The European Union commissioner for transport called for the ongoing review of EU passenger ship safety legislation to "take fully into account any lessons to be learnt from the Costa Concordia tragedy."
The review is prioritizing the issues of design and stability of passenger ships, technological developments in the sector and crew training and safe operation, including emergency evacuation procedures.
Commissioner Siim Kallas said he will outline the commission's position to the European Parliament's Transport Committee on Jan. 24.
"The challenge is to ensure that safety rules for passenger ships fully keep pace with the latest designs and technologies in a fast-changing sector. The safety record of passenger ships in EU waters has been strong over the last 10 years," said Kallas, "but there is no room for complacency when it comes to safety. I sincerely hope that the tragic images of today are not forgotten when we need firm support to turn our proposals into safety legislation later this year."
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