Will the Costa Concordia disaster wake up regulators?
Costa Concordia was supposed to be impregnable, but it capsized off the Italian coast. At least six people died. For background please see my prior article Will Titanic-Like Images From Italy Change Behavior? When the Titanic sank, it left an indelible imprint and regulators acted.
In 1914, nations came together to form treaties concerning the safety of ships. These treaties are known as SOLAS. SOLAS stands for the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.
SOLAS prescribed safety procedures including the number of life boats and emergency equipment and continuous radio watches.
Newer versions of SOLAS were adopted in 1929, 1948, 1960, and 1964. The last significant amendment was made in 1988 to replace Morse code with the Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS).
Nothing of significance has happened since 1988 even though the cruise industry has totally changed. SOLAS seems to be be taking only small incremental steps. The basic premise behind the regulations has not changed since 1914. Regulators appear to be asleep.
The Costa Concordia Incident is Very Serious
At a time when a vigorous debate is raging about the role of regulation, I will let the reader be the judge as to what is right after reading how far behind the regulations are on the cruise industry.
Big Does Not Mean Impregnable
A long time ago experts thought the Titanic was impregnable. In recent years, experts have contended that the big ships are impregnable…Read More at Forbes