It's possible, since it is up to each country to enact laws that hopefully fulfill any international standards like SOLAS.

The Costa Concordia is an interesting case for maritime law. You have an Italian captain for an Italian flagged vessel that has an incident in Italian territorial waters. That's seems very clear cut compared to your more typical disaster out in international waters with a captain from one country and the vessel being registered in some third country and lot's of grey areas involved.

Unless it is sinking with a 150 ft gash in its hull. The first thing we need to do to make "a ship is its own best lifeboat" is to build them such that they cannot under any circumstance sink -- not going to happen.

Italy is going to make this former Captain's life a living H***

Fire has always been my #1 concern on a cruise ships. That's why I won't go unless I can book a cabin with a balcony.

People who 'cruise on the cheap' say that they really don't spend much time in their cabin. That's because they are usually very small. If you are over 6' prepare to be uncomfortable if you cruise steerage class. Not to mention water sloshing on the port hole can be unsettling if you are lucky enough to have one.

Also, older cruise ships can get a little ripe with mold operating in the tropics. Fresh air is always a nice upgrade.

That didn't seem argumentative to me.

I was speculating, based on the USCG requirement for cruise ships in US waters to go through periodic safety inspections, including abandon ship drills. SOLAS supposedly requires that everybody be able to get off within half an hour after mustering (I can't find a copy of SOLAS that doesn't cost money). Half an hour seems like a really long time after mustering; you should be able to load the lifeboats and put them in the water in 15 minutes or less if the ship isn't listing or otherwise making movement of the passengers or the lifeboats difficult.

Interview with a British couple who got off the boat.
They were amongst the last 100 to be evacuated off-ship.
They explain when the passengers got panicky during the process.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/17..._n_1210147.html

Looks like the ship captain did ONE thing right.
After the ship was holed, it continued out to deeper water.
Apparently he turned the boat and brought it back into the shallows.
That stopped the cruise liner from completely capsizing when it took on water -
the ship listed but did not turn over. Probably saved countless lives.
But does not excuse his early departure from the boat.

Pete2

Does anyone know how long it actually took from the time the "abandon ship" order was given until all the living passengers were off the ship? The warm weather, and water temps no doubt saved lives. Can you imagine this scenario playing out on an Alaskan glacier cruise.

Apparently a number of life boats were the water 10 mins after the abandon ship order was given. Authorities apparently believe the evac started before the order was given, so this is not a good example.

I read that some of the crew mutinied over delay in the abandon ship order and started anyway.

Don't know if its been posted but this is the best recording I've found of the conversation between the coast guard and capt. Schettino. Holy crap.

Coast Guard talking to Costa Concordia