His highly profitable arrangement after Hurricane Katrina was bad, but this is much worse. How can a CEO fail to show interest in one of the worst maritime disasters in years? Sending condolences from Miami is not cutting it. The Independent:
Angry consumer groups are demanding to know why Micky Arison, the billionaire head of Costa Cruise's Miami-based parent company, Carnival Corporation, has failed to make an appearance on the island of Giglio, where passengers' bodies are still being dragged out of the wrecked Costa Concordia. Kendall Carver, president of the US-based International Cruise Victims group, said: "The response, or lack of it, by Carnival is disgraceful. This is a PR disaster for the company." Meanwhile, yesterday, the La Repubblica newspaper, commenting on Mr Arison's low profile, asked: "Who is this mysterious boss and how has he managed to remain like a ghost since the tragedy?" One US lawyer specialising in maritime law, Jim Walker of Walker and O'Neill Partners, said on his blog that Carnival executives "were close behind the disgraced captain Francesco Schettino in trying to ruin their reputations".
