>> chairman lobiondo, ranking member and honorable members of the subcommittee, before i begin my formal statement, i would like to give my condolences to those members of the u.s. coast guard whom we have lost, and also all those who have lost loved ones or suffered loss on the costa concordia. my name is evans hoyt, and i currently serve as captain of norwegian cruise lines pride of america and have more than 30 years of seafairing experience. i'm pleased to testify before you this morning on behalf of the entire cruise industry. all of news the cruise industry appreciate the time and consideration you're applying to this important issue, and we particularly appreciate you giving us this opportunity to appear before you and address your concerns. while i am unable to provide specific information or speculate on the causes of the concordia incident, i can

provide the subcommittee expert train information on the training of cruise ship captains, oversight and emergency preparedness. i'm a captain for norwegian cruise lines which operates foreign flagships and flagship. have i commanded four of norwegian's cruise ships since 2005 and have served as master in the u.s. and international fleet. prior to joining norwegian cruise lines, i served as captain of the ss cape island for the u.s. maritime administration, conducting voyages in the persian gulf carrying military cargo and personnel in support of operation iraqi freedom. i graduated from the u.s. merchant marine academy at kings point in 1982, earned my masters license in 1988, taking my first deep sea command in 1990. as the captain, the master in command of a cruise ship, my highest priority is the safety of the passengers and crewmember. i take into account every factor possible in determining the best course of action to ensure the

safety of my passengers and crew. the cruise industry is a heavily regulated industry with strong enforcement mechanisms. the international maritime organization mandates global standards for the safety and operation of cruise ships through the adoption of treaties, regulations. the most important is the international con investigation for the safety of life at sea ratified by the united states and most other nations. solas provides mandates on safety equipment, safety procedures and emergency preparedness. the laws governing the operation of cruise ships, whether they are u.s. or foreign flag are comprehensive and stringent. on board operations are prescribed by an established mandatory safety management system which outlines shipboard and crew procedures necessary to prepare and respond to emergency situations. written procedures for emergency preparedness, response to potential emergency situations and established program for

shipboard personnel drills and exercises are required. these sms procedures must be fully documented and are subject to both internal and external audits by a comprehensive network of maritime experts from the flag state and shipping classification societies. the u.s. coast guard conducts oversight of cruise ship operations through its flag state regulatory program for u.s. flag and its port state control program for non-u.s. flag vessels. the coast guard conducts annual inspections and regularly reinspects all cruise ships that embark passengers and u.s. seaports. all officers must be trained in accordance with the stringent standards. the training of cruise ship officers and crew sets some of the highest standards in the maritime industry. cruise ships remain an extremely safe form of transportation. we as captains trained for worst case situations with the safety of passengers and crew given the highest priority. another critical part of a

captain's duties and responsibilities is the management of the bridge team, or bridge resource management. bridge resource management is a process by which all members of the bridge team coordinate expertise and maximize effectiveness of onboard systems and procedures during critical operations to enhance navigational safety. additionally, all crewmembers receive training in emergency procedures, safety, security, and first aid. this training ensures the crewmembers are familiar with emergency operations and the location of emergency equipment on that particular ship. crewmembers are also required to participate in emergency drills. this training includes a mock search and rescue of passengers trapped in their state rooms. safety of life at sea also addresses record keeping for the drills and training sessions. the cruise industry and entire maritime community is constantly reviewing and enhancing the operations and safety practices of ships in any way that can improve the safety and security of both passengers and crew.

the cruise industry also operates individual standards that are above the requirements of all agencies that regulate the industry. i again want to thank the subcommittee for the opportunity to testify this morning on behalf of the cruise industry and cruise ship captains. the cruise industry is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone on board our ships. put simply, the well-being of our passengers and crewmembers is and will remain our highest priority. i'd be pleased to answer any additional questions this subcommittee might have regarding these topics. thank you. >> thank you, captain hoyt. we'll certainly have some questions for you. mr. schoeneman. >> thank you, mr. chairman. good afternoon, mr. chairman, ranking members, mr. larsen. i am the director of the seafarers of america. we represent unlicensed merchant mariners in a variety of capacities in both the domestic and international trades, including the cruise industry.

on behalf of the siu and all of our member, we want to thank you for conducting this hearing and for all of your continued support of the united states merchant marine. the costa concordia accident has highlighted the critical need for qualified mariners and well-trained crewmembers on board cruise ships. it's especially important given that the vast majority of staff are hospitality staff, not mariners, that all crewmembers are well-trained. in situations where every second counts, training makes all the difference. training has been a key benefit to siu membership since our founding in 1938. our training center, the paul hall center for maritime training and education has been training mariners for almost half a century. and since its founding, the center has trained over 185,000 students and issue in order than 250,000 safety and continuing education certificates to mariners. we have been training cruise ship personnel since 1978. we were proud to be a proud of norwegian cruise line america's

reblemt of the cruise ship industry in 2005 and our members currently sail alongside captain hoyt. in order to assist in the training of personnel, we opened a new state-of-the-art training facility at barbers point in hawaii. the facility provides basic safety and cruise ship center training to meet the needs of our u.s. flag fleet and the increased demand for mariners in the hawaiian trades. we have trained over 4,000 crewmember and have trained outside groups including the hawaiian national guard. all are required to comply with the sol las requirements, the standards of certification and watch keeping currently promoted by the imo and all coast guard regulations. the specifics of our course curricula are available in my written testimony. at the end of the day, when it comes to training, all of our crewmembers, mariner and nonmariner alike must know what to do in event of an emergency. not simply because they must do so under the law, but because so many lives depend upon their training and professionalism.

and while we're confident that we can provide the best training in the world, and that the coast guard is there to ensure that our mariners have met all their legal requirements, we're less confident of this when it comes to vessels that are sailing under flags convenience. we believe that the proliferation of the use of focs, especially in cruise industry, creates a growing concern for safety. today the vast majority of cruise ships calling on u.s. ports are sailing under the bahama man, panama or bermuda flags of convenience, among others. now to be clear, the issue is not whether proper standards for crewmember training are available internationally. we feel that solas and stcw requirements are adequate, so long as they're complied with. but the continued concern over fraudulent mariner documents and a worldwide economic crisis that has put millions out of work, it's critical we know the mariner who reported for duty is who she says she is, and that the document she is providing is what it purports to be. that's best done under a system with strong flag state control as we have in the united states,

as admiral salerno made clear this morning. we're also concerned with the issue of communication between crewmembers and passengers. while this isn't an issue on u.s. flag vessels where most of the crew are american and speak english, on ships documented under an foc, the crew is often of various nationalities and often do not speak the same language. even on board the costa concordia which was an italian flagship not under an foc, there were crewmembers from over 40 nationalities. as our crewmembers who were on board testified this morning, there were issues with communication and a language barrier on board the ship that contributed to system of the issues that were found there. we find it hard table that breakdowns in communications in a crisis, they're going to be inevitable. now while crew training and communication are important, we believe that best in order to protect the passengers, passengers themselves must feel confident that they me what to do in the event of an emergency. and that's why we strongly support the new emergency drill policy that clea has adopted

that has been spoken of multiple times this morning. it requires mandatory musters for all embarking passengers prior to depark barking from a port. they simply require within 24 hours of embarkation a muster drill. as the costa concordia accident has proven, this is simply not good enough. accidents can happen at any time, ankh and passengers must understand what to do in an emergency even before the ship gets under way. that's common sense. in conclusion, as we all work together to avoid accidents like the costa concordia, we must always remember the best way to protect passengers and respond to an emergency is to ensure the crewmembers are well train and professional, and passengers and crew' like know what to do in an emergency. training saves lives. it's that simple. thank you for allowing us to testify today. and i'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. >> thank you very much. captain hoyt, i'd like the start with you. and i thank you again for being here, and your testimony.

i don't believe we've been acquainted before today. but i come away with the distinct impression that if you had been the captain of the costa concordia, we wouldn't be having this hearing today. so if you heard -- i believe you heard mr. and mrs. sharma's testimony? >> yes, sir. >> could you walk us through if you were captain -- you are captain of "pride of america" or if you were captain of a ship that had an unforeseen accident how after the accident you would have handled that situation or you would have instructed the crew to handle that situation? >> well, i wouldn't want us to comment on the actual costa concordia accident. >> we'll do a hypothetical. >> in the event of an accident, we have the processes and procedures in place to put out

general alarm at the moment where you need to bring passengers to muster stations. >> okay. i understand with the nature of the investigation, you probably can't go there. can you say as captain of the "pride of america" would you have turned off the track for any reason in that similar situation? >> i don't see a situation where we would put ourselves into a similar situation as that, no, sir. >> i think probably the balance of the questions would be a problem for you. i don't want to put you in that situation. ms. duffy, if we could turn to you, have you made or do you plan to make other policy changes in response to this accident? >> so as i stated that we've announced the operational safety

review almost immediately following the concordia incident. we are working through a process with our member lines who are also conducting internal reviews, which is also required whenever there is an incident like this under the safety management code. so this review will have several different phases that it will go through, and there will be we anticipate other best practices and lessons learned that we will be able to implement and communicate, particularly as the italian authorities complete the ongoing investigation. >> does the association have a model policy on the abandoned ship policy? and if so, have you members adopted these policies? >> the association sits at the international maritime organization as the

nongovernmental organization. and with all of our members, follows the regulations that are in place under the solas, which was discussed as well as the international safety management code and all of the crew training and emergency preparedness that is required of our members. >> so in light of all this, have you gone back and reviewed crew training on all of your ships since the accident? >> that is one of the areas under the operational safety review, particularly focused on human factors which will include crew training. >> thank you. mr. schoeneman, can you tell us what the difference is between training aboard a u.s. flag cruise vessel and a foreign vessel operating in compliance with training standards? >> sure. at least under our situation, we make sure that all of the members of the seafarers receive the same training that qualifies them to sail both on a u.s. flag

vessel as well as on a foreign flagship. in general, the requirements are fairly similar. sdcw and solas requirements match what the coast guard requires for our members. all of our crewmembers on board u.s. flag vessels, not simply the mariners, but also the hospitality staff are required to take a number of courses in addition to the standard basic life safety training which includes firefighter training, personal survival. they also get training on how to handle crowd management as well as human behavior in emergency. so that folks are at least given the basic training to be able to direct passengers to their muster stations, get them on board their life crafts, and get those life crafts off the ship in a timely fashion. some of our members are also given specific training on survival craft operations. we have a 37-hour course that trains members to do that. >> excuse me, how many hours? >> 37 hours. >> okay. >> and we also have training for

search and rescue on board the rescue as well as for folks who are responding. we've had a very good track records. members of our union have responded in a number of emergency situations not simply on cruise ships, but also whenever there have been a need to get folks off of objects very quickly. in particular, i highlight the committee recognize that our members were the first on scene for the miracle of the hudson in new york when the airliner landed in the hudson. members of the siu on board. ships in the hudson river were able to take crew folks off that passenger airliner very quickly. it's part of the training that all of our members are given. and we are very proud of what they've been able to accomplish. >> thank you. mr. larsen? >> thank you, mr. chairman. i don't know why it was so ingrained in me. i could have been watching at lo of television.

this pop culture phrase certainly was ingrained in me going up is that the captain goes down with the ship. it's like the ultimate responsibility goes with the person in charge of the ship. and that lesson -- you can apply it anywhere. somebody has to be responsible when something is under way. and i think that's why for u.s. viewers of news on this particular case were in such shock hearing about the stories of this particular captain. it just runs counter to everything that many of us grew up as learning. and so that's one of the reasons why we're here today to try to understand not just what is behind that idea, but, you know, what we do, what you all do on a

cruise vessel to ensure that the responsibility is distributed. folks know what their jobs are. ultimately, there is one person that knows what every job is -- that's the captain. but everyone is supposed to do their job. especially focusing on the training and so on that the chairman has been asking about. a couple of questions on that point about the responsibility on the ship. for captain hoyt, the cruise line industry -- i think under solas has to successfully evacuate people within 30 minutes from a ship under solas, as i understand. >> that's correct, sir. >> how does that happen? how do you train for that? how do you do that? >> the training is constant and ongoing. i mean the keys of it are the week lly trainings that we have the all hands training in which we launch boats and have

scenario-based training. in addition to that, there is constant training going on throughout the month. every day there is classes going on for one team or another that is part of the evacuation process. and it is through training and drilling that you are able to accomplish that mission. >> does training take place while you're under way for the crew that is on the ship? >> yes, sir. it's ongoing throughout, throughout the operation. >> perhaps for mr. wright, are you a captain? >> retired captain. >> captain. captain wright, with regards to that training, how much training then when folks report for duty, say the cruise season, how

much contact in your particular company, how much contact do you have with folks before they even get to the ship? so they're prepared for -- they're prepared for the first cruise as well as when they get the ongoing training as you're working through the season? >> so they undergo all the mandatory training that my colleagu have identified under stcw. and then we have a team of fleet safety instructors. and they have been trained in all the required stcw mandatory training such as proficiency and survival craft and rescue boats and survivability and all those -- crowd management, crisis management. and they'll go and stay on the ship for a week or two, maybe

three times a year. and they then train the crew right onscene with the ship's equipment, and spend the time that they can in that situation. because they're taking away from their other duties. so they fit that in around the schedule. so it's pretty comprehensive training for all of the people that have those emergency duties, including the muster personnel and stairway guides so that if there is a horrible panic situation like that, they know the proper information to provide, including making sure that the state room stewards turn on the channel to the emergency channel that shows the passengers as they soon get in the cabin, you know, the emergency procedures that they should follow, and also show them where their life jackets are. so that's the kind of ongoing thing that we do on board the ship.

>> mr. schoeneman, can you talk about the retraining that has occurred at barbers point? talk about training 4,000 folks. but certainly folks have to keep coming back through. >> sure. we do upgrades and upgrade training for all of our mariners based on the amount of time that they have been at sea. they're able to come back either to barbers point or to pine any point in maryland to get upgrade training. we provide as much as we possibly can to our members to make sure that they know that they have the ability to come back and get that training. and that's a union benefit. generally, we do our best to make sure when they walk up the gang plank that they know enough and are familiar enough with both the systems on board the vessel as well as general training guidelines so they can do their jobs as well as get passengers on and off a ship in an emergency in the most efficient manner possible. so we do what -- we put a very high emphasis on training with the siu. and we look forward to working with clea and the others as they're working on their standards. we would like to be a part of

that. >> captain hoyt, how often does your crew muster thousands of passenger? >> three times a month. >> three times a month? >> is the all-hands training emergency training drill. four times a month, the fourth week in a month we do part of the entire muster. the three times in the week we go through the entire process, including launching of lifeboats. so from the initial -- >> including launch? >> yes, yes. so from the initial stages of a planned scenario emergency up through the evacuation process. >> do you have any unplanned scenario emergencies? >> yes, we do. >> you do? what is the difference between a planned scenario emergency and an unplanned scenario emergency? >> well we have scheduled drill times. >> right. >> you're taking a thousand crewmembers and putting them through these processes. so you have to pick the times in

which to do that. in addition to that, we will also have unplanned emergencies, things that would activate certain sets of emergency response teams as part of a surprise drill, just to help maintain readiness. >> i think just one, and maybe back to captain wright, since you've had some experience up there. what would have been the -- well, i don't want to ask the question this way. but tell me about planning for the arctic and the antarctica for this kind of -- applying this kind of training in to those settings. >> so the planning for cruising in those regions -- >> not only cruising, but planning for emergencies in those settings. >> right. so we have cruised in antarctica. several years. and the measures that we go to

are to conduct an exhaustive risk assessment of the whole operation. some of the measures that we implemented as a result of that risk assessment was to do some extra damage control training and provide equipment on board the ship based on our experience in the military. and it was so successful that we decided to implement that on other ships. we also manned the ship with two captains so that they could run on/off. and there was always a captain on the bridge or available to be on the bridge. we -- we brought an ice pilot from argentina to be on the ship to give us advice as well as another retired coast guard captain whose expertise was in

icebreaker, full-blown icebreaker duty through most of his career. so these two advisers would advise the ship as well as we positioned a member of the marine operations department in the marine rescue coordination center in punta arenas in the event the ship ran into the worst case scenario, we would already have a company, a princess cruises employee in the mrc rescue center. and then finally, we employed something like myself on the ship should there would be a senior ranking company officer there to immediately launch any kind of emergency operation we needed to do. >> just one last question. will these be applied in the arctic as well? i think you mentioned these are antarctic, antarctica. >> we look at applying any extra procedures in any region.

we would always take a look at that. >> right. thank you, mr. chairman. >> ms. brown? >> thank you. i think i'll start with ms. duffy. i have a couple questions. one, you mentioned operation and i know that you are conducting a policy review. when do you think it's going to be completed? i know you are changing the muster drill. but other safety recommendations. >> the process will be ongoing. so as we identify areas for best practices, we want to be able to proceed right away and announce those and have those implemented. so as long -- and i should say that this work, while very the incident was a catalyst for announcing this particular operational safety review, within clea, we have at least 25

standing committees that meet on a regular basis throughout the year. focused on issues of safety, security, environmental, all different aspects that brings different cruise line members together with the clea technical and regular team that we have in place which are all ex-retired coast guard, people with lots of expertise in these particular areas. so this is a process of continuous improvement all the time. >> having been a former member of heard a lot of discussions about the english. and i know we all think everybody should speak english. but one of the reasons why you do cruise series because you get that international flavor, whether it's just to the bahamas but one thing is universal is money. everybody understand you don't have enough. the question is safety.ishere w

that is not english that we can make sure that everybody understand the procedure whether they speak english or whatever they speak? i go visit a church that. >> got 36 different languages in that church. so can you speak to that? >> as was said earlier, the crewmembers that are recrewed t languages. and there is a language of the ship. and that is the primary language that the crew communicates with on board that ship. however, there are multiple languages spoken. and focused on the demographics or the makeup of the passengers who are on that ship. so english is often spoken as one of the languages that you would find on any of the ships. but there is always an official language that the crew