Saturday, January 21, 2012

Costa Concordia Cruise Ship Satellite Photo


With permission from DigitalGlobe

The commercial satellite operator DigitalGlobe released the high-resolution satellite image of the Costa Concordia, which was taken on January 17, four days after the luxury cruise liner capsized.

Italy's Isola del Giglio, where the ship ran aground, is pictured on the left hand side of the photo. To the right, the Mediterranean Sea separates the island from the Italian mainland, about ten miles to the east.

Last week as news of the Costa Concordia cruise ship accident spread, Cedar Posts was captaining a yacht heading to Ft. Lauderdale.

Along for the trip were five Norwegian Caribbean Cruise Lines executives including two former cruise ship captains. It is considered bad luck to criticize another captain's misfortune, but my Norwegian friends were quick to point out that the shore line of Italy's Isola del Giglio, where the ship ran aground is clearly charted and marked and unlike the shifting sounds and harbors along the Florida and Georgia Coast the location of underwater hazards on that island haven't changed in 2000 years.

My iPad was a big hit as I down loaded dozens of high-res photos while 30 miles off the Florida coast. They were surprised at the loss of life, and were very concerned how the general public will view the tragedy and how it will affect the tourist season and cruise industry.

More cool photos from DigitalGlobe are here.

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