MOSCOW (AP) — Russia is chartering a cruise ship for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi from an Italian company that operated the cruise ship which sank in 2012 off Italy, killing 32 people.
State-owned Rosmorport said in a statement Monday it has signed a deal with Costa Conciere to charter a 12-deck ship with 726 cabins to provide accommodation for visitors coming to the Olympics, which are being held in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
In July, five employees of Costa Conciere were convicted of manslaughter in the 2012 shipwreck of Costa Concordia that killed 32 people near the Tuscan shore.
Rosmorport said it had conducted an open tender to select the best bidder.
The Winter Games in Sochi will be held from Feb. 7-23.
