By
Rebecca Gibson |
With the publication of its annual report for 2012, the Carnival Corporation and plc has released updated information about claims related to the Costa Concordia accident which took place last January off the coast of Italy.
The company stated that as of 22 January 2013, it had settled the claims of 93 per cent of the crew and 62 per cent of the guests, while any future claims or ship removal costs would be covered by its insurance. Costa Concordia is scheduled to be removed from the Italian coast in 2013.
The report included the following statement about additional safety procedures implemented since the incident: “After the Costa Concordia incident in January 2012, the Carnival Corporation audited and reviewed all of its existing safety and emergency response procedures across its ten brands to identify the weaknesses and highlight the best practices for the future. In order to reinforce its commitment to the safety of passengers and crew, the company employed external industry experts to assist with the audits and subsequently improved the structure of its existing Health, Environmental, Safety and Security (HESS)-related audits and management systems. Carnival also initiated additional safety policies following the Cruise Lines International Association and European Cruise Council Cruise Industry Operational Safety Review and improved its procedures for bridge operations, quality assurance, bridge officer training, safety and emergency response and crew training programmes.”
The report added that since the incident, Costa Cruises had implemented various new safety and security procedures, as well as training and related processes to strengthen the trust of guests and travel agents. It had also launched a number of promotional initiatives such as ‘Real Costa’, an international advertising campaign focusing on rebuilding the line’s image.