NTSB Now Addressing Cruise Line Safety

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held its first ever forum dedicated to cruise line safety on Tuesday at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. Among the issues brought up include fire safety, sanitation, life boats, inspections, and the need for global regulation.

U.S. Coast Guard Captain Eric Christensen joined the NTSB discussion to emphasize the importance of routine inspections. According to Capt. Christensen, routine twice-a-year inspections of the country's some 140 cruise ships resulted in the discovery of 351 violations, most of which were centered around fire safety and inadequate lifeboats.

There have been a slew of incidents involving cruise ships in recent years. In January 2012, the Costa Concordia struck rocks off the coast of Italy, capsizing and killing 32 passengers and crew members aboard. Last year, a fire on board the Carnival Triumph left its 3,000+ passengers with limited food and water along with unsanitary living conditions.

Budd Darr, spokesperson for the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), reported a total of 61 deaths on cruise ships between 2002 and 2012, 21 of which were passengers.

Following the NTSB forum on cruise line safety, ships will now receive unannounced inspections, This is in stark contrast to the previous technique of routinely inspecting cruise ships twice a year. Under this new format, the U.S. Coast Guard will perform random inspections on every cruise ship operating out of the U.S. Officials hope this move will encourage cruise lines to make safety a top priority.

Of course, some cruise lines have already taken additional safety measures in the wake of the Costa Concordia and Carnival Triumph incidents. Some of the measures cruise lines are reportedly using to improve passenger safety includes the addition of extra life jackets, making life jackets more accessible, and improving lifeboat training drills.

"Ships are much bigger and operate in areas like the Titanic did, and areas where there are less available search and rescue resources. It makes the logic of staying on board a much stronger one. To make the passenger ship itself, I won't use the word unsinkable because that was used for the Titanic, but to make the ship a fit place to stay," said cruise ship captain Andy Winbo.

Do you think officials are doing enough to keep cruise passengers safe? Let us know in the comments section below!