Jan 13, 2012

Stranding / grounding

On 13th January 2012 the Italian passenger ship Costa Concordia departed Civitavecchia en route to Savona, Italy, where it was scheduled to arrive the following morning. A few hours and 40 miles later, the ship struck a rock formation about 450 feet from the coast of Giglio in Tuscany. It began taking on water at about 9:45 p.m local time. The rocks left a 165-foot gash on the port side of Concordia's hull; after the impact, the ship listed at 20 degrees before partially sinking on Saturday morning. Some passengers jumped into the water and swam to safety, but there were delays in getting others into life boats, especially as the vessel had by then rolled over onto her side and many of the lifeboats were inaccessible. Thirty two lives were lost. Some reports indicated that the ship had also suffered a major electrical fault.There are 2500 tonnes of oil on board, and booms have been placed around the vessel to contain any leaks, but worsening weather conditions and the shifting of the vessel will render these measures les effective. Offloading the fuel cannot be initiated until all rescue operations have been completed.