Royal Caribbean Lifeboats question

[gcuecruise]

So the tragic Costa event of yesterday reminded me of this question on had when on Oasis.

 

If I remember correctly, Oasis has 18 lifeboats x 370 passenger capacity for a total of 6,660 people.

 

That is far short of the 6,000+ passengers and 2,000+ crew members.

 

Am I missing something here? Do maritime safety laws require a certain ratio of lifeboat capacity to ship capacity that is not 1:1?

[Jason12]

Pretty sure it's 1:1

[aaronlisa]

Are you only counting the actual lifeboats or the inflatable rafts as well? Don't they have those inflatable raft type along the outside of the ship as well?

[Cruising89143]

There are rafts also used on board. See here.

[CarpeCerevisi]

Most of the crew is assigned to the inflatable rafts. They deploy into the water and the crew enters them via a chute from the life boat deck. There are also a certain number of crew assigned to each life boat to operate the boat and assist the passengers. Passengers can also use the rafts if the boats are not able to be deployed as would be the case if the ship was listing.

 

On the Oasis and Allure entry to the life boats is directly off of the life boat deck where the running track is. The boats are deployed staight down without having to be swung out as on other ships.

[gcuecruise]

Thanks. Makes more sense now.

[will773]

The crew uses different rafts that they get to by sliding down a big bag. I saw that on one of the Oasis shows.

[juicyglam87]

There are rafts also used on board. See here.

 

Thanks for the video! Very interesting..

 

 

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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=27.928729,-82.725385

[dz9yvr]

I think your concern about the number of lifeboats is valid. After the shiphas listed to one side it would be difficult to launch any of the life boats, even on Oasis. I think the "high side" life boats would have significant difficulty because they would need to slide along the hull before they hit the water. I would suggest that some of the life boats would flip over before they hit the water.

[CarpeCerevisi]

SOLAS regulations require that there be a combination of boats and rafts per each side to accommodate no less than 50% of persons on board (both sides together would be >= 100%). If a combination of boats and rafts are used the boats on each side must accommodate no less than 37.5%. Additionally, there must be enough rafts to accommodate 25% of the persons on board. Thus the grand total is no less than 125%. The regulation does not distinguish between passengers and crew.

 

As has been noted previously, the condition of the ship, such as a heavy list, may preclude the launching of some of the lifeboats. In this case, unless the ship is carrying more rafts than SOLAS requires there may not be enough deployable capacity for all those on board.

 

I'd still prefer to be on a ship in an emergency rather than an airplane.

[Tyler80]

In this video which I presume is shown onboard, guests will use life rescue vessels and inflatable life rescue vessels/rafts which inflate at water detection and have shoots to get you to them. There are enough onboard to rescue everyone. Life jackets are stored at the evacuation station where a life jacket will be given to you. This speeds up getting people off the ship in the case of a real emergency.

[setsail]

the boats on each side must accommodate no less than 37.5%.

 

:D

[eldolko]

I'd still prefer to be on a ship in an emergency rather than an airplane.

 

+1

There's no such thing as landing on water. It's called crashing in the sea! ;)

[runner15km]

I think your concern about the number of lifeboats is valid. After the shiphas listed to one side it would be difficult to launch any of the life boats, even on Oasis. I think the "high side" life boats would have significant difficulty because they would need to slide along the hull before they hit the water. I would suggest that some of the life boats would flip over before they hit the water.

 

If they do tip over the life boat is self righting.

Something like this. http://www.44mlb.com/self-righting.htm

[grammymarcia]

In this video which I presume is shown onboard, guests will use life rescue vessels and inflatable life rescue vessels/rafts which inflate at water detection and have shoots to get you to them. There are enough onboard to rescue everyone. Life jackets are stored at the evacuation station where a life jacket will be given to you. This speeds up getting people off the ship in the case of a real emergency.

 

Is not having life jackets in the cabin something unique to RCI Oasis? I am considering a cruise on this ship in Nov. I find this a little unsettling, I would think that if you happen to be in your cabin at the time of something this unfortunate, and your life jacket were in your cabin, you we be one less of several hundred people perhaps say, in the theater as your muster station, trying to get a life jacket.

[HiPlainsCruiser]

They have inflatable life rafts for the crew that are not assigned to man the 18 rescue vessels.

[MikeDaDog]

Is not having life jackets in the cabin something unique to RCI Oasis? I am considering a cruise on this ship in Nov. I find this a little unsettling, I would think that if you happen to be in your cabin at the time of something this unfortunate, and your life jacket were in your cabin, you we be one less of several hundred people perhaps say, in the theater as your muster station, trying to get a life jacket.

Most of the time, you are not in your cabin. So lets say there is an emergency and you are NOT in your cabin, do you say go from the deck 5, up to your cabin on lets say deck 9, then BACK down to the lifeboats? Or wouldn't it just be a lot quicker to just go to the lifeboat station, where there are a huge supply waiting to be picked up as you get onto a lifeboat?

[Mapleleafforever]

The lifeboats are only for Diamond and above or grand suites

 

;) I kid.

[grammymarcia]

Most of the time, you are not in your cabin. So lets say there is an emergency and you are NOT in your cabin, do you say go from the deck 5, up to your cabin on lets say deck 9, then BACK down to the lifeboats? Or wouldn't it just be a lot quicker to just go to the lifeboat station, where there are a huge supply waiting to be picked up as you get onto a lifeboat?

 

Having been on lots of cruises, I understand what you are saying, but if your life jacket is at your muster station, say, in the theater, they have to be given out to a large number of people before you are lead to you life boat, not all those people are going to be calm. On this cruise (Costa) since it happened around 8pm , if I'm not mistaken, I would properly have been unpacking my suitcases and my husband would be in the casino, this would be the norm for us on the 1st night of a cruise. Just saying, I would be one less person trying to get a life jacket. So I guess from your answer , there are no jackets in the cabin? Wanting to experience the mega ships of RCI, this properly will not stop me from booking, just something to keep in the back of my mind.