Angelo Los News

U.S. Coast Guard Inspections Are Key To Cruise Industry's Livelihood

Clearly no ordinary passengers, the five people in blue jump suits were met dockside by a pacing ship's officer who whisked them past waiting crew and passengers to the captain's snuggery off the Carnival Imagination bridge. Imagination's Capt. Angelo Los offered the group a set of plastic binders bulging with maintenance records and safety certificates for the 2,052-passenger cruise ship. The four men and one woman were inspectors from the U.S. Coast Guard's Miami station and had come aboard the ship to make sure Imagination was fit to carry passengers from U.S. ports. The inspectors would check equipment, oversee firefighting and evacuation drills…