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quote:Originally posted by Eric:[...]The ice in Alaska has no relation to Antarctica ice. Grains of wheat to to boulders the size of a cathedral springs to mind. [...]
The situations is of course very different BUT the icebergs from the calving glaciers in Alaska can also damage the hull of a ship!
When it comes to large cruise ships my concern is more about the evacuation in such a remote area - several thousand people are not as 'easily' evacuated as 200 people. e.g. Princess has announced to stay away from the ice (which somehow makes the whole undertaking pointless) If they stay with that it should be less of an issue. (not that it is no issue!)
BTW - is it already clear that Explorer hit an iceberg?
I hope very much she does not sink. Shes a really cute little ship.
[ 11-23-2007: Message edited by: Cunard Fan ]
Whether Princess (and HAL and Celebrity etc) say they are staying clear of the ice field etc is irelevant, ice is always going to be a problem down there, you cannot predict where it will go, from a purely risk assessment point of view you need to assume the worst will happen and then work out how you deal with it, down there you simply cannot.
And anyway if you are going on an Antarctic cruise what is the point of going if you dont see the icebergs etc. Seems like a waste of money then, may as well stay in the lounge and play that awful bingo.
I cruised Alaska on P&O's ss ' Arcadia ' and their ' Spirit of London ' which was re-named ' Sun Princess ' over 30 years ago.
One ship which seems to cruise in the Antartic every year is the Voyages of Discovery cruise ship mv ' Discovery ' which was the original Princess Cruises ' Island Princess '.
Is it known if this ship has an ice stregthened hull ?
Regards
Neil ( Bob )
[ 11-23-2007: Message edited by: Ernst ]
quote:Originally posted by mike sa:[...]Whether Princess (and HAL and Celebrity etc) say they are staying clear of the ice field etc is irelevant, ice is always going to be a problem down there, you cannot predict where it will go, from a purely risk assessment point of view you need to assume the worst will happen and then work out how you deal with it, down there you simply cannot.And anyway if you are going on an Antarctic cruise what is the point of going if you dont see the icebergs etc. Seems like a waste of money then, may as well stay in the lounge and play that awful bingo.
I agree 100 %. It is just stupid.
They should leave that to small, suitable, well equipped and strictly supervised vessels.
J
It is amazing a fist size hole can take her down.
quote:Originally posted by Johan:Has the ship sunk ?It was the main point on the news here, there was a Belgian couple on board, and she gave some eye witness accountsµ.The news said the ship has sunk, but reporting can sometimes be inaccuate.J
I heard that too but can not find something to 'confirm' that. I also heard that she has been given up by the captain and the officer who stayed aboard. But one thing is for sure: A ship can not recover from a list as seen in the photo above.
quote:Originally posted by desirod7:It is amazing a fist size hole can take her down.
It's very likely was not a fist size hole. I 'heard' that it is a 'fist wide gap' - and this gap is said to be 50 m long. (this is not confirmed)
photo courtesy of 31knots.
Pam
It has also been reported that the deficits described in the Lloyds List article posted above have been rectified before the ship unterwent another inspection. read this extensive Herald Tribune article
Deficiencies during port inspections are 'common' and some deficiencies are more severe than others but it is not totally negligible either. Maybe one should not be worried about all reported deficiencies but it certainly is not the ideal case.
Luckily no human casualties
That is a great pic of her, but actually it shows her leaving Poole in Dorset not Southampton, it is the Haven Hotel behind her and behind that my old house !
Great shame but one of the risks when going out of normal shipping lanes. I hope several boardrooms around the Miami, Seattle and LA area are taking note.
Quick Q, does anyone know if Silverseas new ship "World Discoverer" is ice rated ?
quote:Originally posted by mike sa:[...]Quick Q, does anyone know if Silverseas new ship "World Discoverer" is ice rated ?
Yes, she has an ice strengthened hull. Mind you that it does not only come down to an ice strengthened hull.
Hitting ice (at e.g. 'higher' speed) can also pierce an ice strengthened hull. (as this accident proved) An ice strengthened hull does not mean that one can risk a collision with ice - not even a tiny iceberg or a sheet of ice. (it allows to go trough ice - e.g. to follow an ice breaker) As a leak can obviously never be excluded it is therefore utmost important how a vessel can survive a leak. (How many compartments can be flooded, does the ship have a double hull etc.)
As much as I prefer to see small ships operating in such areas: They presently actually do not have to comply to as strict regulations as larger passenger ships. (e.g. concerning the subdivision of the hull)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071124.wship24/BNStory/Front/home
Last night one of the reps of the travel company was on TV - I rolled my eyes when she said "things like this happen!".
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