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Author

Topic: Cruise ship safety

Aleks
First Class Passenger
Member # 2733

posted 07-21-2014 06:28 PM

After all the disasters we have seen involving cruise ships the same things happends over and over again. The ship hits land or icebergs, the persons in charge(captain and the officers) panics and people dies because of bad ship design and bad organisation during extreme situations. Titanic, Oceanos, Costa Concordia are examples of this.
The safety regulations have improved and the cruise ship companies says their ships are safe, still major accidents happends even with the most modern ships.
Why not do something about it? We have seen many times that double hulled tankers have avoided big disasters because of the double hull that buys the crew and rescuers time and often saves the ship during an accident. In 1992 QE2 grounded doing 24 knots and were off course just like Costa Concordia. Because of her double bottom she survived. Why not build cruise ships with thick double or even triple hulls(or whatever it takes) up to or above the waterline, thicker plates and both horisontal and vertical waterthight compartments that will in most cases save the ship and most important human lives in the future? Fill the space between the double hulls with impact reducing structures and/or thick kevlar impact plates? Why not have double/seperate engine rooms that keeps producing electricity in case of fire or flooding of the other? Watertight bridge equipment in case of flooding caused by large waves? Even less use of flamable materials in the interiors, better educated/trained and better paid crew to attract talents? It looks like the industry are learning from their mistakes way too slow? What is your thoughts?

Posts: 76 | From: Trondheim( Norway) | Registered: Jan 2002 | IP: Logged

Ernst
First Class Passenger
Member # 5369

posted 07-21-2014 06:46 PM

Unfortunately, it's far more complex. Double hulls or double bottoms can not prevent all accidents. Costa Concordia - like most modern passenger ships - actually had that too, however, a ship with such a large leak will sink. Also, a 'shock absorbing' layer preventing such leaks would have to be MASSIVE.

Concerning your other suggestions: New regulations actually ask for more redundancies - most of the recently built passenger ships do indeed have separate engine rooms or back-up navigational bridges; easily inflammable materials must not be used aboard ships for decades.

However, keep in mind that increasing redundancy also adds complexity - one must be very careful not to create more problems that way.

[ 07-21-2014: Message edited by: Ernst ]

Posts: 9746 | From: Eindhoven | Registered: Jan 2005 | IP: Logged

Aleks
First Class Passenger
Member # 2733

posted 07-21-2014 07:26 PM

Costa Concordia did not have a double hull where the hull was breached? She had like Titanic and most cruiseships today only a double bottom? QE2 had a similar damage under her double bottom and survived, It can`t be that hard to extend this up to the waterline?
If there is no use in double hull for impact protection, why does Oasis and the never ships at RCL have double hulls around the engine rooms?

Posts: 76 | From: Trondheim( Norway) | Registered: Jan 2002 | IP: Logged

Ernst
First Class Passenger
Member # 5369

posted 07-22-2014 08:09 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Aleks:
Costa Concordia did not have a double hull where the hull was breached? She had like Titanic and most cruiseships today only a double bottom? QE2 had a similar damage under her double bottom and survived, It can`t be that hard to extend this up to the waterline?

I agree with you that a double hull is preferable in most cases, and - as you stated - passenger ships are now (finally) built with that feature. However, in the case of Costa Concordia it would not have made that much of a difference - the rock would have penetrated a double hull too. Keep in mind that the kinetic energy of a ship at that speed is huge - a lot of steel can be deformed with that amount of energy.

Beside that: QE2 has no double hull either (you can even find her general arrangement plans online). Her accident in the Vineyard Sound was - like e.g. the Monarch of the Seas grounding - rather similar to the Costa Concordia grounding. It was more coincidence or luck than anything else that these two accidents did not end like Costa Concordia's grounding.

[ 07-22-2014: Message edited by: Ernst ]

Posts: 9746 | From: Eindhoven | Registered: Jan 2005 | IP: Logged

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