Costa Concordia owners launch capsized cruise liner's sister ship

London, May 6 (ANI): Owners of capsized ship Costa Concordia, which ran aground off the Italian coast in January 2012, have delivered a new massive luxury cruise liner in the hope that it would revive its fortunes.

Operator Costa Crociere, owned by the Carnival Cruise Lines, launched Concordia's sister ship, the 114,500-tonne Costa Fascinosa.

Built by state-owned shipyard Fincantieri, it has space for 3,500 passengers, The Daily Mail reports.

According to Costa CEO and Chairman Pier Luigi Foschi, despite the economic downturn and the impact on consumption, 'Costa has bounced back and booking volumes are back to the same levels recorded this time last year'.

Costa has promised to introduce a real-time route-monitoring system, which will be later adopted by parent group Carnival Corporation and Plc, and a system to increase sharing of the ship's navigation plan between the captain and the officers.

"We do not want to radically change the responsibilities of the captain but simply allow other officers to give opinions," the paper quoted Foschi, as saying.

In January, the Costa Concordia hit a reef near the island of Giglio off the Tuscan coast, capsizing and killing at least 30 people in an accident investigators say was caused when its captain Francesco Schettino took the ship too close to shore.

The accident rocked the cruise liner industry, hitting bookings and raising concerns about the safety of the huge modern cruise ships that ply the seas with thousands of passengers aboard. (ANI)