Why Ships Sink

The cruise ship business is now a $33 billion dollar industry with some 10 million Americans embarking on cruises each year. Cruise ships have been made bigger and taller in recent years, and are now virtual cities at sea. Although fatal accidents are rare, the sinking of the Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy—which cost 32 lives—raised questions, and drew comparisons with the epic Titanic disaster 100 years ago. Directed by Jonathan Challis, this PBS-aired NOVA documentary asks how safe cruise ships really are and what makes them sink? While Titanic represented the most advanced design and construction standards of that time, attention to safety has improved over the last century, particularly regarding issues of metal fatigue and bulkhead design. However, an expert here notes that no ship can withstand major damage in a significant below-the-waterline collision, whether it involves an iceberg, or a rocky outcropping in the case of the Concordia. Today's modern cruise ships are also so huge that they can act like sails, presenting stability problems—pitching and rolling in the gales. Like Titanic, Concordia neglected some basic safety measures (such as not having lifeboat drills in the cruise's first 24 hours), and most of the staff was there to serve food and alcohol, but lacked training in how to handle a maritime disaster. Concordia's captain waited too long to give an abandon ship order, left his post, and refused to return when ordered. Home videos offer vivid examples of the chaos onboard, while survivors here recall the lack of leadership and direction, and the terror of jumping off the ship into lifeboats. Experts note the need for better training, suggesting that the cruise ship industry lags almost 25 years behind the aviation industry's safety standards. An interesting study of safety issues tied to a popular vacation choice, this is recommended. Aud: P. (S. Rees)