I don’t watch a lot of television news, but from what little I have seen on this one, there is a wierd obsession with assessing blame without even a remote reference to the facts. Now, this isn’t to say that this captain isn’t responsible, but when I see interviews with survivors and they are being asked who is to blame, well, that just seems to be more than a little unprofessional for a journalist to ask. Of course it makes sensational news.
What I have always found interesting about the maritime business is how accidents are dealt with. If a tank truck crashes and spill pollutants on the road, all local authorities work together to limit the spread of the pollutant, clean up the wreck and get traffic moving. Compare that to the game that happens when a ship hull is breached, tanker or not. Immediately it seems that the finger starts looking for a direction to point. The Macando blowout is also a good comparison. Here the Federal Government looked to start making criminal charges without even trying to cooperate to contain and clean.
The Wreck of the COSTA CONCORDIA will be a huge circus (like it isn’t already) and the ultimate end will be to enact outrageous new regulations that, in the long run, will do little to keep idiots from being idiots.
On a side note, with that video of the ship passing the island in August, one has to wonder if this kind of thing is accepted behaviour on the part of the Vessel Owner. If it is, well, does that make them complicit in the result of the increased risk in the maneuver. I guess I hang out with too many lawyers. And here I am looking for a place to point my finger. Human nature, I guess.