I can't believe, or find it hard to, that they were not monitoring the bottom contour, heck any cheap fish finder will do that! Point one 45*
ahead & sides to know what you might run into! Yep I know a "big" ship does not turn or stop on a dime but if you know the contour you
also know if you are in the channel.
Check out the cruise Line Name, Costa should never have had a issue
like this regardless of where you board. Regardless of passenger boat drill's you should at least be able to count on the crew being able to keep their heads, not panic and properly respond to a real emergency.
I remember Murphy had a line that fit this situation, Something about plans and training never surviving first contact.
This disaster just proves the point:
If Something, Anything really happens you must be prepared to deal with it yourself.