Update Tuesday 8:05 am ET:

Good morning. Here’s a summary of the latest developments on the Costa Concordia tragedy:

• One body was found in the wreckage on Sunday, two on Monday and one so far today, bringing the death toll to 16. At least 15 people are still missing
• Pumping operations have officially gotten underway to remove the heavy fuel from Costa Concordia while recovery operations continue
• Rumors of unregistered passengers – AKA stowaways – aboard the Concordia have surfaced in recent days, but Costa categorically denies the claims

Updates will continue as events warrant

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Update Saturday 10:20 am ET:

Good morning. Here’s a summary of the latest developments:

• A woman’s body was found aboard the wreckage this morning, bringing the confirmed death toll to 12
• 20 people remain missing
• Italian officials have confirmed the presence of “light oil” in the vicinity of the ship, and it is believed to have some from the Concordia
• Pressure mounts from environmentalists to begin pumping the heavy oil from the Concordia, but it remains on hold while search and rescue operations continue

More updates as events warrant.

Update Thursday 6:30 pm ET:

Good evening. Not a lot of major developments in the Costa Concordia tragedy today, but here’s a breakdown of the current situation:

• The Search and Rescue operation has resumed, though authorities admit hope is dimming for finding survivors in the ship’s remains. The operation will likely be switched to a Search and Recovery status by the weekend
• One individual on the missing list has been located alive on land, so the number of missing passengers and crew has been lowered to 21. 11 individuals are confirmed dead
• Italian authorities are reportedly looking to question a “mystery woman” dubbed Captain Schettino’s ‘shadow’ who was allegedly with the Captain in crucial moments before, during and after the disaster
• Carnival Corp. and plc has ordered a comprehensive audit and review of safety and emergency response practices across all of its’ cruise lines
• Carnival’s social media channels have gone dark, with no posting activity to Facebook or Twitter “out of respect to those affected by the recent events”

We’ll continue to update this item at least one a day as developments warrant.

Update Wednesday 8:55 am ET:

Good morning, here’s a quick look at recent developments in the Costa Concordia disaster:

• Additional bodies were found aboard the ship yesterday, bringing the death toll to 11
• The number of missing passengers and crew has been decreased to an estimate of 24
• An Italian judge ordered that Captain Francesco Schettino would be held under house arrest, pending formal charges
• Transcripts of radio communications between Schettino and Italian maritime officials during the disaster indicate he was coordinating the rescue operation from a life boat, and apparently defied orders to return onboard the ship
• The rescue operation has been temporarily suspended again this morning to ensure the safety of divers after the ship moved slightly this morning
• Preliminary measures to begin the transfer of fuel from the ship have begun, but search and rescue are still the primary focus. Environmentalists continue to fear a fuel leak and environmental catastrophe

Cruise ship safety has been at the forefront of everyone’s minds in recent days, and it was the focus of yesterday’s #CruiseChat on Twitter. We wanted to share a transcript of the chat with you as it contains some valuable, practical safety tips that could save your life on your next cruise. You can reiview the transcript by clicking here.

Update Tuesday 7:55 am ET:

Good morning, here’s a quick look at recent developments in the Costa Concordia disaster:

• A seventh body was found aboard the ship overnight
• The number of missing passengers and crew has been increased to 28
• Divers are blasting holes in the side of the hull to allow for easier access to the lower decks that are underwater
• Transcripts released of conversations between the Italian Coast Guard and Captain indicate he was trying to coordinate the rescue from a lifeboat and later onshore, and defied orders to return to the ship
• Fears are growing of a fuel leak and environmental disaster, as the ship is perched in a sanctuary for porposies and dolphins. A Dutch salvage firm hired to drain the fuel has said it will take between 2 to 4 weeks, but they can’t begin until they receive clearance from Italian authorities, which could happen as early as Wednesday.

This post will continue to be updated each morning, or as other developments warrant.

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Update Monday 7:50 am ET:

Good morning, here’s a quick look at overnight developments in the Costa Concordia disaster:

• A sixth body was found aboard the ship
• 2 Americans are apparently among the 14 still missing, though the numbers are still very fluid
• Rescue operations have been suspended after the ship moved 9 cm vertically and 1.5 cm horizontally, with fears that the ship will fall deeper into the sea
• Carnival Corp & PLC (Costa’s parent company) shares on the London stock exchange “plunged” in Monday trading
• Costa is holding a press conference at 8 am ET. We’ll do our best to bring you any information as quickly as possible

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Update Sunday 6:30 pm ET:

Costa Cruise Lines released the following statement this afternoon.

We at Costa Cruises are deeply saddened by this tragedy, and our hearts and prayers go out to everyone affected and offer the determined victims’ families her heartfelt condolences.

Over the past 48 hours, more than 1,100 Costa employees have been working tirelessly in the wake of this terrible event.  We are working closely with the authorities to support ongoing search and rescue operations, and are focusing on ensuring that all guests and crewmembers return home safely.

Our immediate priority is to account for all passengers and crew and to secure the vessel to ensure that there are no environmental impacts.  We have engaged the services of a worldwide leader specialized salvage company to develop an action plan and help establish a protection perimeter around the ship.  It should be noted that the Prosecutor in charge has seized the ship and the DVR– so called “black box” containing all navigation data and the vessel can be accessed by Costa only with permission from the authorities.

We are working with investigators to find out precisely what went wrong aboard the Costa Concordia. While the investigation is ongoing, preliminary indications are that there may have been significant human error on the part of the ship’s Master, Captain Francesco Schettino, which resulted in these grave consequences.  The route of the vessel appears to have been too close to the shore, and the Captain’s judgment in handling the emergency appears to have not followed standard Costa procedures. We are aware that the lead Prosecutor has levelled serious accusations against the ship’s Captain, who joined Costa Crociere in 2002 as a Safety Officer and was appointed Captain in 2006, after acting as Staff Captain as well. As all Costa Masters, he has been constantly trained passing all tests.

In light of these accusations and the continuing investigation, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time.

As we are learning more about the event itself and the evacuation, however, it is becoming clear that the crew of the Costa Concordia acted bravely and swiftly to help evacuate more than 4,000 individuals during a very challenging situation.  We are very grateful for all they have done.

Costa is committed to ensuring that no such incident ever occurs again.  Our number one priority is always the safety and security of our guests and crew and we comply with all safety regulations.

——-End Costa Statement——

While it still should be considered speculative, Costa’s statement seems to validate, at least in part, the claims in this Emirates 24/7 news report.

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Update Sunday 11:45 am ET:

The Italian news agency is reporting that the bodies of two “elderly people” have been found in the Costa Concordia’s wreckage, bringing the confirmed death toll to 5. The dead were found near the ship’s restaurant, still wearing their life jackets, Coast Guard spokesman Capt. Cosimo Nicastro told reporters. No other information was available.

Update Sunday 9:05 am ET:

A third survivor — an injured crew member — has been airlifted by helicopter out of the wreckage of the Costa Concordia, and the number missing has been revised downward again to 17 – 11 passengers and 6 crew members.

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Update Sunday 2 am ET:

A man and a woman, reported to be a honeymoon couple from South Korea, both in their 20s, have been rescued alive from the Costa Concordia this evening. They were found in a cabin in the section of the ship that is still above water. Rescuers have been searching every cabin that’s still above water, even after nightfall, and divers will continue to search sections of the ship below water in daylight hours.

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Update Saturday 6 pm ET:

This statement from Carnival Corp & PLC was issued late this afternoon:

On January 13, 2012, Costa Cruises’ vessel, the Costa Concordia, departed from Civitavecchia, Italy with approximately 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members on a seven-day voyage.  At approximately 10:00pm CET, the vessel struck rock off the coast of Isola del Giglio, Italy and sustained significant damage causing the ship to list severely.  The order was given to abandon ship and deploy the lifeboats.

Tragically, there are reports of some deaths and injuries.  This is a terrible tragedy and we are deeply saddened. Carnival Corporation & plc offers our sympathies and heartfelt condolences to all of the Costa Concordia guests, crew members and their families.  Carnival Corporation & plc and Costa Cruises are committing our full resources to provide assistance and ensure that all guests and crew are looked after.

We want to express our deep gratitude to the Italian Coast Guard and local authorities and community members who have gone to extraordinary lengths to assist in the evacuation of the ship and provide support for our guests and crew.

We are working to fully understand the cause of what occurred.  The safety of our guests and crew members remains the number one priority of Carnival Corporation & plc and all of our cruise lines.

Costa Concordia was sailing on a Mediterranean cruise from Civitavecchia (Rome) with scheduled calls at Savona, Italy; Marseille, France; Barcelona, Spain; Palma de Mallorca; Cagliari and Palermo, Italy.

Friends and family members may use the following country-specific contact numbers to reach Costa Cruises:

Italy　　　　  848505050

U.S.　　　　 800-462-6782

Austria　　    00438109006565

Germany　　+4940570121314

France　　　+33155475554

Spain　　　  +34934875685

Portugal　　  +34914185951

UK　　　　　08453510552

Carnival Corporation & plc is the parent company of ten cruise lines including Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Ibero Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and P&O Cruises (Australia).

—- End Carnival Statement —-

For a gripping narrative of what it was like on board the Costa Concordia as the events unfolded last night, read this account from the UK’s Telegraph.

More updates as information is available.

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Update Saturday 4 pm ET:

International media are reporting that the Costa Concordia’s Captain and 1st Officer have been arrested in Italy on charges of Manslaughter and abandoning ship.

As part of the investigation into the tragedy, Italian authorities are looking into why the Captain didn’t issue a Mayday distress call as soon it was clear the ship was in trouble.

Missing person counts have been revised downward to “about 40,” but some authorities have said it’s almost certain that additional bodies will be found in the underwater wreckage of the ship.

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Update Saturday 12:30 pm ET:

As of the latest updates, 3 people are confirmed dead (reportedly 2 French passengers and a Peruvian crew member) and at least 69 are still missing (though with much confusion on the scene, some are likely OK and just unaccounted for). Divers are searching every cabin of the submerged ship, which has a 160-foot gash in her port side, below the water line.

Pictures and videos of the tragedy are leading newscasts all over the world, and passengers are recounting a confused, and seemingly, untrained crew and confusion on deck as the ship was listing so far to make evacuation by lifeboat increasingly difficult as the night wore on.

We’ll continue to update this post as developments warrant, and for up-to-the-minute updates, follow me on Twitter @SimonTravels, where I’m sharing news and photos as they come in.

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Update Saturday 1:30 am ET:

Unfortunately, it’s tragic news as the sun rose moments ago over Giglio, as the first light revealed the Costa Concordia to be completely on her side in the harbor.

We’ll keep updating as details emerge.

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Update Saturday 12:18 am ET:

Agencie France Press and USA Today are now reporting 8 dead, including a man in his 70s who jumped from the ship into the icy Mediterranean waters.

Giglio harbor will see sunrise in less than 90 minutes, so the condition of the ship and her passengers will likely become more apparent as dawn breaks. We’ll continue to update as events warrant.

Update Friday 11:27 pm ET:

This statement was posted at 5.00 am Rome time (11 pm ET) in Italian on Costa’s Italian site. It was translated using Google Translate:

“It ‘a tragedy that deeply affects our company. Our first thoughts are with the victims, and we want to express our condolences and our closeness to their family and friends. Right now all our efforts are concentrated in the last emergency operations, as well as offering assistance to guests and crew who were aboard the ship, to bring them back home as soon as possible. Emergency procedures were immediately taken to evacuate the ship. The slope, which gradually took over the ship made ​​the evacuation extremely difficult. We wish to express profound and heartfelt thanks to the Coast Guard and the forces it coordinates, including the authorities and citizens of the island of Giglio, who has been provided in the rescue and assistance to guests and crew. The company will work with the highest availability with the relevant authorities to verify the causes of the event. ”

Still not really any facts in there.

Update Friday 10:50 pm ET: Carnival Corp & PLC Chairman and CEO Mickey Arison tweeted this statement moments ago: “Tonight our thoughts and prayers are with the passengers and crew of the CostaConcordia.”

Also, new pictures from inside the lifeboats and alongside the stricken ship have emerged on the UK Daily Mail site: Click Here to View

Update Friday 10:30 pm ET: The Associated Press is reporting that the Italian Coast Guard has retrieved 3 bodies so far from the Costa Concordia grounding off the coast of Italy. Latest reports seem to focusing on a death toll of 6, but the the AP story is the first to cite a government source.

Update Friday 9:40 pm ET:  MSNBC is citing “local media reports” for at least 8 dead and 200 passengers remaining on the ship.

As additional pictures come in, we’re tweeting them @SimonTravels

——Original Post—–

Breaking news out of Italy tonight as the cruise ship Costa Concordia has apparently run aground off the coast of Italy.

UK media are reporting at least two deaths after passengers jumped from the ship after it struck rocks and listed 22 degrees. Reports indicate passengers have mustered and are currently evacuating the ship via lifeboat.

This dramatic picture (via UK journalist cruise @CaptainGreybeard) seemingly shows the ship ON the pier at the port of Giglio, but reports are that the Captain purposely ran the ship further ashore to create stability as the ship was listing so heavily.

The Costa Concordia, a 3,700-passenger ship, entered service in July 2006 for Costa Cruises, a unit of cruise giant Carnival Corp. and PLC.

This item will be updated as events unfold and details emerge.

For even more Travel News & Views, check out Simon’s Blog at SimonTravels.net or follow Simon on Twitter @SimonTravels.