Workers test lifeboats on the ship Constellation.

Accidents on the magnitude of the recent Costa Concordia tragedy may be rare in the cruising industry, but one trade association has taken the crash as an indication that industry-wide safety standards need to be closely reevaluated.

The Cruise Lines International Association, based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., announced today that it will undertake a cruise industry operational safety review aimed at assessing “the critical human factors and operational aspects of maritime safety.”

Components of the review will include:

1. An internal review by CLIA members of their own operational safety practices and procedures concerning issues of navigation, evacuation, emergency training, and related practices and procedures.

2. Consultation with independent external experts.

3. Identification and sharing of industry best practices and policies, as well as possible recommendations to the IMO for substantive regulatory changes to further improve the industry’s operational safety.

4. Collaboration with the IMO, governments and regulatory bodies to implement any necessary regulatory changes.

Days after the Concordia incident, parent company Carnival Corp. announced its own internal review of safety standards and emergency procedures, and joined CLIA in calling for the International Maritime Organization to share the findings of its investigation of the accident of the Italian coast.

Photo: Harve Cozanet for Marine-Marchande.net

Related posts:
Will Costa Concordia Tragedy Impact Cruise Industry in 2012?
U.S. Congress Aims to Clean Up Cruise Industry’s Act
RCL Execs’ Allure of the Shares

Share