Following the signal to abandon ship, it took Costa Cruises just under three hours to release their first statement. The company confirmed the evacuation of approximately 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crewmembers from the Costa Concordia. The press release stated that at the time, the cause of the incident could not be confirmed and assured the public that they were “working with the highest commitment to provide all needed assistance to guests, crew members and the local Italian authorities”. The statement poses questions by stating that “approximately 1,000 passengers of Italian nationality were on board, as well as more than 500 Germans, and 250 North Americans. This only accounts for half of the number of passengers. Costa should have …show more content…

The Costa Concordia had picked up 2,510 passengers at previous ports before arriving at Civitavecchia, where 696 new passengers boarded the ship. Only the passengers who boarded in Civitavecchia had not yet completed the emergency drill because the accident occurred only 3 ½ hours from departure. During the conference, Foschi did address this issue by saying that upon boarding, a video plays automatically in every cabin explaining lifeboat procedures and that behind every cabin door there is a large sign outlining emergency procedures.

There were allegations that some of the lifeboats did not work and that crew were not trained in how to use them properly, Foschi responded to this by saying, “I’m not aware that any lifeboat did not work. All the lifeboats were efficient and worked and we also believe the evacuation was performed by our crew according to procedures.”

To address claims that the captain was seen drinking alcohol during dinner, Foschi stated, “From what I know the captain does not drink alcohol. All our crew, whether captain or not, are subject to regular tests of alcohol and drugs randomly so they don’t know when this is going to happen. This is a policy of the company.”

Foschi closed the conference by saying, “I want to reiterate how sorry we are and deeply saddened by this tragedy. Our hearts and prayers go of course with the families that have been affected by that and we extend our heartfelt condolences to them and