Big Cruise Ships Are Safe

Richard Fain, chief executive of Royal Caribbean International has defended the safety of the larger vessels

Since the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ships especially the larger ones have been directly in the firing line when it comes to if they are safe or not but Royal Caribbean’s Richard Fain has defended them fully, deeming them safer than smaller vessels.

Costa Concordia weighed in at 114,000 ton and she had room on board for some 4,000 passengers and crew.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Fain said: “The truth is that the newer, bigger ships are as safe or safer than any comparable smaller ships. Travelers awarded the bigger ships higher scores in satisfaction surveys because they had had better on-board facilities.”

He also commented “There are steps we have taken - very powerful steps - to protect our passengers and our crew from human error. But we can always learn if there are things we can do even better.”

Royal Caribbean International is home to the world’s joint largest cruise ships, Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas. Each ship weighs in at roughly 225,000 ton and has room on board for some 8,000 passengers and crew.