WALRUS AND CARPENTER

In the famous poem the Walrus and the Carpenter walked along the beach chatting about many things - not least amongst them oysters !! So it is with NAUTICAL LOG we see our visitors questions about many things thanks to our 'Sitemeter' record of visitors. At present the most popular questions are about the MS "Oasis of the Seas" lifeboats.

Some answers to questions asked;

1. The 'free Passage Planning Guide' is available just by sending an e-mail to boucp@hotmail.com and it will be sent to you immediately with the exceptions of requests from - Somalia, Iran, North Korea.

2. MS "Oasis of the Seas" has a total of 18 lifeboats, they are 9 on each side of the ship. RCI states they hold 372 persons each of which 16 are the lifeboat crew and the remaining 356 are passengers. So with all the 18 lifeboats filled they can evacuate a total of 6408 passengers.

3. No RCI has not made a statement or report, that we know of, other than the original 'Tweet' about the lifeboat damage during the transatlantic passage.

4. No NAUTICAL LOG has no idea why not and yes the Company has visited our Blog twice to date.

5. Yes we have had numerous visitors from Finland several from Turku where the MS "Oasis of the Seas" was built and yes all asked about 'the lifeboats'.

As other questions by our Visitors are asked we shall update this Post. So for now -

Good Watch.

SAFETY FIRST AND ALWAYS

With the arrival in Port Everglades, FL, which will be her home port for now, the MS "Oasis of the Seas" has generated lots of attention from the media and public. Of course with Port and Ship Security firmly in place there is not any chance of visiting the ship for a tour. Thus the owners RCI have complete control over what is reported and only its wonders and superlatives are being talked about. Though with the media continually repeating that the vessel is 'five times larger' than the "Titanic" (one hesitates to even write that word) does not really inspire confidence. Following the NAUTICAL LOG post of a "tweet" by "Twitter" from a Senior Company Executive on damage to the lifeboats during the transatlantic crossing, not a word has been said or reported in the media.

This is not a good idea and RCI should put out an explanation of just how the damage occurred, to what extent and how it is being repaired. Our Post was picked up by other worthwhile nautical blogs such as "Old Salt Blog" and "Kennebec Captain" and indicative of the interest is the fact that two-thirds of our visitors have asked about the 'lifeboat damage' as can be seen from the 'SiteMeter' reports.

NAUTICAL LOG believes it would complement and enhance their stated concern for Safety aboard their ships if RCI would publish a full report. Flag State (Bahamas) and Port State (United States per USCG) can be required, under International Maritime Organization (IMO) Passenger Ship Regulations, to publish such a Report. So why not make it, after all there is nothing to hide - or is there?

Good Watch.

UPDATE November 20, 2009:

Our Visitors Log shows some interesting visitors today. Always nice to know our opinions are getting read particularly those in the area of Shipboard Safety. This is why feedback in the form of comments are so important as there is always more than one side to an incident and an explanation. Enjoy a nice weekend though for the Cruise Ship Industry this is their really busy time of the week.

Good Watch.

NLIN #6 - NO TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA

Today we had our 5000th. visitor that's a further 500 since October 26, 2009. Now compared to other sites this is not a huge quantity but look at the quality !!

Many have been with regard to the reported lifeboat damage that was incurred by the MS "Oasis of the Seas" on her transit from Turku, Finland to Port Everglades, FL. Over a dozen of them were from Finland including the shipyard that built the lifeboats.

We watched her arrival this morning, she waited off the entrance to allow MS "Maasdam" to pass into her berth first. The contrast stunned all of us, in comparison to the Holland America Line ship one really saw how enormous MS "Oasis of the Seas" actually is.

Good Watch.

NLIN #5 - VIDEO SERVICE

We have added in a Video service which is placed just below our Blog List. Here you can watch an excellent selection of videos from RCI about their latest cruise ship MS "Oasis of the Seas".

Her transit to Port Everglades, FL. is just about completed and she is due to enter that Port at 0800 tomorrow Friday 11/13/2009 to berth at Berth 18, which is now Cruise Terminal 18 built for MS "Oasis of the Seas", at 0900.

The videos are well worth a look and the Bridge tour and Safety Center tour are excellent and informative. The amount of thought that has gone into this vessel is considerable. As NAUTICAL LOG is only qualified to judge the navigational and safety aspects but from those the entire vessel seems to be truly outstanding or as RCI likes to say - WOW.

Good Watch.

LIFEBOAT DAMAGE

Here at NAUTICAL LOG we do not 'Twitter' or 'Facebook' and we do not intend to start doing so!! As a result however it is only today that we were able to independently confirm that MS "Oasis of the Seas" sustained damage to two of her lifeboats. As can be seen from photographs of MS "Oasis of the Seas" the lifeboats are exposed over the side ready for immediate launching. Usually lifeboats are set inboard on the Embarkation Deck and must be released from securing lashings known as 'gripes', swung outboard, evacuees embarked and then lowered to the waterline. The MS "Oasis of the Seas" has a different system, largely experimental for a passenger ship.

This damage apparently occurred on November 06, 2009 during her crossing from Europe. It is claimed by Royal Caribbean International (RCI) that '60 foot seas' were experienced during a storm in the region of Bay of Biscay. The international weather reports estimated the seas at 30 feet so we seafarers can adjust as necessary. The information was stated to be taken from a Twitter message - is that a Tweet ? - sent by a Senior Company Executive aboard the vessel for its transit.

As a result of the heavy weather the vessel will arrive in Port Everglades, FL on Friday morning November 13, 2009, a date generally not favoured by seafarers.

At that time it will be necessary for the lifeboats to be surveyed, tested and a USCG drill conducted prior to allowing passengers to board. It is possible that the lifeboats could be repaired by a team from the European manufacturers as Fort Lauderdale, FL has numerous boating facilities. Once this is done the lifeboats will then be surveyed, tested and again a drill conducted by USCG.

Good Watch.

NLIN #4 - M NOTICES

The following -M- Notices have been issued by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency;

MGN 399 (M)
MIN 352 (M)
MIN 358 (M+F)
MIN 361 (M+F)
MIN 363 (M+F)
MIN 364 (M)
MSN 1734 (M+F)

These are available in PDF format from www.mcga.gov.uk/. If there are any problems contact the -M- Notice Administrator at 023 8032 9391

Good Watch.

CHUTE AND SCOOT

Here at NAUTICAL LOG we have been asked what is "chute and scoot". Well here is the answer to the maritime version of "chute and scoot", pretty neat actually. These are from Australia and the link http://www.liferaftsystems.com.au/ should find them.

The basic idea is that trained personnel, as few as two persons, can deploy the system and then persons on board slide down the chute into the rafts. These can then be paddled or towed clear of the vessel. Evacuation time is minimum if the persons on board cooperate.

This may be similar to the system for crew evacuation in MS "Oasis of the Seas". Hopefully with all the video coverage from RCCL/RCI about their newest ship we shall have some coverage about the crew Safety Training. To date there has been only a brief video about the Lifeboat design and construction by the Start-Up Master CAPT. William S. Wright.

For those of you who would like to see a system in operation there are several on "YouTube" - were else - a series of videos of tests and drills. These have been conducted by various vessels and ferries. Generally the deployment times are very good, however sliding down into the rafts is a bit scary. As you can see from some evacuees it is important to just slide down freely and it all works well.

Good Watch

NLIN #3 - LITTLE GIRL LOST

Mariners get to many different Ports and in many different places in those Ports. Here at NAUTICAL LOG we would ask that you keep your eyes open for the young girl seen above. This an age progression picture based on those produced by the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Madeline McCann has been missing from Praia da Luz, Portugal since May 03, 2007 when she was 4 years of age. A video is also available in English, Arabic, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Madeline is shown both natural and tanned as it is possible she is in North Africa, she is of Anglo-Irish ethnicity. The video can be viewed at http://www.ceop.police.uk/ it is being supported by Police Agencies around the world including Interpol, Europol, Australia, United States, Canada, and United Arab Emirates.

If you have any information please contact your Police Service, Embassy or Consulate.

Good Watch.

NLIN #2 - BALLAST

Today at NAUTICAL LOG we start a new service to alert mariners to points of interest. As we read or hear information that we think is useful we shall Post a 'Nautical Log Information Note' (NLIN). We back-dated to the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency -M-Notice Post and corrected the website address because of link problems to download the PDF.

So then here is NLIN #2.

When handling ballast, if you operate in U.S. Waters and your vessel has ballast tanks, you will need to install and operate a USCG approved ballast water management system.

Contact your USCG District and/or marine chandler for complete requirements and equipment available.

Good Watch

BIGGER IS BETTER - NOT

A driving force


Underway

A "tender" Lifeboat

This has been quite an interesting day already. It started out this morning with my first cup of coffee and the morning paper here at NAUTICAL LOG. So far so good, then reading the paper, which in our case is "The Miami Herald", I get to Section C the Business section and headline 'World's Largest Cruise Ship'. Here we go again I thought and turned to page 3C, - well I have to admit the thing is huge! In this latest case the thing is MS "Oasis of the Seas" and she really is the largest. Before NAUTICAL LOG gets to its concerns about this vessel and they are many, lets have a look at her. Owned by Royal Caribbean International, Flag State Bahamas, trading in the Caribbean, cost US$ 1.4 billion - sounds like a bailout check/cheque - the first passenger ship over 200,000 GRT. Length: 361.8 metres, 1187 feet. Beam: 63.4 metres, 208 feet. Height: 72 metres, 236 feet above the waterline. Draft: 9.1 metres, 30 feet, quite shallow actually so as to have ease of entry - well relatively - into Caribbean and South Florida Ports. Decks: 16 passenger decks alone and with all the amenities of a Theme park or a Las Vegas hotel and then some. Speed: 22.6 knots (nautical miles per hour), 41.9 km/h, 26.0 mph. Now for it - the Capacity is 5400 passengers or with additional persons in cabin 6296 and a crew to look after them of 2165. That is for a possible total of 8461 persons - yes indeed 8461 persons!

Now maybe you know why NAUTICAL LOG is just a little uneasy about all this. As a former cruise ship Safety Officer one tends to think and plan for the time - hopefully never - all these 8461 persons have to be evacuated in an emergency. Clearly MS "Oasis of the Seas" is legally equipped to accomplish this but the problem is not the number of Survival Craft but getting the persons into them and moving off to a safe distance from the ship. So lets worry about it, lets look at some figures and studies that have been done by and for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

If one allows just 1 minute for each person to step from the Lifeboat Evacuation Point into the lifeboat, which hold 372 persons each, this accounts for 6696 persons leaving 1765 persons for rafts for the total 8461. Dividing by the number of Evacuation Points gives a fairly practical idea of how long the best evacuation time will be. For the 18 Lifeboat Evacuation Points it works out for a total of about 6.25 person/minutes. Please note this time is the EMBARKATION time taken only - NOT the total ABANDON SHIP time. The ABANDON SHIP time is from the sounding of the General Alarm Signal to complete evacuation of all persons clear of the vessel.

To this you will have to factor how many rafts are assigned per Raft Evacuation Point, as one raft is filled it must be lowered to the waterline, cast off, hoist recovered, next raft hooked up and the exercise repeated until all rafts assigned have been used. Is a picture beginning to form of what it will be like? Now NAUTICAL LOG counted nine lifeboats hung on davits on the Port side in the photograph so there will also be nine on the Starboard side. It really does not matter what the actual number is as there will be more than sufficient for all persons on board as required by the maritime law SOLAS. We have no information on the Raft evacuation system, it may well be aircraft style "chute and scoot" which will speed things up, if the passengers cooperate to slide down the 72 metres, 236 feet chute height listed in the ship details above. Like we said the ship has a Theme park design. However NAUTICAL LOG thinks it is unlikely passengers will be assigned to rafts and these will be used only by crew members. Each lifeboat will need 16 crew each for a total of 288 crew members assigned to handle the lifeboats.

The problems start with the arousing of everybody when the General Alarm is set off, then getting the persons to the Assembly/Mustering Stations, then moving them to the Evacuation Points, then boarding them into Survival Craft. Think about families separated, missing children, ADA passengers and keeping the quite normal panic in a situation like this under some control, these are persons in most cases who have never even been in a ship before. In addition you have language communication problems, alcohol and medication consumed to consider. Think of the reactions during 9/11 and let me tell you those folks were absolutely first class in their behaviour that day.

Now some points from studies; NAUTICAL LOG just quotes them and shall let you judge them for yourselves:

" A number of catalysts have brought passenger evacuation to the forefront of European shipbuilding priorities, triggering a need for the development of tools and procedures in support of performance based design for evacuation to ensure a cost-effective treatment of this important issue."

"Such consequences are bound to reach intolerable levels when addressing new concepts such as cruise liners carrying well over 5000 passengers."

" for example determine the behaviour of a mother searching for her lost child before abandoning ship, the father taking a leadership role in a crisis, the child following parents, members of a family forming a group and so on".

Above we addressed the issue of boarding the Survival Craft and allowed 1 minute per person. Clearly this is unrealistic and the results of some mustering exercises, with just 3492 fit persons, indicated the time taken was from 7 minutes to 28 minutes. However the time taken to empty the Assembly/Mustering Stations was consistent at 7 to 9 minutes which is very good to know - or is it? Of course they could have left the Assembly/Mustering Station to crowd up at the Evacuation Points fighting to get aboard a lifeboat or raft. The 7 minutes to clear an Assembly/Mustering Station does not match up very effectively with a possible 28 minutes at an Evacuation Point. The whole idea of the Assembly/Mustering Station is to control the flow to the Evacuation Points and prevent crowding up while launching Survival Craft. These exercises were conducted on vessels a fraction the size of MS "Oasis of the Seas" with its 8461 persons. Please note there was no breakdown in the Exercise Report of ADA and other passengers, their mobility or their knowledge of ships, rather it was a best case scenario exercise. No comfort to an experienced cruise ship Safety Officer whatsoever.

One should remember that unlike what was accomplished by the New York City Transit Officers getting people off and out of World Trade Center trains by alternate routes, there is only one way off a ship - by the Survival Craft down into the water.

So bigger is better - not. These vessels have gone beyond a practical safety level for passenger evacuation in spite of having dedicated, well trained Officers, Crew and Staff and believe me they are first class people.

UPDATE:

Monday 11/02/2009

There are a series of excellent short and effective videos about MS "Oasis of the Seas" at www.oasisoftheseas.com/. Included is the simulator training Officers receive at the STAR Center, Dania, FL. Also amongst these videos you will see one with CAPT. William Wright explaining the vessels lifeboats which were designed especially for MS "Oasis of the Seas". With the ship very well explained the website is worth a visit.

UPDATE:

Tuesday 11/03/2009

Text reviewed and edited to incorporate Lifeboat data received this morning. Still awaiting Raft data.

Good Watch