Ask Mike
By Mike Groves
December 5, 2009
Dear Mike,
Could you please help settle a dispute? I heard that a cruise ship will not stop for passengers that fall overboard. My understanding is that the ship will employ certain life-saving procedures (deploy life-rafts, deploy a marker/tracking device for the Coast Guard or other rescue officials, etc.) however the ship itself will keep moving. Is this a correct statement?
And more specifically (however unlikely) if a passenger fell overboard in front of the Captain, would he/she stop the ship? Please help us settle this dispute as bragging rights for Christmas dinner are at stake.
Many thanks,
Kyauta
I enjoyed your email Kyauta and now I am more intrigued by which team you are sitting on; the one I am about to please or otherwise upset over the Turkey and stuffing!!
In short under International Maritime Law / International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) 1974, Persons in distress at sea, the act requires and sets down an obligation to provide assistance to any persons in distress, whether this be an individual or an entire ship and of course, regardless of nationality or status of said persons in distress. Further requirements of the act stipulate that there should be a mandate of 'co-ordination and co-operation between States to assist the ship's master in delivering persons rescued at sea to a place of safety; and to add a new regulation on master's discretion.'
You may have seen my previous article on Cruise Bruise titled 'Code Oscar'. Code Oscar is the call sign used by ships to galvanize the ship's officers and crew to action stations for a 'man overboard scenario, which first and foremost means maintaining visual contact with the person in the water for as long as possible. At the same time the ship's crew should be readying and launching; if conditions permit, the rescue boat. While all this is going on you can be assured that life rings and anything else that floats will also be thrown into the water to give that person a better survivability rate.
The cruise ship/Captain is obligated to turn the ship to commence an immediate search however it can take a few miles to turn a large cruise ship around. It is therefore crucial that the persons precise location is logged on the bridge as quickly as possible. The bridge team should also inform the coastguard and/or other vessels in the area in addition to conducting their own SAR (Search & Rescue) attempts.
Sadly all to often rescue boats can't be launched in rough sea's and by the time the ship has returned to that location the person is often lost to the sea already, mainly due to hypothermia, shock or drowning.
In answer to your last point regarding someone falling overboard directly in front of the Captain, I gather you mean over the bow {front}? Although the Captain would most certainly stop the ship, just like its turn, this would take about a mile to stop fully and anyone falling directly underneath the vessel would in all probability be killed by the tremendous wake caused by the ship passing through the water or otherwise be caught by the propellers when emerging from the stern. Cases like this are virtually impossible to survive but yes, the Captain would be obligated to
stop and conduct a SAR for as long as necessary to determine if there was
any possibility of locating a survivor(s)
More reading can be located on Cruise Bruise re man overboard or at the
following link re SOLAS.
Hope that helps and thanks for writing in.
Ask Mike
By Mike Groves QGM
Cruise Bruise Security And Safety Advisor
