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Costa Europa and the RINA’s secrets.

mrbean@autistici.org (Mr. Bean - interceptor®) | 22.02.2012 18:55 | London

Thriller and mystery in Genoa, the Italian Naval Register occult important documents of an accident to the ship Costa Europa of  the  shipping company Costa Crociere.

RINA  conspiratorial. Would it make sense to say this of the famous Toto  (RIINA the one with two ‘i”). Instead we are talking about the most worthy Italian Register of Shipping.  Rina can obviously afford to do without of  the  transparency. Because it refuses to transmit  to  the IMO (International Maritime  Organization) and to the other international authorities his report on the incident happened in Egypt in 2010 to the ship Costa Europa?

The  ship Costa  Europa,  with more than 1500 passengers on board, in February 2010 went  went collided with the quay of the Egyptian port of Sharm el Sheik (perhaps it could be a platform not marked on nautical maps) killing 3 crew members and injuring 4 others. Since the are deaths of Series B  (non-EU citizens) the news in Italy and around the world, has not done much fanfare. The impact with the unexpected foreign body opened a gash in the hull of over 2 meters, squeezing between the plates of the unfortunates who were asleep in their bunks flooding cabins, accommodation and compartments. While the ship was tilting dangerously to one side several crew members was so upset that they went up on deck to reassure all,  ensuring that nothing had happened, it was simply an  exercitation  underway  (also the ship bent on one side was part of the simulation).  “But as nothing happened ... the ship is tilting ... Is he better wear life jackets?” asks an agitated passenger in a panic. “But no,  no do not worry I repeat, is absolutely not the case of  to take  the life jackets, it is only  'a false alarm" replied the slothful  crew member.  

More than 2 years after this misfortune little is yet known of the dynamics of '"accident" by those who had the duty to investigate. Although in these cases there are specific obligations that must be respected. In fact, the national  and  international regulations  require that when an accident occurs at sea (especially with the dead as in this case) the register of competent flag - RINA in this case - must play the prompt investigation and prepare a detailed report from delivered promptly to authorities (for example, the IMO is one of them). This serves both to update the archive of  the messages  and to enable the improvement of safety standards to prevent the occurrence of other similar incidents. The entity responsible for the preparation and delivery of this dossier is precisely the RINA, the Italian Naval Register. After more than 2 years from this incident, Rina of  to make available this report  to the IMO really does not want to know. Reason?  The RINA’s  documents  are  Top Secret! On the same wavelength tuned seem even some Italian authorities (the department of the Ministry of Transport and Navigation Italian for example just to give a name), which suggest that also for them the dossier is  “strictly confidential”.  Who wants more information has no other way that to go directly  Rina and / or Costa Cruises. But to  these it is useless to ask  questions. He tried, without much luck, even a reporter from the BBC which have responded of not to interfere.  The unfortunate answer of  the RINA however  has literally sown confusion and crisis of conscience in different  environments of  the shipping and of the  information. Just think that IACS - the British association that gathers around him the most important companies in the world rankings (RINA between them) -  he asked urgently to  the RINA’s  front  man Eng.  Ugo  Salerno,  to be promptly informed of the whole affair (if RINA not inform  it quickly could also risk expulsion from IACS). That said, however, confidently  inter-nos  IACS has long in hand a detailed Memorandum of RINA about the incident that occurred in Egypt.  So much interest surrounding the case worries for the negative press reports at the level of public opinion. While on the matter, Rina is careful to provide any kind of news to the international bodies responsible for IACS as you see there are no secrets. While in London on this whole affair all is still shrouded in a great secrecy. Under the Big Ben breathes a strange atmosphere of mystery and all the experts are very cautious not to reveal anything that should not say  (This for  the truth is a paranoia that  feels good it   to  the  RINA headquarters in Genoa).       

Allan Graveson  National Secretary of  Nautilus International  no secret of being quite baffled by the attitude of the  RINA and said: “Flag states should have the capacity to carry out full and complete investigations and furnish those findings to the IMO in the interests of safety of life at sea”. The English BBC it was so scandalized by the behavior of the Italian certification company that is conducting on  affair one his parallel investigation, and in these days has launched accusations against the Italian Naval Register. The British journalists not to hide the fact that many mysteries have opened the field to much speculation and suspicions, and could certainly hide serious responsibilities.

But why so many secrets behind this incident of Sharm el Sheik? What's the big secret to having to hide at all costs? It may be, as the BBC believes that RINA is trying to cover some  serious responsibilities? For Rina, this is not a good time. The long background of maritime accidents in which continues to be rudely involved, it appears they are extending more and more every day. Are yet under the mediatic spotlight for  the recent conviction by the Court of Paris for the sinking of the Erika (192 million euros compensation), that  the Rina must already contend with other 1000 deaths from the  sinking of the ferry Al Salam Boccaccio 98 (1 billion euros in compensation that  RINA must pay). Less than a month ago  the sinking of the Costa Concordia. Now this ugly affair of the Costa Europa. Nothing ever happens by chance, especially when there is  negligence.

What is happening these days is laying bare the fragility of these fake security vendors who are fugitives in all things  deserting even the most elementary rules of law and justice. The reality is that this, perhaps, it's all a colossal jack around. How to define it otherwise the incredible spectacle to which we are witnessing for some time:  technicians and experts that  control nothing , opaque procedures that do not work, pseudo-professionals who improvise a set of things done like amateurs (though sorry to say this for the many good people who work at RINA). it must be stressed that an entity such as RINA has  institutional duties, and must fulfill specific legal obligations. In a normal country an  certification company as a RINA, which despises the rules and does what he wants when he wants would be immediately commissioner. Unfortunately we are in Italy, where anarchy reigns, and the absolute vacuum of power and where the political class is almost completely helpless and and far away.

It 's very difficult to remain silent before the silence of the RINA. Even if we understand the reasons. What do you think is better: tell a lie or hide the truth? Well hide the truth, of course, as is making the RINA. If you hide the truth you avoid having to lie.

But meanwhile the truth always comes to light ... (even when ships sink).

BACKGROUND:

Costa Europa ship.  It 'a ship that has had a history, a life and a destiny quite unfortunate and loser. One need only think about the fact that in 2007 this ship was captained by our brave master Francesco Schettino. The ship, 55,000 tons, was built in 1986 on behalf of the Society  Home Lines, and baptized with the name  Homeric. Not surprisingly, the name of its bridges evokes figures and myths of ancient Greece: Hercules (Ercole), Auriga, Cassiopea, Orione, Perseo, Andromeda, Pegaso, Sirens and  Centaurus. In 1988, the ship is sold to the Company  Holland America Line that undergoes an work of  lengthening of (coincidentally just as the ship  Al Salam  Boccaccio 98).  The ship is cut in two and a central section is added to increase the volume and capacity. The addition of the central section of 39 meters brings the vessel (which was 204 meters) to the total length of approximately 244 meters. Then enters into service with the name of Westerdam. If you look closely at the photos of the ship's side (and reproduced here attached) you will notice that at the center of the boat, the portholes are larger than the others. Here this is the section added.  In 2002 then, after a radical renewal of the interior, the ship is sold to the Shipping company Costa Crociere, which together with the gradual expansion of its fleet is planning to become the Italian challenger of the U.S. cruise market. The ship is then in service with the new name of Costa Europa. The cruise market is increasingly characterized by standardization and the  gigantism  that makes ships, even in the smallest detail, one like another, and all made very similar as architecture to large hotel chains that are on land. In the year 2006 as well, Costa Cruises, there  is the new modification of the interior of the ship,  with significant changes, maximizing the use of space with the  dismantling the  Cinema of the ship at  deck 11  (Orfeo Cinema) to get exclusive and luxurious Grand Suite with private balcony. In November 2008, Costa Cruises puts the ship in the Indian Ocean for a season of routes  in  Mauritius, Seychelles e Madagascar. In 2009, the commander of   ship will almost got bludgeoned by  tourists and cruise passengers angry that after yet another failure and damage  to  engines and other  multiple severe disruptions organize a riot and a rebellion against the employees of the shipping company. After this awful defaillance the ship was strategically shifted from continent and used for short cruises in the Mediterranean quieter. The last night of the voyage from Ajaccio to Savona, the stormy sea and a great wind put a strain  the ship which undergoes extensive damage (broken windows and mirrors, TV and minibar  on the floor ... etc. etc.). The one on board a ship is a complex plant system (comparable to the service system of a city of 200,000 inhabitants). All  the nervous system that runs through every corner of  the ship  is subjected to severe stress. We're talking about something like 1000 kilometers of electrical cable, 150 miles of pipe and 600 miles of welds, with extensive use of light alloys, synthetic materials and tons of thin steel sheets etc etc. Who was on board the Costa Europa, however, recalls a nightmarish journey. In 2010 the captain of the Costa Europa, which is in service of cruises from Savona to Dubai, loses control of the ship, going to hit hard on the quay of the port of Sharm el Sheik. The accident killed 3 crew members,  an hairdresser and two sailors on board. All guests of the ship is landed in a hurry and shipped made ??flying back to their countries of origin. The following cruises are all deleted. The career of the Coast Europe ends here. In April of 2010 Pierluigi  Foschi with eagerness to sell as soon as possible  this unfortunate ship, formalizes the transfer of the ship to the company  Grand Cruises Investments that leases it  to the Company  TUI UK Limited (Thomson). Currently, the ship is in service with the name of Thomson Dream and is the flagship of the fleet Thomson. But the misfortunes do not end here. The ship continues to have serious problems of different types and levels. A rather troubled history.  

 

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mrbean@autistici.org (Mr. Bean - interceptor®)
- Original article on IMC London: http://london.indymedia.org/articles/11770