Time for a safety check !

Just over a week ago three thousand passengers from a variety of countries embarked on the Costa Concordia to cruise the smooth waters of the Mediterranean.    They had every expectation that the ship was under the command of a competent captain and that he had a well trained crew, willing and able to handle any emergency.   The ship was in perfect condition - and there seems to be no reasonable excuse for the disaster that unfolded.

Eventually, an enquiry will probe the events that followed when the ship deviated from it's course and hit a rock close to Giglio island.   What is perfectly clear is from that moment chaos reigned and all the rules of good seamanship went out the window.   The passengers were assured that the event that plunged the ship into darkness was a minor electrical fault - and they were disastrously told to return to their cabins.  The Coast Guard was assured there was no emergency, and hence no rescue operation was mounted.  It seems that many of the crew had not the slightest idea how to lower the lifeboats and the ship was listing disastrously before the order to abandon ship was given.

Fortunately - someone had the good sense to steer this mortally wounded vessel directly to the shore - where she was run aground.   Had she remained in deep water, the loss of just thirteen lives - with another twenty-four people still " missing " - could have run into thousands.    The conduct of the captain leaves a lot to be explained and no doubt  this will feature heavily when the enquiry eventually gets under way.

Luxury cruise liners are a familiar sight in Australian ports and cruising the Pacific is a favourite holiday destination for citizens of this country.    The passengers of the Costa Concordia though they were in good hands.   How safe are we on the ships servicing the Australian trade ?

It seems to be a grey area.   These are ships registered in a foreign country and subject to an array of rules and laws of the sea.   A captain of such a ship has extraordinary powers - many of which hark back to the days of sail - and include the right to conduct both marriage and burial ceremonies.  It is thought that these old laws confer the right for a ship's master to execute pirates by hanging them from the yardarm - if ships still have a yardarm in their rigging.

What is not clear is just what standards of crew training exist when it comes to abandoning a ship at sea - and what avenues Australian authorities have in insisting that such training is up to scratch.

Cruise ships in Australian waters have an enviable safety record, but then it takes an event like the Costa Concordia disaster to highlight any deficiencies.

Now would be a good time for Australia to ask probing questions - and demand positive answers - to be certain that the cruise ships using our ports - and carrying Australian passengers - are meeting the required safety standards !