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, earlier than falling over the aspect and into the water. Because it settled into the water, the bow of the lifeboat additionally struck the aspect of the cruise ship. The lifeboat was retrieved with giant dents and cracks on the starboard aft nook of the lifeboat, in addition to injury to the fiberglass underside of the lifeboat.”
The lifeboat accident occurred throughout what seems to have been crew coaching or tendering operations.
#Lifeboat failure by way of a @RoyalCaribbean #cruise ship, once more. This time it was the Quantum of the Seas. Luckily, nobody injured or killed. https://t.co/0ff3F2KsFW
— James (Jim) Walker (@CruiseLaw) December 2, 2022
You’ll be able to watch a video by Royal Caribbean showing lifeboat testing being carried out by the corporate at a port in Barbados (screengrab picture high).
This 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. Preliminary stories instructed that the lifeboat (photograph proper) sheered from the davit hook and fell into the water. Luckily, 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 on account of 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. Sadly, most lifeboats failures happen as they’re being improperly raised or lowered with crew members aboard them.
Many Lethal 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. 5 members of the ship’s navigation crew have been on board throughout a drill when the lifeboat turned 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 ft into the water. The lifeboat landed the other way up. 5 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 severely 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 Traces malfunctioned, throughout a scheduled boat coaching drill whereas the cruise ship was docked in Funchal, Madeira. Luckily, nobody was injured. In August 2015, an tour boat from the Costa Mediterranea (photograph 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’s a widespread saying that lifeboat drills kill or severely injure extra individuals than save lives.
I first learn concerning the Quantum of the Seas lifeboat failure in an article posted by the favored Cruise Hive blog.
Quantum of the Seas is on a 10-night round-trip cruise from Brisbane, Australia, and was visiting Thriller Island in Vanuatu on the day of the incident, in keeping with Cruise Hive.
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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.