In the News: Professor Craig H. Allen Sr. and the Costa Concordia disaster (UPDATED)

Fox News & The New London Day

Craig H. Allen Sr., Distinguished Visiting Professor of Maritime Studies at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a Resident Fellow in the Academy’s Center for Maritime Policy and Strategy, discusses the Costa Concordia disaster and in Fox News and The New London Day. Read below for excerpts and links to the articles:

Fox News "The Costa Concordia disaster and lessons from two 'Williams'": http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/01/19/costa-concordia-disaster-and-lessons-from-two-williams/#ixzz1jwRC0tDr

Even while rescue efforts were ongoing, many who have watched the Costa Concordia tragedy unfold off Italy’s Tuscan islands have now turned their attention to the master’s conduct --particularly his hasty departure from the capsized vessel and his later defiance of coast guard orders to go back aboard the ship and assist in the evacuation.

Most of the questions I have been hearing concern his legal obligation as the ship’s master to his passengers and crew. Few asked about his moral obligation as a captain. Perhaps it is a sign of the times.

As I struggle to put the Concordia episode in perspective, both as a teacher and a retired professional mariner, I looked back to two historical cases that stand out for me.

The New London Day, "Envision a cruise ship capsizing in Arctic seas": http://www.theday.com/article/20120122/OP05/301229951

The tragic loss of the Italian-flag cruise ship Costa Concordia in the Tuscan waters off Italy's Isola del Giglio on Jan. 13 provides a sobering warning to planners charged with preparing for the coming arrival of similar cruise ships off the Arctic coasts of the United States and Canada. Organizers for an April conference on the Arctic to be held at the Coast Guard Academy in New London will be closely studying the incident in the coming months.

It is not hard to imagine the greater tragedy that could result if a similar accident occurred in Arctic waters, with water temperature near the freezing point and the wind-chilled air temperature often even lower.

Craig Allen is presently serving as the Distinguished Visiting Professor of Maritime Studies at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a Resident Fellow in the Academy’s Center for Maritime Policy and Strategy. The views here are his own and not those of the Coast Guard Academy or other branches of the U.S. government.

About Professor Craig H. Allen Sr.

Allen is a tenured member of the University of Washington faculty (Law School and School of Marine Affairs). He enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1975 and rose to the rank of Chief Quartermaster before attending Officer Candidate School in 1980. During his Coast Guard career he served on four cutters and in a variety of group (now sector) operations, marine safety and legal assignments. He joined the UW faculty shortly after his retirement from the Coast Guard in 1994.

To learn more about Allen, visit his bio at: http://www.cga.edu/display.aspx?id=17877

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