Giant boxes attached to Costa Concordia to help refloat it

The first of 30 giant hollow boxes has been attached to the side of the stricken Costa Concordia cruise ship, as efforts intensify to refloat the vessel more than a year after it capsized with the loss of 32 lives.
Giant boxes attached to Costa Concordia to help refloat it The Telegraph
Investigations: Captain of ControversyWSVN
Costa Concordia disaster turned into Bollywood-style musical film

Carnival: No reimbursement to US for disabled ship

Carnival Corp. says all maritime interests must assist without question those in trouble at sea, a duty that would not include reimbursing the U.S. government nearly $780,000 for costs associated with the rescue of the crippled Triumph cruise ship. Carnival released letters Friday replying to an inquiry by U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, about the Triumph stranding and the cruise line’s overall safety record. Among Rockefeller’s questions was whether Carnival would repay the government for Coast Guard costs in the Triumph case as well as $3.4 million to the Coast Guard and Navy from the 2010 stranding of the Carnival Splendor in the Pacific Ocean.

Carnival: No reimbursement to US for disabled ship Contra Costa Times




Victims of Costa shipwreck mark anniversary Vancouver Sun
Costa Concordia anniversary Vancouver Sun

More time needed to remove Concordia wreck Vancouver Sun

Crippled cruise ship secured to Ala. terminal after breaking loose; shipyard

MOBILE, Ala. – The crippled cruise ship whose sewage-filled breakdown in the Gulf of Mexico subjected thousands to horrendous conditions tore loose Wednesday from the dock where it’s being repaired, lumbered downriver and crunched into a cargo ship. Tug boats maneuver around the Carnival cruise ship Triumph as she rests against a dock on the east side of the Mobile River after becoming dislodged from its mooring at BAE Shipyard during high winds Wednesday.Wind gusts near hurricane strength shoved the 900-foot Carnival Triumph free from its mooring in downtown Mobile, Ala., where the ship was brought in a five-day ordeal that began when an engine fire stranded it off of Mexico in February. Hours later, four tug boats used several mooring lines to secure the ship to the cruise terminal.A 20-foot gash about 2 to 3 feet wide was visible about halfway up the hull from the water and it wrapped partway around the stern. Underneath the gashed area, two levels of railing were dangling and broken. Electric cables that had been plugged in on shore were dangling from the port — or left — side of the ship. Carnival said damage, though, was limited.

Crippled cruise ship secured to Ala. terminal after breaking loose; shipyard worker missing Star tribune
Crippled cruise ship secured to Ala. terminal after breaking loose Washington Post
Cursed Carnival cruise liner secure after breaking free from dock WAFB
Carnival cruise ship Triumph breaks free from moorings, crew jump for lives NEWS.com.au
Carnival defends safety record in letter to senator USA Today

Carnival CEO comes under Congressional heat

Sen. Jay Rockefeller is outraged by what he sees as Carnival’s abuse of the loopholes in the tax system. However, Carnival has said they pay all the taxes they are required to. Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, told Rock Center’s Harry Smith that he regards Carnival “very poorly” as a corporate citizen. Rock Center commissioned S&P Capital IQ to look into Carnival’s taxes and their team found that on billions of dollars in profits over five years, Carnival paid only .6 percent taxes. But Rockefeller believes that Carnival’s extremely low tax rate — while legal — is “disgusting” because of its frequent use of government services.

Second Carnival Cruise Ship Having Trouble at Sea

ABC News ‎-
Another day, another Carnival cruise ship is having issues. The company announced late Thursday night that the Carnival Legend, currently off the coast of Honduras, is unable to sail at its optimal speed because of a technical problem, forcing the ship to cut short passengers’ vacation. The Carnival Legend has canceled its visit to Grand Cayman today so it can immediately return to its homeport in Tampa Bay, Fla., according to a news release. The Legend is on the last leg of a seven-day Caribbean cruise that departed Tampa March 10.

Second Carnival Cruise Ship Having Trouble at Sea ABC News
Carnival cruise line in more troubled waters CNN
Another problem cruise: Second Carnival ship in less than a week experiences trouble at sea Fox News
Another Carnival Cruise ship malfunctions at sea, the second time this week. Passengers on The Carnival Legend won’t be able to stop at the Grand Cayman Islands, due to technical issues with the ship’s thrusters. The beleaguered cruise company’s Carnival Dream was also plagued with troubles earlier this week. NY Daily News
Carnival nightmare: Another cruise ship reports trouble at sea WGN tv
Carnival Legend Cruise Ship Has Mechanical Problem Near Florida Huffington Post
More Trouble At Sea For Carnival Cruise Lines CBS Miami

Costa Concordia reveals its darkest secrets

Giglio, Italy (CNN) — The shock of seeing the forlorn hulk of the Costa Concordia hasn’t been dimmed by time. I’m here once again on the pristine little Italian island of Giglio, made famous not for its beauty, but for the tragedy on its shores.

Costa Concordia reveals its darkest secrets CNN
Costa Concordia survivor relives his dramatic escape CNN
Costa Concordia Final Moments Detailed In New Court Papers Huffington Post
Costa Concordia victims’ final moments revealed Sydney Morning Herald
Girl, 5, turned away from lifeboat in Costa Concordia tragedy travol aol