Twelve months on from the Costa Concordia incident, a new Allianz report identifies that 106 ship losses were reported worldwide in the 12 months to November 25 2012 - up from 91 ships the previous year but a 27 percent decrease on the ten year average of 146 ships per annum. Despite this long term downward trend, driven by technology, training and regulation and a proactive response from the shipping industry to safety improvement, human error remains the core challenge.

Costa Cruises, Europe’s number one cruise line, has announced excellent environmental results in the seventh edition of its Sustainability Report. The report was revealed at the Seatrade Med 2012 in Marseilles, the biggest event of the year for cruise operators in the Mediterranean. Key achievements include a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 3.8% decrease in fuel consumption and a 40% increase in hours spent on training.

Costa Crociere S.p.A., Europe’s number one cruise company, has promoted Beniamino Maltese to Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer.

Costa Crociere Group has appointed Tom Strang in the new position of senior vice president maritime development and compliance for the company. The move follows the sinking of the Costa Concordia earlier this year, with the loss of more than 30 lives.

An official report into the Costa Concordia disaster has blamed Capt Francesco Schettino for the sinking of the ship. Some 32 people died during the accident in January this year, when the vessel sunk off the Island of Giglio on the Italian coast.

Italian shipping giant Costa Crociere has announced the appointment of its new Vice President Marketing, Frederik Pénot.