A common question that may come to the mind of travelers who are nervous about sailing on the open seas onboard a cruise ship is whether there are enough lifeboats for everyone onboard. And how reliable are these small vessels? 

Fortunately, cruise ships come equipped with a number of safety systems and lifeboats that are meant to protect and save passengers and crew members onboard in the event of an emergency at sea. These lifeboats are brightly colored, and line both sides of the cruise ship.  They are meant to carry passengers to safety in the event the ship needs to be evacuated. They can also be used as tender boats in the event passengers need to go to a port where the ship cannot dock at a pier. 

Identifying the Lifeboats

One of the most important things any passenger on a cruise ship needs to know is where to locate the lifeboats. You will likely see these brightly colored boats lining the sides of your ship as you board. These lifeboats are either orange or yellow watercrafts that can be easily spotted at sea.   

Cruise ships traditionally have two different types of lifeboats: enclosed lifeboats and lifeboat tenders. Most cruise ship lifeboats are enclosed lifeboats, which are meant to be sturdy and watertight in the event the boat needs to sail through rough waves.   

Lifeboat tenders are boats that are partially enclosed, and these types of boats are meant to either serve as a lifeboat in the event of an emergency or can also be used to ferry passengers from the ship to a port where the cruise vessel cannot dock. 

A lifeboat will include rows of seating, and these seats may or may not have a seat back to them. Towards the top of the vessel, you will find a steering area with windows and a hatch. Most enclosed lifeboats will have no windows except those found in the steering area. Alternatively, lifeboat tenders do have windows for passenger viewing, although these windows do not open. 

Lifeboats were traditionally orange until the 1990’s when Disney Cruise Line requested the ability to paint theirs yellow to match Mickey Mouse’s shoe color. This request was granted to allow for these boats to be painted Pantone 99, a patented color only Disney can use. However, since then, other companies, such as Royal Caribbean, have painted their lifeboats a shade of yellow, as well.   

How Many People Can a Lifeboat Hold?

The maximum capacity for a normal cruise ship lifeboat is 150 people, according to the International Maritime Organization’s International Life-Saving Appliance Code. Most cruise ships have lifeboats that can hold the maximum number of passengers possible since this is more cost-effective and takes up less room alongside the ship.

That being said, exceptions to this rule have been made for some of the massive cruise ships on the waters these days.  For example, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, which can carry 8,880 passengers and crew members, was the very first vessel to use a 370-person CRV55 catamaran lifeboat. One feature of these types of lifeboats is due to their size, passengers can board them on two different levels simultaneously, which reduces loading time in the event of an emergency.

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requires that a cruise ship carry enough lifeboats to accommodate 37.5% of passengers and crew members on either side for a total of 75% of those onboard. What happens to the rest of those on the vessel, the remaining 25%?  

The good news is this 25% of passengers are not expected to go down with the ship. Quite the contrary: they are provided cruise ship inflatable life rafts to be taken to safety. These rafts are normally not meant for passengers but are meant for crew members since guests are to board all lifeboats first. However, guests may also use the rafts in the event of an emergency. 

These cruise ship life rafts are kept in fiberglass canisters and use a high-pressure gas to automatically inflate the rafts as soon as they are deployed. Unlike lifeboats, these rafts do not have motors, but they come equipped with oars. Newer cruise ships utilize Marine Evacuation systems, which are enclosed inflatable spiral slides, to transfer passengers from the embarkation deck to a waiting life raft. 

Cruise ships carry more than enough life rafts in the event one of their lifeboats become damaged or are unable to be lowered during an emergency.

Finding the Lifeboats in an Emergency

Lifeboats can be found on the outside of both sides of a cruise ship. They are normally stored just above a middle deck on the boat with an outdoor promenade. This location allows passengers to easily board during an emergency, and these locations are also central ones for both upper and lower deck cabins. 

This middle location makes it easier for the ship to dock and keeps the lifeboats from being affected by rough waves on the water. The location also keeps them low enough so that the lifeboats do not need to be lowered the entire height of the ship during an emergency.

During an emergency, it can be tempting to want to rush directly to a lifeboat, but that is not where you should immediately go. Every cabin onboard is assigned an assembly station, and these stations are addressed and assigned during the initial muster drill. A muster drill, sometimes referred to as a lifeboat drill or a boat drill, is an exercise that is conducted by the crew of a ship prior to embarking on a voyage. A muster drill prepares passengers for safe evacuation, in the event of an emergency on board the ship, and familiarizes the crew and the passengers with escape routes. In a muster drill, the use of life vests and the escape routes from the ship are explained to the passengers. The assembly station is where passengers meet with other crew members and will be escorted to their lifeboat in the event of an evacuation.  

What Is Found on a Lifeboat?

The lifeboat will have enough fuel to be able to travel at six knots for at least a full 24-hour day, as well as 48 hours’ worth of anti-seasickness medication per person and two seasickness bags per passenger. 

In terms of sustenance, the lifeboat comes equipped with three liters of fresh water per person, as well as 2,390 calories’ worth of food rations per person. The boat will also come with three can openers to open the food and drink. 

Lifeboats come with enough life jackets for those on the boat, as well as enough thermal protective aid suits for 10 percent of the lifeboat’s capacity. The boat will also come with first aid supplies, an illuminated compass, hand and parachute flares, smoke signals, a whistle, a survival manual, a jackknife, a searchlight that can work continuously for at least three hours, and portable fire extinguishing equipment. The lifeboat will also come equipped with buoyant oars and an anchor. These boats also comes with fishing gear and tools that can be used to repair the engine, if needed.

A traditional 150-passenger lifeboat will not come equipped with a bathroom, but the larger 370-person catamaran lifeboats do come equipped with toilet facilities.   

Safety Requirements for Lifeboats

Lifeboats must be made of noncombustible and flame-retardant materials. Most of the modern ones are made of fiberglass materials. The seating on a lifeboat must be able to support a person weighing a minimum of 220 pounds. 

While being manufactured, lifeboats are repeatedly tested using water weights to mimic the weight of passengers around the boat. The weights are placed in different spots throughout the lifeboat during the testing period to see how the boat would handle passengers at different weights in different locations. 

Testing and inspections do not stop just because the boat passes initial inspections and is delivered to the shipyard to be installed. Throughout the life of a cruise ship, lifeboats are repeatedly tested because the materials on these boats do degrade and endure significant wear and tear over time.

Crew members are required to conduct weekly and monthly lifeboat inspections and undergo training so that the ability to operate lifeboats stays fresh.  Inspections by a certified lifeboat technician from an independent company or lifeboat manufacturer also inspect the lifeboats on an annual basis. In these inspections, they are look for cracks, damages, or defects. They are also inspecting the ship’s propulsion system, electrical system, and maneuvering system.

Inspectors will also check the boat’s equipment, including life jackets and survival equipment to ensure all is in working condition. The lifeboat’s davit and winch system, including the winch and wire ropes are checked for defects or damages, and the lifeboat will also go through a load test to ensure that it can carry the maximum weight of crew and passengers. If any defects or deficiencies are found in the lifeboat’s systems or equipment, these parts are then either replaced or repaired and tested once more before being attached to the vessel. 

The Miami-based cruise ship accident and maritime injury law firm of Delgado Trial Attorneys  possess a skill set that few other maritime attorneys can claim. Raul’s extensive experience representing the cruise lines and developing their defense strategies years before they started representing the passengers and crew members that suffered injuries because of the cruise lines’ negligence. Combined with Raul Delgado, Sr.’s  45 years of personal injury experience fighting on behalf of injured accident victims, Delgado Trial Attorneys offers a combination of experience in all types of cruise ship personal injuries unlike any of their competitors.

Our experience allows us to effectively strategize and advocate for every client we represent. We have handled all types of cruise ship passenger accidents over the years with a focus on slip, trip and falls, medical malpractice, FlowRider accidents, sexual assaults, Death on the High Seas, and more.

Contact our law firm today for a free case evaluation at +1 (877) 372-0817. Virtual sign-ups available. 

Visit www.CruiseLawyerMiami.com to learn more.

SOURCE: 

Cruise ship lifeboats and rafts: How your ship is prepared for an emergency – The Points Guy