Cruise ship lifeboat pro#
Cruise ship lifeboat code#

Partially enclosed lifeboats are the most common, and usually make up the bulk of the supply of lifeboats carried on a cruise ship. What type of lifeboats on cruise ships?Ĭruise ships carry two main types of lifeboats: partially enclosed lifeboats, and lifeboat tenders. Instead, they are labelled as a “rescue vessel”. You’ll also notice that these “lifeboats” are not actually called “lifeboats”. They are also configured for simultaneous boarding across two levels, effectively reducing the loading time by 50% from an equivalent capacity regular lifeboat.

For example, they can be boarded and lowered straight from their stowage location, reducing embarkation time and eliminating the need for bowsing lines. The larger “lifeboats” have special arrangements, far in excess of traditional lifeboats. You can read more detail in this article from the Royal Institute of Naval Architects: New 370 Person Mega Lifeboat And Davit System Developed. It turns out, there is scope within the regulations for lifeboats to be developed which exceed the maximum 150 person capacity. Going by our calculations, a ship that size should have around 22 lifeboats on each side or 44 lifeboats in total. Some now have a capacity for nearly 9000 people, yet they might only have 18 “lifeboats”. The observant amount you will notice that there is a discrepancy between my figures and some of the modern, large cruise ships. Can lifeboats accommodate more than 150 people?

Cruise ship lifeboat pro#

Pro Tip: You can estimate the capacity of a cruise ship by counting how many lifeboats are on each side. To determine how many lifeboats a cruise ship needs, we assume that each boat has a capacity for 150 people and that 37.5% of the ship’s capacity will be accommodated on each side. Calculating how many lifeboats are on a cruise ship Either way, this additional capacity is provided by an inflatable survival craft. Liferafts will either be traditional davit launched liferafts, or more commonly today, a “Marine Evacuation System”. In the circumstances that 37.5% of the ship’s capacity is accommodated in lifeboats on each side, the rest will have space in a liferaft. “The Administration may permit the substitution of lifeboats by liferafts of equivalent total capacity provided that there shall never be less than sufficient lifeboats on each side of the ship to accommodate 37.5% of the total number of persons on board.” SOLAS This still holds true and is written down in international law within the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention. The implication of this is that there must be enough capacity for at least 50% of persons to be accommodated in lifeboats on either side of the ship. The second consideration is the number of people that the ship is permitted to carry.Įach person on the ship must have a spot in a lifeboat should it ever be needed.

It is safe to assume that the lifeboats on all cruise ships will be designed to accommodate 150 persons because that is the most cost-effective configuration for the cruise lines.

This means that the cost of maintaining a single boat is less than the cost of maintaining two boats. Not only that, but you only need one launching appliance and one set of machinery. Most cruise lines use lifeboats that are designed to accommodate the maximum possible number of people.ġ lifeboat accommodating 150 people takes up less space than two lifeboats accommodating 75 people.

Cruise ship lifeboat code#

“No lifeboat shall be approved to accommodate more than 150 persons.” LSA Code This is actually a hard limit, stipulated within the LSA Code: Regular lifeboats on cruise ships are designed to accommodate 150 people. The precise number of lifeboats depends on two factors. The remaining capacity may be provided by liferafts. There must be enough capacity for at least 37.5% of passengers and crew to be accommodated in lifeboats on each side of the ship. But, it does make you wonder, how many lifeboats are there on a modern cruise ship?Ī cruise ship with a capacity of 4000 persons will have at least 20 lifeboats. Now, we take it for granted that everyone will have a spot in a boat if it was ever needed. Maritime safety has come a long way since the Titanic was permitted to sail without enough lifeboats for everyone on board.