On December 1, 2022, a lifeboat from Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas indifferent from its davits and fell aft-first into the water.
Captain Francesco Suma defined that the ship’s quantity 12 lifeboat, on the port aspect of the vessel, “hit the deck of the cruise ship, before falling over the side and into the water. As it settled into the water, the bow of the lifeboat also struck the side of the cruise ship. The lifeboat was retrieved with large dents and cracks on the starboard aft corner of the lifeboat, as well as damage to the fiberglass underside of the lifeboat.”
The lifeboat accident occurred throughout what seems to have been crew coaching or tendering operations.
#Lifeboat failure through a @RoyalCaribbean #cruise ship, once more. This time it was the Quantum of the Seas. Fortunately, nobody injured or killed. https://t.co/0ff3F2KsFW
— James (Jim) Walker (@CruiseLegislation) December 2, 2022
You can watch a video by Royal Caribbean displaying lifeboat testing being performed by the corporate at a port in Barbados (screengrab picture prime).
This just isn’t the primary time {that a} lifeboat fell off of a cruise ship.
Empty Lifeboat Accidents
In December 2018, a lifeboat broke free from the Carnival Dream within the Gulf of Mexico because the Carnival cruise ship was crusing again to New Orleans on December thirtieth. Initial experiences prompt that the lifeboat (picture proper) sheered from the davit hook and fell into the water. Fortunately, there was nobody within the lifeboat on the time.
Earlier in 2018, a lifeboat on P&O’s Arcadia broke from its cabling and fell from its davits into the ocean whereas the cruise ship was in Ponta Delgada, Azores.
In 2017, a lifeboat broke free from Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas within the port of Charleston attributable to a frayed cable.
In 2013, a cable to a lifeboat on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas snapped whereas the cruise ship was in Nassau.
All of those incidents occurred when there have been no passengers or crew members aboard the lifeboats. Unfortunately, most lifeboats failures happen as they’re being improperly raised or lowered with crew members aboard them.
Many Deadly Lifeboat Accidents
In September of 2016, two crew members have been killed and different crew members have been critically injured after a lifeboat fell from the Harmony of the Seas, which was docked in Marseilles, France. Five members of the ship’s navigation crew have been on board throughout a drill when the lifeboat grew to become indifferent and fell ten meters into the water.
Eight crew members have been in a lifeboat throughout a drill in 2013 on the Thomson Majesty cruise ship when the lifeboat plunged 60 toes into the water. The lifeboat landed the wrong way up. Five of the crew have been killed and three have been injured.
In July of 2016, a rescue boat drill resulted within the boat falling into the water with 4 crew members from the Norwegian Breakaway whereas the cruise ship was in Bermuda. Two crew members have been killed and two different significantly injured.
Between these two occasions, there have been a number of different lifeboat mishaps. In January of 2016, a cruise ship tender boat on the Balmoral operated by Fred Olsen Lines malfunctioned, throughout a scheduled boat coaching drill whereas the cruise ship was docked in Funchal, Madeira. Fortunately, nobody was injured. In August 2015, an tour boat from the Costa Mediterranea (picture proper) apparently broke a cable whereas it was being lowered in Montenegro. Photographs despatched to me reveals what seems to be a lifeboat dangling on the aspect of the Costa cruise ship. In October 2014, a rescue boat on the Coral Princess was being raised on davits with two crew members aboard when a cable snapped and a crew member was killed.
There is a well-liked saying that lifeboat drills kill or significantly injure extra folks than save lives.
I first learn concerning the Quantum of the Seas lifeboat failure in an article posted by the favored Cruise Hive weblog.
Quantum of the Seas is on a 10-night round-trip cruise from Brisbane, Australia, and was visiting Mystery Island in Vanuatu on the day of the incident, in keeping with Cruise Hive.
Have a query or remark? Please go away one beneath or be part of the dialogue on our Facebook web page.
Screengrab of Royal Caribbean testing lifeboats from Quantum of the Seas– Royal Caribbean; video of Quantum of the Seas lifeboat accident – Kyle Davis YouTube; Carnival Dream lifeboat – Mumstravelblog.