Costa Concordia, 114,500 tons and a draft of 8.5 meters, 1,500 cabins for 3,780 passengers, was heading from Civitavecchia to Savona at the cruising speed of 15.7 knots, when at first it ripped the keel against a rock, then toppled, while the crew tried to get closer to the coast of the “Island of Giglio.
Crew did his part, allowing the rescue of nearly all the passengers, avoiding that tehy will be trapped, as happened to some, into a sort of toppled tower.
Given the speed with which the incident has become critical, given that the ship toppled before they began the evacuation itself, it could have been much worse if the staff was unprepared and if they thought only themselves.
As the “hero of the day”, Chief Purser Marrico Giampetroni, trapped for 30 hours at the third level of the ship, after he helped many people get to safety before him.
Why has this disaster happened, how is possible for a giant of the sea as it was the Costa Concordia, though, of course, managed within the limits of safety and common sense?
Simple. The ship was not on the route that would have to passing off the Island of Giglio. Costa Concordia was in the narrow strait which separates the mainland coast.
The official Pilot’s Book indicates two routes to go from Civitavecchia to Savona or vice versa. The first, which goes off to the north of Sardinia, and a second, which leaves the island of Giglio on its own right, while sailing towards Liguria.
Yet, for some time, big cruise ships exceeded the Island of Giglio by the route which usually make the ferry, which is not prohibited and that is certainly most striking and perhaps slightly cheaper.
Unfortunately, it involves having to pass over a shallow with a “light” of a mile between reefs.
A wide margin for the enormous Costa Cruise, if something does not go wrong …
.
As seen on the nautical map, Costa Concordia was about 3 km north of usual route, that of “ferries”, as it is clear from official thanks that Mayor of Isola del Giglio sent to another ship commander some time ago.
And as we see, Costa Concordia passed on Secca di Mezzo Canale (Middle Channel Shallow).
Why Costa Concordia was there is not given to know, but it is a fact that large cruise ships are transiting nearby the coast – in the Mediterranean waters as in the Scandinavian fjords – to offer to tourist the “show” of little islands and seaside towns.
originale postato su demata
Italian Blogger 
Rispondi