The cruise industry has been working hard on developing stronger safety standards in the wake of the deadly Costa Concordia cruise ship accident off the Italian coast. The world’s largest cruise industry group has now announced that it is implementing new rules that will achieve substantial improvements in safety standards.
Cruise Lines International Association has announced the new rules to reflect criticism about the industry’s sorry safety standards. Those criticisms had grown louder after the Costa Concordia disaster earlier this year. The Costa Concordia cruise liner carrying thousands of passengers on board, capsized and partially sank off the Italian coast.
The accident has been blamed on errors made by the captain of the vessel. 30 people have been confirmed dead in the tragedy. Two others are missing, and are presumed dead.
Cruise Lines International Association has announced that each cruise ship will be required to provide additional adult-sized life jackets that exceed maritime requirements. This has been done to ensure that every cruise vessel carries life jackets that are in excess of the number of passengers actually on board.In the Costa Concordia accident, many survivors reported that they had trouble accessing their life jackets after the accident. Some of them had to climb in the dark in order to access their lifeboats.
Cruise Lines International Association has also announced rules that require limited access to the bridge in order to reduce the risk of accidents caused by distractions. Access will be limited only to workers who have to perform operational functions.
The cruise ship injury lawyers at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., Accident & Injury Lawyers help injured cruise ship crew members and passengers recover compensation.
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