Israeli American is owner of capsized cruise liner

Rescuers stand in a boat next to the Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground off the west coast of Italy, at Giglio island on Jan. 15. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

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.  11 people are confirmed dead and up to 23 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.