Cruise safety top of mind

Italian disaster has folks worried about big ships

In the wake of the Costa Concordia catastrophe Jan. 13 that killed at least 17 people and raised troubling questions about the ship’s captain, many tourists are wondering: How safe am I on a cruise?

Well, the chance of dying in a cruise accident is small. From 2005 to 2010, about 100 million passengers took cruises, and there were 16 deaths attributed to marine accidents, according to the Cruise Lines International Association.

But the Concordia, which ran aground off the Tuscan coast of Italy a few hours after departure, has the cruise industry on the defensive.

“All of our members recognize the seriousness of these events,” said Christine Duffy, president of the Cruise Lines International Association, in a media briefing last month.

Still, no regulatory changes have actually been made, although there has been plenty of discussion about the growing size of ships and the 24-hour window after boarding in which ships must run safety drills.

At the time of the deadly wreck, just off the coast of Isola del Giglio, about 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members were aboard the Costa Concordia, a massive vessel owned by a subsidiary of Carnival Corp.

Some travel industry experts say the sheer size of the Concordia and other cruise ships may pose greater evacuation challenges because of the large number of passengers, but cruise officials point out that regulations have kept pace with the size of the ships. Evacuation routes and safety equipment, including the size and number of lifeboats, are “scaled in accordance with the increased size of the vessel,” said Capt. William Wright, a senior vicepresident at Royal Caribbean International, at the briefing convened by the Cruise Lines International Association.

There is no indication that size was a factor in the Concordia accident, but the 24-hour window for safety drills is being scrutinized.

Unlike airplane safety announcements, which take place before takeoff, cruise drills aren’t required before the ship leaves the dock. The Concordia passengers who had boarded before Civitavecchia had already been through the drill, but nearly 700 passengers who joined the ship there had not. The next drill had been scheduled for the following day.

While the Carnival Corp. said it will do “a comprehensive audit and review” of safety procedures, at least one other cruise line, Prestige Cruise Holdings, the parent company of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas, has announced that it will hold drills on the day of departure. Previously, those drills were occasionally held the next morning.

There are other concerns that passengers should keep in mind.

VIRUSES: Last year, there were 14 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illnesses on 10 ships, affecting hundreds of passengers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The illnesses included the highly contagious norovirus.

Cruise companies increase cleaning and disinfecting procedures if there is an outbreak, including scouring “high-touch” areas of ships, like banisters and elevator buttons. But such measures can’t prevent a sick passenger from infecting others. According to the CDC, the best defense against catching a stomach bug to wash your hands, avoid shaking hands during outbreaks and use alcoholbased hand sanitizers. CRIME: In 2010 the U.S. Congress passed a law that requires reporting of kidnappings, sexual assaults and other crimes and requires vessels to be equipped with cabin peepholes and video surveillance systems, among other security measures. Last year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation closed 16 investigations involving crime on cruise ships,13 of which were sexual assaults, according to data posted online by the Coast Guard. But that doesn’t represent the total number of incidents reported to the FBI.