Costa responds to environmental concerns

Costa Cruises is moving quickly to respond to environmental concerns in the wake of the grounding of the Costa Concordia off the coast of Giglio, Italy. In a statement, the cruise line said: “For Costa Cruises protecting the environment is an integral part of its corporate mission, as it has demonstrated by obtaining the most stringent international certifications (UNIEN ISO 14001).” And it continued: “The company therefore recognized the need to promptly address issues concerning the protection of the marine environment following the Costa Concordia accident. In the hours immediately after the accident, Costa Cruises commissioned leading worldwide salvage experts Smit Salvage BV, of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, to draw up a plan to recover the reserves of fuel from Costa Concordia. From the outset, this plan has been shared with the relevant authorities and, as a result of their full cooperation, is expected to be implemented by the end of the week.”