New Safety, Security Rules for Cruise Ship Industry

In response to the January 13 wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise liner that killed 32 people, the organization that represents the cruise industry announced new safety policies. The rules were issued this week by the Cruise Lines International Association and European Cruise Council. They include having more lifejackets aboard ships than required by law; limiting access to a ship bridge at potentially dangerous times; and requiring cruise ship routes to be planned in advance and shared with all members of the bridge team. All policies were put into effect immediately. Two rules were directly related to errors believed to have led to the Concordia grounding and capsizing. The ship captain is accused of taking the ship on an unauthorized path too close to the Italian island of Giglio while he was reportedly distracted by guests on the bridge. The captain is under house arrest and faces charges that include manslaughter and causing a shipwreck.