The news headlines about the Costa Allegra being adrift, powerless, in the Indian Ocean after an engine room fire, comes shortly after reports of passengers on a shore excursion in Vallarta, Mexico, being robbed at gunpoint and periodic reports of norovirus outbreaks, while the markets are still digesting the ongoing developments in the wake of the Concordia grounding.

These events provide further ammunition for the U.S. policymakers who are jumping in to earn political points with safety hearings scheduled in the House of Representatives on Wednesday and in the Senate on Thursday.