Stricken Cruise Ship Was Seized Last Year, Attorney Says He's Amazed A Costa Concordia Tragedy Did Not Occur
Feb. 14 2013, Published 6:46 a.m. ET
The stricken cruise ship, the Carnival Triumph, that was stranded off the coast of Mexico with dire consequences for its thousands of passengers, was seized last year by attorneys from a Mississippi-based law firm representing passengers and family members of the Costa Concordia tragedy in a legal battle, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.
On March 30, 2012, John Arthur Eaves, Jr. filed a $10 million lawsuit in Galveston, Texas against luxury liner company Carnival on behalf of the family of German tourist Kai Stumpf, who was one of 32 that lost their lives on the Concordia in January 2012.
The Triumph was held as collateral until Carnival agreed to pay the bond to release the boat.
In an exclusive interview with RadarOnline, Eaves, Jr. says that he believes Carnival is more interested in a desire to increase profits rather than invest in passenger safety.
He asks why a contingency plan wasn’t put in place to rescue the stranded passengers left to fend for themselves on board AND was amazed that the Triumph didn’t tip over when it lost power, given its similarities to the Costa Concordia in design.
“In my opinion, Carnival has compromised passenger safety in regards to design of the vessel through to crew training. It’s no surprise that a fire broke in its engine room.” Eaves, Jr. alleges.
“I believe they have cut costs in hiring and training its crew, in the discipline of its officers, in the design of its vessels and in the maintenance of its mechanical operations.
“After a long investigation, we maintain that the problems that caused the Costa Concordia to partially sink, costing the lives of 32 people, can be found in ALL of Carnival-operated vessels. And, the Triumph was built before the Concordia, so it has similar faults too.
“The Triumph is designed to sit on top of the water, rather than sink in it. With that in mind, it’s lucky the weather favored the doomed cruise ship when it was stranded without power for a whole day. If the sea was rough, it could easily have tipped over.
“And why the passengers haven’t been rescued yet and taken off the boat, rather than towed to safety is beyond me. It just shows to me that safety is not Carnival’s main priority,” Eaves, Jr. divulged.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, passengers on board the Triumph have started to become physically sick as conditions on board deteriorate further.
Anne Barlow, a passenger on board the powerless ship, texted that some less able passengers were “struggling,” the smell was “gross” and her room was leaking raw sewage.
“Why can’t they get us off?” she asked.
Cabin carpets are said to be soaked in urine, while passengers have been sleeping in tents on deck rather than their own rooms because the air conditioning isn’t working.
Scarce food supplies have meant that holidaymakers have been forced to munch on cold onion sandwiches.
The Triumph is currently being dragged by a tugboat towards Mobile, Alabama where it is expected to dock Thursday afternoon.