Costa Concordia

Concept and construction

Costa Concordia was ordered in 2004 by Carnival Corporation from Fincantieri and built in the Sestri Ponente yard in Genoa, as yard number 6122. At the vessel's launch at Sestri Ponente on 2 September 2005, the champagne bottle, released by model Eva Herzigová, failed to break when swung against the hull the first time. This type of occurrence is considered a bad omen among seafarers, and this incident has been partially blamed for the ship's 2008 accident and 2012 sinking.

The ship was delivered to Costa on 30 June 2006. It cost €450 million (£372 million, US$570 million) to build. The name Concordia was intended to express the wish for "continuing harmony, unity, and peace between European nations".

Description

Costa Concordia was 290.20 metres (952 feet 1 inch) long, had a beam of 35.50 m (116 ft 6 in) and drew 8.20 m (26 ft 11 in) of water. She had a diesel-electric power plant consisting of six 12-cylinder Wärtsilä 12V46C four-stroke medium-speed diesel generating sets with a combined output of 76.6 megawatts (102,780 horsepower). These main generators provided power for all shipboard consumers from propulsion motors to hotel functions such as lighting and air conditioning. The ship was propelled by two 21-megawatt electric motors coupled to fixed-pitch propellers. Her design service speed was 19.6 knots (36.3 kilometres per hour; 22.6 miles per hour), but during sea trials, she achieved a speed of 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph).

Amenities

Costa Concordia was outfitted with approximately 1,500 cabins; 505 with private balconies, and 55 with direct access to the Samsara Spa, which were considered Spa staterooms; 58 suites had private balconies and 12 had direct access to the spa. Costa Concordia had one of the world's largest exercise facility areas at sea, the Samsara Spa, a two-level, 6,000-square-metre (64,600-square-foot) fitness center, with gym, a thalassotherapy pool, sauna, steam room, and a solarium. The ship had four swimming pools, two with retractable roofs, five Jacuzzis, five spas, and a poolside movie theatre on the main pool deck. There were also five on-board restaurants, with Club Concordia and Samsara taking reservations-only dining. There were thirteen bars, including a cigar and cognac bar and a coffee and chocolate bar. Entertainment options included a three-level theatre, casino, a futuristic disco, a children's area equipped with video games and a basketball court. She also had on board a Grand Prix motor racing simulator and an internet café.

Accidents and incidents

On 22 November 2008, Costa Concordia suffered damage to her bow when high winds over the Sicilian city of Palermo pushed the ship against its dock. There were no injuries and repairs started soon after.

Initial repairs were completed by the December following the incident, but dents were still visible. The area was later fully repaired in 2011 during the ship's refurbishment.

On 13 January 2012, under the command of Captain Francesco Schettino, Costa Concordia departed Civitavecchia, the port that serves Rome, Italy, for a seven-night cruise. At 21:45 local time (UTC+1), in calm seas and overcast weather, she collided with a rock off Isola del Giglio, on the western coast of Italy approximately 54 nautical miles (100 km; 62 mi) northwest of Rome. A 53-metre (174 ft) long gash was made in the port-side hull, along three compartments of the engine room (deck 0). This resulted in loss of propulsion and loss of electrical systems, which crippled the ship. Taking on water, the vessel listed to the starboard (right) side. Twenty-four minutes later, strong winds pushed the vessel back to Giglio Island, where she grounded 500 metres (550 yards) north of the village of Giglio Porto, resting on her starboard side in shallow waters, with most of her starboard side underwater.

Almost half of the ship remained above water, but it was in danger of sinking completely into a trough 70 metres (230 ft) deep. Despite the gradual sinking of the ship, its complete loss of power, and its proximity to shore in calm seas, an order to abandon ship was not issued until over an hour after the initial impact. Although international maritime law requires all passengers to be evacuated within 30 minutes of an order to abandon ship, the evacuation of Costa Concordia took over six hours. At the time, she was carrying 3,206 passengers and 1,023 crew members. The accident resulted in 32 fatalities. The body of the last missing person, Indian crew member Russel Rebello, was recovered on 3 November 2014. It appears that Rebello died while saving other passengers.

Schettino was found guilty of manslaughter, causing a maritime accident, and abandoning his ship. He was sentenced to sixteen years in prison in 2015. …