She's cosy and welcoming. She's entertaining. She's a floating bomb. by Herold Vesperi
- May 13
- 2 min read
An analysis of the dangers carried by the business-driven choices affecting the design of new ships, and a critical view of the image a subservient media provides.
This work, in a journalistic style, takes into account the political, economical and technical side of the cruise industry and almost the entire business. It contains an analysis of the inherent dangers carried by the business driven choices that affect the design of the new ships and a critical view of the image that a subservient media provides of that world.
By reviewing the way the event of the past were reported and how the stories are still told today this work underscores the weaknesses and the faults that were not meant to be seen by the public. How artfully generated confusion and misleading reports managed to hide all those flaws and weaknesses in plain sight.
Beyond the deception, this work underscores the lessons that have never been learnt because the business cannot afford to learn while they chase the myth of eternal growth. A policy that pushed all the major cruise lines to accumulate huge debts that weigh heavily on the accounting, notwithstanding the big sums they can earn during the good years. Those debts now dictate the frantic pace of their operations that leaves little time for maintenance and they also determine the technical choices behind the design of the new ships, thus leaving many open questions about the impact they have on the safety of the passengers.
Excerpt:
When the Costa Concordia entered service in 2006 she was among the largest cruise ships in the world, a magnificent example of a joyous and carefree world. The passengers were not supposed to do anything else, but enjoy their time on board. They did not enjoy their last night though, packed on the bridge of a sinking ship, waiting to board a lifeboat for the unexpected journey towards safety. The following day the reporting was sensationalistic, full of surprise and confusing. So much confusing that what really happened was never properly told. All we know is that the ship deviated from the planned route, something went wrong and the ship struck rocks with such a force that not only it tore open the hull, it also broke off and lodged in the hull a massive granite block. The breach was so long that it spanned multiple watertight compartments, it flooded both generator rooms and the sea water quickly knocked off all the main generators. In a short time the ship was left powerless, drifting away, still pushed by that inertia that the hard rocks could not dissipate.
After a while a small emergency generator restored some power, just enough to power the emergency lights, the speakers, some instruments and the rudder. After drifting for about 2 kilometres finally the inertia was dissipated and the crew exploiting the wind and the little help that the rudder could provide directed the ship towards the coast, where she partially sank in shallow water and went to rest on the sea bed. The evacuation began when the ship stopped drifting and it took about six hours to complete.
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