Costa Extends Deadline for Concordia Compensation

Costa Crociere has extended the deadline for acceptance of its compensation proposal for guests involved in the Costa Concordia incident to March 31. The decision was taken to offer passengers more time to evaluate the proposal and to exercise their claims with less urgency.

While the date for acceptance of the proposal has been extended, the process to redeem the compensation package and its terms remain unchanged from when it was offered Jan. 27.

The extension of the deadline will not impact the claim process, but is intended to satisfy the requests of some guests. The compensation package is available only to guests who have returned home.

The families of deceased and missing victims and guests who were injured will be covered under a separate proposal based on their individual circumstances.

The compensation package includes a lump sum payment of 11,000 euros per person (more than $14,000) as indemnification, covering what the company calls “all patrimonial and non-patrimonial damages, including loss of baggage and personal effects, psychological distress and loss of enjoyment of the cruise vacation.”

The proposal also includes reimbursement of the value of the cruise, including harbor taxes; reimbursement of air and bus transfers included in the cruise package; full reimbursement of travel expenses to reach the port of embarkation and return home; reimbursement of any medical expenses resulting from the cruise; and reimbursement of expenses incurred on board during the cruise. Some reports put the total package offer at roughly $46 million.

Meanwhile, the Danish company Smit has been extracting the fuel from the Concordia. The company said the first oil was removed Feb. 12, and Italian media reports that a second tank was emptied Feb. 14. “The weather forecast for the coming days looks good and pumping will continue around the clock as long as the favorable conditions continue,” the company said in a statement.