• Divers have recovered a 17th body from inside the wreck on deck 6.
• 

• Weather continues to hamper recovery and prelim work on the ships fuel tanks.
• Smit is scheduled to start pumping out the heavy bunker fuel midweek.
• AP has the first photo I’ve seen of the actual evacuation from the outside. From here we can tell just how bad the list was.
• 
• USA Today has former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board Jim Hall as saying that this disaster “should be a shot across the bow that things need to change."

Gene Sloan from USA Today’s CruiseLog:

Spokespeople for two of the lines, Princess Cruises and Holland America, said they would have no comment on the subject. A spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises, which are sister lines, said on Tuesday that she would look into the matter but by Wednesday afternoon had not gotten back with answers. A spokeswoman for Carnival acknowledged the questions but also did not get back with answers despite repeated requests.

It really shouldn’t take that long to get a typical PR-type answer from spokespeople of MAJOR lines. Here’s a freebie I just made up “[insert any line here] would not and have not engaged in such dangerous maneuvers.”

Here’s some non-Concordia related new for you.

Meyer Werft in Germany have launched the Disney Fantasy. She successfully transited the Emms River and is currently moored in Bremerhaven for the last of her outfitting. It will also serve as her port for her Seatrials in the North Sea that should get underway shortly.

After successful completion, and once Meyer hands the vessel over to Disney, she will sail to the Big Apple to be christened. For the first time ever, Disney will sail into New York harbor. Scheduled to arrive Feb.28, the ship will will then be christened March 1st. March 2nd, she will sail to Port Canaveral . The maiden voyage is scheduled for March 31st.

Disney also announced their 2013 deployment. The Disney Magic will return to Europe and sail 4,7, and even 12-night Mediterranean routes. The Disney Wonder will sail Disney’s first routes out of Miami. She will alternate 4&5-Night trips:

Five-night Caribbean to Cozumel, Castaway Cay

Five-night Caribbean to Grand Cayman, Cozumel

AND

Four-night Bahamas to Key West, Nassau, Castaway Cay

I got suspicious reading a story about “Are Cruise Ships Safe?” on MyCruiseStories. So I started to investigate. I first noticed that all the images are hyperlinked to a huntsvillegrapevine.com blog. So as a proper journalist, I decided to investigate it. Little did I know, I’d be surprised at what I found.

	From: My Cruise Stories
	From: Mikey’s Cruise Blog
	From: Huntsville Grapevine

From the looks of it, it’s supposedly a Guest Blog entry from a Captain John L. Beath of My Travel Tastes. Only thing is, Guest Blog entries are always going to original content and not just ‘copied’ from other posts. You be the judge. Is there something fishy here?

Digging even deeper by looking at the HTML of the site I see my above suspicions about the photos are correct. Using the My Cruise Stories site as an example: the image code is in blue. Notice 3 of them are from Grapevine without and note of contribution or any reference to the actual source.

Costa released the below, following claims that they only offered survivors of the Concordia a refund and 30% discount on a future cruise:

============================================

With reference to news reports on discounts and promotional offers, Costa Cruises feels bound to point out that the company has never offered any discount on future cruises to guests who were on board the Costa Concordia for the cruise of January 13th and involved in the tragic accident. The information published by a newspaper and reported in various news outlets is totally unfounded, as is confirmed by the English passenger who was quoted by the newspaper.

Costa Cruises reiterates that after the tragic accident the company’ s priority has always been to provide the maximum possible assistance and solace to the people involved. From the outset the company has been fully aware of and saddened by the suffering and hardship endured by guests and crew members and has acted with this firmly borne in mind.

On a joint basis with rescue teams, the Company worked to provide evacuated passengers and crew members with all the necessary assistance to ensure they were able to return home. Subsequently it contacted guests by telephone, after they had returned home, to check on their physical and emotional wellbeing, and to confirm that they will receive a refund for the cruise and all material expenses relating to it.

As already announced, the company welcomes discussion with its guests and all consumer protection associations to determine indemnity for the hardship endured, with the support of tourism sector trade associations with which it has been in contact for days. Driven by its sense of ethics and the values of fairness and responsibility which guide it, the Company has also given all customers with bookings for future Costa cruises the possibility, if feeling afraid, to cancel their cruise booking by giving notice no later than February 7th. All travel agents who work with the Company were informed of this days ago.

Costa Cruises would also like to clarify that starting on the day after the accident, all advertising initiatives planned were cancelled out of respect for those affected by this tragedy. The Company was unable to stop only one postal promotion which had already been sent to some customers at the end of December.

Costa Cruises is incredulous at the disgraceful and unfounded assertions made about the Company without any form of verification.

• Another body was found, said to be an elderly woman with a life vest,  bringing the death toll up to 16
• 16 are still reported missing
• Preparation began today for the removal of the ships bunkers(fuel) via siphoning. Divers have started making underwater preparations according to the salvage team, Smit.
• You can see the crane on a barge assisted by a tug in the below webcam snapshot
• 

Yikes! I can’t tell whether it’s in jest or not. I guess we’ll see if Jim Walker is invited back on the podcast.

#Cruise executives refuse to go to Giglio http://t.co/5EmuaS9l where is leadership from #Carnival & #Costa? Watching Miami Heat games?

January 22, 2012 10:39 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@CruiseLaw

James (Jim) Walker

@CruiseLaw Hopefully you're able to catch some football today between the smear campaigns.

January 22, 2012 11:06 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@CruiseRadio

Doug Parker

@CruiseRadio are you wearing Carnival panties too?

January 22, 2012 11:20 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@CruiseLaw

James (Jim) Walker

@CruiseLaw Im just making sure you are enjoying some football -- you know I don't care what you write, unless I'm in it.

January 22, 2012 11:24 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@CruiseRadio

Doug Parker

@CruiseRadio my football season ended when Saints lost.

January 22, 2012 11:27 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@CruiseLaw

James (Jim) Walker

• 2 more bodies were just found. The death toll rises to 15.
• 18 are still missing
• By now I’m sure you’re aware that the accident was caused by the Captain navigation too close to the Island. Last night into this morning, news broke that according to a transcript of the captions police testimony, Costa Cruises “ordered” the Captain to sail unusually close. He referred to this action as a “salute.”
• According to Italian news La Repubblica, prosecutors are intresting in getting their hands on the captains laptop “given the haste with which it changed hands.” (referring to the speculation that it was given to the “Mysterious Blonde”)
• Tourists are said to be flocking to the tiny island to see the shipwreck. Pretty disrespectful if you ask me.

• The ship that will be used to offload the bunkers(fuel) from the Concordia, is expected to arrive latter today.

• Death toll now up to 13
• The passenger was found on submerged deck near the bow of the vessel
• Number of missing now at 20
• Divers entered the Captain’s cabin and according to Italian news agency ANSA, removed his safe and two suitcases
• According to MSNBC, the Captain immediately knew he was in trouble after striking the rocks:

Via cell, Schettino to Roberto Ferrarini (marine operations director for Costa Cruises): “I’ve got myself into a mess, there was contact with the seabed. I am telling you the truth, we passed under Giglio and there was an impact.”

“I can’t remember how many times I called him in the following hour and 15 minutes. In any case, I am certain that I informed Ferrarini about everything in real time,” he said, adding he had asked the company to send tug boats and helicopters.

If the above is true then it very well could indicate that no one though the problem was that serious. If that’s the case, then it explains a lot about the delayed response. Perhaps the Captain and the senior officers were unable to to make an accurate assessment of the situation from their standpoint.

Is it just me or should Costa’s CEO really stop talking…. Doesn’t seem like these put the company in the best light.

If anyone’s curious,  Pier Luigi Foschi, formally titled Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Costa Crociere, S.p.A. and Director made $4,562,326.