More than 100 people on board a cruise ship operated by a unit of Carnival Corp have fallen ill with a stomach virus, the latest setback facing the world's biggest cruise company, which came under scrutiny last month for the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster in Italy.
Plans have been put in place to start removing the wreck of the Costa Concordia after it run aground with 4.200 people on board last month. Costa Cruises confirmed that it has called for tenders from 10 specialist companies for the removal of the crippled vessel.
The Moldovan blonde spotted with the captain of the shipwrecked Costa Concordia, Francesco Schettino, on the night of the disaster, has told Italian investigators she is in love with him.
The downturn in cruise bookings by North American and European customers noted earlier this week by industry giant Carnival Corp. is taking place at rival Royal Caribbean Cruises, too, but overall the industry is optimistic.
The wreck of the cruise ship Costa Concordia could remain where it lies near the Italian island of Giglio until the end of the year or longer before it can be broken up or salvaged, the official in charge of the recovery operation said on Sunday.
Several of Italy's consumer groups signed an agreement with Costa Cruises to offer about 11,000 Euros to each of the more than 3,000 passengers aboard the Costa Concordia when it hit a rock and capsized near the Italian island of Giglio on January 13, a statement from the consumer groups said.
The captain of the doomed Italian liner Costa Concordia said he was told by managers to take his ship close in to shore on the night it ran aground and capsized, according to bugged conversations leaked in Italian newspapers.
The operators of the Costa Concordia faced questions over their share of the blame for the shipwreck, as divers recovered another body from the stricken liner, bringing the known death toll to 13.
A review of EU passenger ship safety rules is being stepped up following the Costa Concordia shipwreck off the Italian coast. Europe’s transport Commissioner Siim Kallas announced Friday that the review, which began in 2010, must take full account of the circumstances surrounding the sinking of the cruise vessel Costa Concordia in shallow water a week ago.
The timing of Carnival Corp.’s Costa Concordia cruise ship’s grounding off the coast of Italy, at the start of the northern hemisphere peak booking season, may exacerbate the company’s losses.