In addition to the investigation underway by the Barbados Maritime Ship Registry on behalf of the government of Barbados, where the Concordia was registered, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada has decided to conduct its own independent investigation into the capsizing and sinking of the sail training ship.

Transportation board to probe sinking of Concordia

Class Afloat, owners of the Concordia say the 18-year-old brigantine was designed and tested to survive the sort of  knockdown that apparently sank her.

Tall ship passed stability testing, owners say

In the most complete response yet to suggestions that a properly designed and handled ship should have survived such a knockdown, Terry Davies, the founder and chairman of Class Afloat, said the ship had undergone stability testing and was more than capable of recovering from a 90-degree knockdown.

“Concordia has righting characteristics that would bring her back from 110 degrees,” Mr. Davies said in an e-mailed response yesterday to questions about the testing and inspection of the sail-training ship, which sank so fast its crew members were unable to send a distress call.

On its website, Class Afloat claims Concordia “meets the highest standards for sailing-school vessels.” It states that Concordia had “been successfully inspected by the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard and hundreds of other port and state-controlled authorities.” Such inspections do not necessarily pertain to a ship’s stability, however. In many cases, inspectors are checking for such things as whether a ship is carrying the necessary documents and has sufficient life jackets.

In his e-mail, Mr. Davies made clear that because the Concordia was not registered in the United States, it was not necessary for it to meet U.S. Coast Guard standards. “Compliance with USCG standards for SSV’s [sailing-school vessels] was not a compliance standard for the Concordia,” he wrote. “She has never been flagged in the United States nor subject to USCG SSV compliance.”