"Carnival claims litany of QM2 pod issues
3/12/2008
Carnival Corp. said problems with the Mermaid pods installed on Queen Mary 2 began shortly after the liner was put into operation and have continued to date, forcing the ship to be drydocked every two or three years instead of the standard five-year drydock cycle.
In its lawsuit against Mermaid designers and manufacturers Rolls-Royce and Converteam, Carnival claims it was misled into thinking it was buying a more advanced system than the ones that were experiencing problems on other cruise ships at the time. It alleges the technology designed for the Cunard liner was ‘merely an unproven, experimental propulsion concept.’

Damages in excess of $100m are sought.

A Rolls-Royce spokesman told Seatrade Insider his company rejects the claims made by Carnival and will defend the action. He said Rolls-Royce will not be making further comment as the legal proceedings are continuing.

Carnival also declined to discuss the suit. But in its complaint filed in US District Court in Miami, the company detailed a litany of alleged problems including cracking in the pod bearings and exciter frames, electrical arcing and failures of the damper bars.

Citing quality control issues during manufacture and installation, Carnival said it had been prepared to delay delivery of what at the time was the world’s largest cruise ship because it was not convinced the Mermaid pods were fit for their purpose.

According to the suit, Rolls-Royce and Converteam represented that the bearing lifetimes in the QM2 pods would equate to a minimum of 15 to 20 years.

In practice, Carnival said, the bearings must be changed at least every three years. It said one thrust bearing failed after less than a year in operation. "

Everyone already knows that RR are also being sued by RCCL (as owners of Celebrity) for pod problems on the Millenium-class ships. Again, it's largely about problems with the bearings.

[ 12-04-2008: Message edited by: Tom Burke ]

However, Payne said that he would not even consider designing a ship that big without the manoeuvrability, low vibration/low noise and space saving offered by pods. Of course Rolls Royce had made assurances to payne that their technology was reliable.

[ 12-04-2008: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

[ 12-04-2008: Message edited by: AKer builder ]

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
Am I right in thinking Carnival and Princess newbuilds do not use pods?

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No they do not Malcolm, they are conventionally screwed.

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Originally posted by cruiseshipluver:
No they do not Malcolm, they are conventionally screwed.

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No it would seem that Cunard are 'screwed'!

Oh and NCL don't use pods, I think.

[ 12-04-2008: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
Oh and NCL don't use pods, I think.

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I think Carnival should hold themselves accountable. No one held a gun to their directors heads and told them to chose the pod system. Carnival has to accept responsibility for chosing what they describe an untested technology.

Pods were never the most reliable means of transport. They are only good for manouvers in tight harbours.

None of the Princess ships use pods. I think Carnival has a few Fantasy class (possibly 1 or 2) that use pods. I do not think that they are on the Destiny class. They are not on the Destiny and they are definately not on the Conquest and ships after.

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Originally posted by AKer builder:
Actually it was masa-yards + wärtsilä + abb joint project. And now days ABB is making them.
Link to web page

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Originally posted by Sutho:

None of the Princess ships use pods.

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Originally posted by Sutho:
Thats typical always looking for someone else to blame rather than accept responsibility for ones actions.

I think Carnival should hold themselves accountable. No one held a gun to their directors heads and told them to chose the pod system. Carnival has to accept responsibility for chosing what they describe an untested technology.

Pods were never the most reliable means of transport. They are only good for manouvers in tight harbours.

None of the Princess ships use pods. I think Carnival has a few Fantasy class (possibly 1 or 2) that use pods. I do not think that they are on the Destiny class. They are not on the Destiny and they are definately not on the Conquest and ships after.

The shaft, screws and rudders would have been much better for a ship like QM2. I have yet to see any proof that they are a smoother or quieter ride if you use pods.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Sutho:
I think Carnival should hold themselves accountable. No one held a gun to their directors heads and told them to chose the pod system. Carnival has to accept responsibility for chosing what they describe an untested technology.

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Originally posted by GregD:
Does the Coral and Isand have screws?

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Actually, all ships have screws. What they don't have are shafts or rudders.

[ 12-04-2008: Message edited by: dougnewman ]

Carnival has stated that "Rolls-Royce and others, engaged in an ongoing conspiracy to cover up shortcomings in the system."

I don't see how carnival/Cunard can be in the wrong. After all if you buy a washing machine with a one year warranty, you can expect free repair for one year. I'm sure Carnival had some sort of legal 'promise of reliability' (guarantee) from the manufacturer about the product, which they have failed to deliver.

[ 12-05-2008: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

Douglas Ward and his ridiculous books published them as having pods and he even stated the Diamond and Sapphire Princess had pods when they didnt.

No one can guarantee a propulsion system will last 15 years. Carnival was foolish to belive this. If they are going to send a ship across the Atlantic with pods then they should expect problems. Pods are no good out in the open ocean facing the full brunt of the elements.

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Originally posted by Sutho:
Pods are no good out in the open ocean facing the full brunt of the elements.

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Rolls Royce obviously said that they were fit for purpose. As I said earlier, Payne said pods were essential for manoeuvrability for such a big ship.

[ 12-05-2008: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

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Originally posted by Tom Burke:
Are pods only fitted to cruise ships? If not, what other ocean-going ships/ship types have them? And (following on) what's the experience (if any) on these other ships?

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Azipod reference list

quote:

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Originally posted by Sutho:
Thats typical always looking for someone else to blame rather than accept responsibility for ones actions.

I think Carnival should hold themselves accountable. No one held a gun to their directors heads and told them to chose the pod system. Carnival has to accept responsibility for chosing what they describe an untested technology.

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It is not the fault of Carnival if a system they ordered is not performing as specified.

quote:

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Originally posted by Sutho:

[....]

None of the Princess ships use pods. I think Carnival has a few Fantasy class (possibly 1 or 2) that use pods. I do not think that they are on the Destiny class. They are not on the Destiny and they are definately not on the Conquest and ships after.

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There are/were rumors that it originally has been intended to built the (later) Destiny and Grand class ships with pods but that this idea has been abandoned in the 'last moment'. (due to experience with other podded vessels (?))

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Originally posted by Sutho:

[...] I have yet to see any proof that they are a smoother or quieter ride if you use pods.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Sutho:
No one can guarantee a propulsion system will last 15 years. Carnival was foolish to belive this.

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