Three additional safety policies have been adopted by the global cruise industry in the wake of the Costa Concordia disaster.
They cover lifejacket stowage on new ships, the securing of heavy objects on board, and the synchronisation of bridge operating procedures within commonly owned and operated fleets.
The policies exceed current international regulatory requirements and are further outcomes of the cruise industry operational safety review, which was launched immediately after the Concordia tragedy in January.
The US-based Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the European Cruise Council (EEC) have imposed the new rules.
It requires cruise lines to stow lifejackets “equal to or greater than the number required by international regulations” close to muster stations or lifeboat launch locations on newly built ships.
“Consequently, lifejackets will be readily accessible by crewmembers for distribution to passengers in the event of an emergency,” a joint CLIA/ECC statement said.
“This policy further enhances shipboard safety as passengers will have even greater access to lifejackets in the event of an emergency.”
The new rule regarding heavy objects means that member lines must perform ship-wide inspections to ensure items such as pianos, televisions, treadmills and laundry equipment are secure.
Implementation of this policy is underway and is to be completed in the coming months.
The harmonisation of bridge procedures policy helps to enhance operational safety by achieving consistency in operating procedures within individual companies and among brands within a commonly owned and operated fleet.
“As members of a ship’s bridge team often rotate among different ships, the utilisation of consistent bridge procedures will improve communications, not only onboard the ship but within each company and thereby provide for enhanced operational safety,” the joint statement said.
Additional best practices and policies developed through the safety review are to be announced and implemented on an ongoing basis.
Carnival UK chief executive David Dingle, a member of the ECC executive, said: “The new steps in the industry’s safety review build on our mantra of exceeding existing international regulatory requirements.
“These measures are indicative of the industry’s collective and determined focus on safety and our resolution to continue to enhance the well-being and comfort of our passengers.”
CLIA president and chief executive Christine Duffy said: “These three new policies build upon the other seven wide-ranging policies that the global cruise industry has proactively adopted since January and are helping improve the safety of passengers and crew, which is our industry’s top priority.
“We look forward to continuing our ongoing collaboration with numerous stakeholders across the globe to further enhance our exceptionally strong safety record.”
ECC chairman Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio said: “The broad range of these three new policies is representative of the truly holistic nature of the operational safety review and demonstrates that safety improvements are being made wherever there is scope to do so.
“Furthermore, these policies again highlight our members’ commitment to harmonising safety practices across the industry and are reflective of the cruise lines’ willingness to adopt and share best practice wherever possible.”