How Not to Fall Off a Cruise Ship
It happens more often than you might think
(Photo: NAN728/Shutterstock)
Angela Nelson (@BostonAngela)Travel(March 7, 2016)
The average cruise ship rises something like 200 feet — the equivalent of around 20 stories — above the waterline. That’s a long way down. Now consider this: According to the International Business Times, about 200 people have fallen off cruise ships since 2000.
While some of those “falls” are intentional, others are accidents.
In 2012, Sarah Kirby was celebrating her 30th birthday on board a cruise ship with friends. After having a few drinks, she told ABC News she leaned over the balcony to look at the side of the ship and fell seven floors into the water. Kirby was one of the lucky ones: She was rescued after 90 minutes, thanks to her friends, who saw her fall and alerted the crew.
The cruise ship industry is doing its part to help prevent these “man-overboard” incidents. You can do yours, too, the next time you go on a cruise.
Cruise ship surveillance systems
The Cruise Vessel Safety and Security Act of 2010 aimed to increase safety for cruise passengers and included some measures to keep passengers from falling off. For example, railings must be at least 42 inches tall. Ships must have on-deck video surveillance and an emergency sound system that goes off when someone goes overboard.
However, as recently as 2015, cruise ship associations said “fall-overboard detection systems are not yet reliable under marine conditions,” according to the Federal Register, the Daily Journal of the United States Government.
In Sarah Kirby’s case, the ship’s surveillance video captured her fall, but an attorney told ABC News that the surveillance camera wasn’t monitored, and it wasn’t connected to an alarm.
Related: Cruise Vacation? Have a Safe Trip!
Passenger safety smarts
Continued at: http://www.safebee.com/travel/how-not-fall-cruise-ship