a “constructive total loss” by the cruise line’s insurer, and her salvage was “one of the biggest maritime salvage operations.”
- On 16 September 2013, the parbuckle salvage of the ship began, and by the early hours of 17 September, the ship was set upright on its underwater cradle. In July 2014, the ship was refloated using sponsons (flotation tanks) welded to its sides, and was towed 320 kilometres (200 mi) to her home port of Genoa for scrapping, which was completed in July 2017.
The total cost of the disaster, including victims’ compensation, refloating, towing and scrapping costs, is estimated at $2 billion, more than three times the $612 million construction cost of the ship.
- Costa Cruises offered compensation to passengers (to a limit of €11,000 per person) to pay for all damages, including the value of the cruise; one third of the survivors took the offer.