WASHINGTON, D.C.— Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today sent a letter to Micky Arison, the Chief Executive Officer of Carnival Corporation, expressing his serious concerns surrounding the recent Carnival Triumph incident, which left more than 4,000 passengers and crew members stranded, amid accounts of unbearable living conditions.  The letter and a list of 90 marine casualty incidents that the Coast Guard has investigated onboard Carnival Corporation-owned cruise ships can be found here.

“Just today, we’ve been reminded of Carnival’s dismal safety record with reports that the Carnival Dream is experiencing problems.  The ship is stranded in a Caribbean port with no power and thousands of passengers trapped onboard.  Last month, the Coast Guard spent almost $780,000 in responding to the Carnival Triumph incident – costs that are paid by federal taxpayers,” said Rockefeller.  “The Coast Guard has responded to a string of 90 marine casualty incidents with passengers onboard Carnival ships in the last five years.  It seems that Carnival has failed to take any meaningful course of corrective action after these continual incidents. This needs to change.”

Background:

Chairman Rockefeller in February wrote a letter to Admiral Robert Papp, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, sharing his concerns regarding the Carnival Triumph incident.  The Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board have already launched an investigation into the cause of the engine room fire which led to the loss of power onboard the vessel.

Rockefeller held a Commerce Committee oversight hearing in March 2012 to examine deficiencies in the cruise line industry’s compliance with federal safety, security, and environmental standards and review whether cruise ship industry regulations sufficiently protect passengers and the environment.

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