News From The Bow - Great Perspective on the Costa Concordia

This month's News From The Bow is a good one including reviews of the NY Boat Showand the Sea Joule solar-powered bilge pump, how to "un-document a vessel", an outlook on this season, last but not least an especially thoughtful article by good mate, Stu Hochron, on the Costa Concordia. Here is an excerpt:

Crisis at sea, like most disasters, is the result of not one, but many poor decisions. One or more of these poor decisions in and of themselves, may go unnoticed for years aboard a ship. Unfortunately, once ignored, poor management choices often become standard operating procedures.  At the current time, without the benefit of a formal inquiry, we know the following about bridge resource management aboard the Costa Concordia:

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  • Prior successful “fly-by’s” in the same waters provided the Captain with a false sense of security
  • No passenger safety briefing took place
  • A proper alert to the Coast Guard was delayed
  • Initial reports to the Coast Guard were, at best, incomplete
  • The ship was allowed to list considerably, making lifeboat deployment difficult or impossible, before passengers began abandoning ship
  • The Captain may not have been on the bridge during a critical maneuver
  • The crew was inadequately trained and experienced to handle such an emergency
  • The Captain did not effectively lead abandon-ship maneuvers

Comments

[Baydog]

I read somewhere that the safety briefing with passengers had to be done before or immediately after leaving the dock, and a full 'muster', with demonstrations on how to wear your life jacket, needs to be performed within 24 hours. I'd be surprised if that rule doesn't change. Airlines don't show you where the oxygen masks pop out of after you've already taken off - not that anyone pays attention, but still.....

[Pat]

Whaddaya mean the captain didn't effectively lead abandon-ship maneuvers? He was one of the very first people off, wasn't he? How does that not count as leading?