NTSB Holds Cruise Ship Safety Hearing

The National Transportation Safety Board is holding a two-day hearing on passenger safety and emergency response aboard cruise ships.

The NTSB hearing opened Tuesday in Washington with remarks from the Coast Guard and panels on regulation of cruise ships, accident investigations and fire protection. Wednesday’s session will feature representatives from the cruise industry on the same topics, as well as corporate oversight of cruise ships.

The hearing comes a little more than a year after a fire aboard the Carnival Triumph left the ship adrift for days in the Gulf of Mexico, subjecting some 3,000 passengers to squalid conditions. In 2012, the Costa Concordia ship capsized off Italy, killing 32 people.

The NTSB says most ship and ferry accident investigations fix blame on problems with safety practices.