Calls for improving safety of passenger vessels after the Costa Concordia disaster is likely to lead action on three levels, speakers at a news conference in London called by Cruise Lines’ International Association (CLIA), European Cruise Council (ECC) and Passenger Shipping Association(PSA) said.
On the international level, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) will be the key platform and Italy, the flag state of Costa Concordia, is likely to come up with its own proposals and recommendations in the near future, said dr. Tom Allan, permanent representative of the UK in the IMO, the United Nations’ maritime organisation that has its headquarters in London.
Secondly, passenger shipping industry organisation themselves are likely to review safety questions and thirdly, individual cruise shipping companies are also likely to see what can be done to enhance safety further.
While it will probably take years before any new safety measures introduced by IMO would take effect, those initiated on the company and industry organisation level can be introduced sooner, Allen continued.
Allen also pointed out that large vessels in themselves are good from safety point of view, because they allow designers more freedom in arranging watertight sub-division than smaller ships. Design of evacuation systems also enjoys the same flexibility, Allen said, pointing out that large vessels are in the lead when it comes to innovation and development of safety on board cruise ships.
The panelists did not want to discuss Costa Concordia in particular as investigation to the causes of the accident is in progress. The discussion did not touch human error aspects in accidents, factor that appears to have played the greatest role in this case, but focused more on matters of technical and new safety nature in general.
