The travel industry and cruisers around Australia can rest assured that cruising is still one of the safest means of travel, according to the International Cruise Council Australasia (ICCA).

Reassuring travellers after the recent Costa Concordia tragedy which resulted in the death of up to 11 people, ICCA general manager Brett Jardine explained that the Group’s member lines are all “subject to the highest safety standing around the world”, meeting international maritime requirements.

He explained that incidents like the Costa Concordia are “extremely rare” in the industry and “cruising continues to be one of the safest means of travel in the holiday market”.

“The ICCA believes consumers and travel agents should continue to have confidence in the cruise industry both locally and overseas, based on its strong track record,” Mr Jardine said.

Meanwhile pleading the case, ‘I tripped and fell’, the Costa Concordia’s captain Francesco Schettino who was placed on house arrest and faces charges of manslaughter and abandoning ship, has claimed that he tripped off the sinking ship and fell into a lifeboat, the National Post reported.

He has allegedly told an investigating judge that he was assisting passengers but they were “pouring on to the decks” and “taking lifeboats by assault”.

“I didn’t even have a life jacket because I had given it to one of the passengers,” he is said to have explained to investigators.  

“I was trying to get people to get into the boats in an orderly fashion.

“Suddenly, since the ship was at a 60 to 70 degree angle, I tripped and I ended up in one of the boats. That’s how I found myself there.

“Suspended there, I was unable to lower the boat into the sea, because the space was blocked by other boats in the water.”

Although he did admit responsibility for causing the accident, claiming he had taken the close to shore course on several occasions but “this time I ordered the turn too late and I ended up in water that was too shallow”.