(JTA) — Israeli-American businessman Micky Arison is the CEO and chairman of the company that operates the cruise line whose ship ran aground off the Italian coast.
Arison, who also owns the National Basketball Association’s Miami Heat, is the head of the Carnival Corp., of which Costa Cruises is a subsidiary.
Arison, 62, is the son of the late Carnival Corp. founder Ted Arison. He is No. 169 on the Forbes list of the world’s billionaires, with a net worth of $5.9 billion.
The luxury cruise liner Costa Concordia struck rocks near Giglio Island off the coast of Italy, tearing a hole in the hull, and began sinking on Jan. 13. Six people are confirmed dead and up to 15 missing of the 4,200 passengers and crew on board the ship.
Arison said in a statement that he was "deeply saddened" by the disaster, The Wall Street Journal reported.
