FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Officers who staff a U.S. cruise ship safety center say it’s unlikely an American cruise ship would suffer a tragedy like the one that struck a passenger liner off the Italian coast.
Lieutenant Commander Dan Brehm of the U.S. Coast Guard’s national center for training cruise ship staff says there are many safeguards in place.
He says cruise lines that operate in the U.S. must pass safety inspections and obtain certifications, including an annual testing of lifeboat deployment.
Brehm says there’s an international standard of 30 minutes for boats to be deployed once an “abandon ship” is sounded. And he says boats are designed to be safely lowered even if the ship is listing by 20 degrees.
Source: Associated Press
