As the effort to salvage the wreck of the cruise ship Costa Concordia continues off the coast of Italy, cruise ship companies are trying to salvage a damaged public image. The 2012 grounding of the vessel killed 32 people. Coupled with the fire earlier this year aboard the Carnival Triumph, which left it adrift in the Gulf of Mexico without power or working toilets, public confidence has been badly shaken.
In their attempt to recover, companies have stepped up compliance. They have collectively approved new safety measures through the nonprofit Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), a group of 26 cruise lines, including those owned by Carnival Corp. (which, among its 10 lines, owns the ones that operated the Costa Concordia and the Triumph). Carnival has gone beyond CLIA reforms to upgrade its ships and has also conducted a safety audit.
