[210112.EN.SEA] Costa Concordia Accident Start To Become Mysterious...

The shipping industry newspaper Lloyd's List reported that Friday was not the first time the Costa Concordia steamed extremely close to shore near Giglio.How this might have happened? Experts of SeaNews has an answer.

Satellite tracking data obtained by the paper show that the ship passed within 230 meters (755 feet) of the coast of the island at least once before, even closer than the location where the Costa Concordia hit the rocks lasted weekend.

The pass happened on August 14, 2011, Lloyd's List reported. Costa Cruises chairman Pier Luigi Foschi earlier this week said a pass near the island last summer occurred only once, on August 9-10, 2011. The discrepancy in the dates could not be reconciled late Wednesday.

So the question still remains: why the ship did not hit the rocks when she passed closer to the rocks, and she hit when she passed farther?

ONCE MORE SQUAT EFFECT

SeaNews consulted the issue to maritime experts. Response is as follows:

'Once more we have to take into account the SPEED of the ship. What was the speed previous time when the ship passed closer? Because centimeters are important at this accident. And, speed of the ship direcly have the ability to change the draugh of a ship through SQUAT effect. There has been many accidets due to this effect. To make a correct statement the speed of vessel at each passage should be taken into account'

Source : SN-TR, 20.01.12.