[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 7, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E328-E329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TESTIMONY FROM BRIAN AHO, PASSENGER ABOARD THE ``COSTA CONCORDIA'' 
                              CRUISE LINER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TIM HOLDEN

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 7, 2012

  Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to enter sworn testimony into 
the record from Brian Aho, whose family was among the thousands who 
experienced the panic and confusion during the evacuation of the Costa 
Concordia class cruise ship on January 13, 2012. Mr. Aho and his family 
have taken multiple cruise vacations and are familiar with many of the 
safety procedures that are necessary aboard these large ships. Mr. Aho 
details the failure of safety measures aboard the Costa Concordia, the 
lack of guidance from the ship's crew, and the absence of 
accountability demonstrated by the ship's captain. This testimony will 
hopefully lead to new rules and safety guidelines that can help prevent 
future catastrophes.

       Dear Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: Thank 
     you for inviting me to testify today. My name is Brian Aho. 
     My wife, Joan Fleser, my daughter, Alana, and I set sail from 
     the Port of Rome (Civitavecchia) on January 13, 2012, aboard 
     the Concordia cruise liner operated by Costa Crociere and its 
     parent company, Carnival Corporation.
       Though we have been on many cruise vacations with several 
     cruise lines, this was our first European cruise and our 
     first time sailing with Costa. We chose this particular ship 
     and itinerary for our 20th anniversary cruise because of the 
     opportunity to visit many ports in several countries.
       As experienced cruise passengers, we have fallen into a 
     particular embarkation pattern. Once aboard we locate our 
     stateroom, unpack our luggage (if available) and take a 
     walking tour of the ship. We investigate the theater, the 
     pools, the dining-room to which we have been assigned and the 
     safety features. We made note that our stateroom was on Deck 
     #2 forward, our dining room was on Deck #3 aft, and lifeboat 
     access was on Deck #4.
       After our investigation, we went back to our stateroom to 
     prepare for a late-seating (9 p.m.) dinner. Once seated--
     while our appetizers were being served--the ship began to 
     shudder. The rhythmic vibration quickly became worse and, 
     after a tremendous groan and crash, the ship began to list 
     severely. People were falling, glasses and plates were 
     sliding off the tables and smashing, and people were 
     screaming. The panic got worse when the lights failed.
       My family formed a three-link chain and we worked our way 
     through the fallen debris toward an outboard gangway leading 
     up to Deck #4 and the lifeboats. The central (Main) entrance 
     to the dining room was blocked with panicking passengers and 
     crew. The only crew member offering guidance was a woman in a 
     showgirl-style gown near the gangway who was showing the 
     passengers the way to the lifeboats.
       Once on Deck #4, people were panicking and fighting over 
     lifejackets. Once I found and delivered one to my wife, 
     another woman damaged it while tearing it out of her arms. 
     The announcements indicated that it was an electrical problem 
     with the generators and everything was under control. 
     Evidence indicates that some passengers were instructed by 
     crew to return to their cabins. As these announcements were 
     made, the ship was listing more and sinking deeper. 
     Immediately after a similar announcement, we heard the 
     abandon ship signal (six short signals and one long signal). 
     Few people knew what it meant as there was no verbal abandon 
     ship announcement.
       When a crewmember finally appeared, the panicking 
     passengers pushed their way toward the boat. My wife had to 
     grab my daughter and pull her into the boat as a cowardly man 
     tried to push her out of the way. Once the boat was filled, 
     the crewman had trouble readying and releasing the boat. 
     After much hammering noise, the boat swung away from the 
     Concordia. We were showered with white paint chips as if this 
     boat had not been released since the gear had been painted 
     over. After being lowered, the crew had difficulty 
     disconnecting the boat from the davits. Once disconnected, it 
     was clear that the crew did not know how to pilot the 
     lifeboat effectively. It kept colliding with other boats and, 
     eventually, the pier.
       There were NO Costa representatives--neither officers nor 
     crew--on the pier to provide guidance to the passengers. The 
     only help we received was from the residents of the island.
       As experienced cruise vacation passengers, we have 
     recognized significant problems that, in our opinion, made a 
     terrible situation even worse:
       There were no safety drills or instructions distributed to 
     passengers before sailing out into the open Mediterranean 
     Sea.
       The public address announcements provided false 
     information.
       The manning and deployment of the lifeboats was delayed 
     though the ship was in imminent danger.
       The crew was unable to instruct passengers during an 
     emergency.
       The crew was unable to launch and operate the lifeboats 
     effectively.
       According to reports, the captain and senior staff 
     abandoned the ship with passengers still aboard the capsizing 
     vessel. There was no one aboard to coordinate the evacuation.
       This accident was not caused solely by the actions of a 
     single individual. It has been alleged that Costa and its 
     parent corporation, Carnival, allowed Captain Schettino to 
     divert from the assigned course on previous voyages. Clearly, 
     this course deviation was not due to climatic or safety 
     concerns. It is our opinion that--with today's technology--
     central management of the cruise line must have been able to 
     locate the position of--and track the progress of--a massive 
     liner like the Concordia. Either they were aware of its 
     deviation from the pre-determined course and sanctioned it, 
     or they were ill-equipped to manage the operation of this and 
     perhaps other vessels.
       The courts will determine who or what organization is to 
     blame for the tragic loss of life in January of 2012 off the 
     coast of Tuscany.

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