New rules for Italian cruise line

ROME - Italian cruise line Costa Crociere SpA announced new safety measures Saturday after the deadly grounding of its ship off Tuscany, saying it would now have real-time tracking of its ships' routes and would impose limits on its captains' absolute authority.

The measures seek to address many of the problems involved in the Costa Concordia disaster: The ship hit a reef Jan. 13 after the captain veered off course in an apparent stunt, and capsized off the island of Giglio, killing 32 people.

Many passengers complained they hadn't received safety evacuation training, even though they had boarded days before. Costa says such training will now be provided before passengers board, and that a monitoring system would flag passengers who missed out and encourage them to take a makeup session.

Passengers also said the captain delayed the evacuation alarm for nearly an hour after the initial grounding until the ship was listing so perilously that lifeboats couldn't be lowered.

Costa said new bridge procedures stipulate that the captain isn't the only one who issues orders. Members of his team also take part in making decisions, particularly during special navigation procedures such as pulling into port, Costa said.

The Concordia captain, Francesco Schettino, remains under house arrest.