Sorry to keep banging about this subject, especially after a long gap since my last posts, but I think this is an important event. An event that could have a profound effect on our industry.
I would like to quote a letter to the Daily Telegraph from John Lang, a former Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents. It sums up my position much more eloquently and succinctly than I could:
“..it seems to me that the concept of a marine accident has been overtaken by the need to find criminal behaviour. The weakness in this approach is that the desire to find fault with those most closely involved, usually the officer of the watch and the master, takes precedence over a more in-depth search for the underlying reasons.
While I have no doubt that many shortcomings on the bridge of the Costa Concordia will be found, a far more fruitful line of inquiry is likely to be into the way such ships are designed, managed, manned, regulated and run. No accident is the result of a single thing going wrong, and I suspect this view will be borne out by a full investigation.
The way to prevent such accidents is by identifying the underlying reasons, not putting handcuffs on the poor individual who happened to be on watch at the time.”
The assaults on Captain Schettino are relentless, even if he does seem to be making it easy for his detractors. He may have done everything they say he did and be everything they say he is, but that is something, surely, for the inquiry and court. It is reprehensible for anyone to have released that recording to the press. Under arrest in a prison cell, the man cannot possibly defend himself.
Still, he has made things very difficult for himself and for people like me who want to give him the benefit of the doubt and see him get a fare shake. If one tenth of what has been reported is true he is in deep, deep trouble. As, to be honest, is the shipping line, the cruise industry and the shipping industry in general. This accident has opened up a big, big can of worms.
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