These things can happen if someone falls overboard on a crusie ship.
No doubt every vacation comes with little risk but falling overboard from a cruise ship would possibly a worst nightmare for any vacationer.
Unfortunately, this became reality as a sad incident happened with a family onboard a Disney Dream Cruise. They were returning from the Bahamas to Florida last weekend.
There is no clear evidence about how the incident occured, a child reportedly fell from the ship when it reached to Fort Lauderdale. In order to save the kid her father instantly jumped in after her.
Some of the passengers revealed on social media that, they heard the emergency ‘man overboard’ announcement and then the crew swiftly came into action. Gratefully, both the child and father were rescued by team safely; However, there is no doubt that the incident was a traumatic event for all the passengers.
One of the spokespersons for Disney Cruise Line shared with The Street that,
The crew aboard the Disney Dream swiftly rescued two guests from the water.
“We commend our crew members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes. We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols.”
From the year 2009 to 2019, it has been almost ten years since Cruise Lines has reported 212 overboard incidents, in which only 48 passengers were rescued safely after falling from the ship, pointing out more than three quarters of them who went there did not survive.
However, falling of a cruise is an extremely rare thing. Cruise Lines International Association estimates the odds at about 0.00004 percent, so the passengers don’t need to be worry unnecessarily.
Here are the things you need to know if someone falls overboard on a cruise ship in front of you, what you should do in that situation.
Man overboard alert
Whenever someone goes overboard on the ship, the first thing passengers hears is the ‘man overboard’ alert announcement to the bridge.
After that the bridge crew broadcasts ‘Code Oscar’ on the crusie ship’s public address system to initiate rescue operations.
If any person see another person falling into the sea should immediately informed the crew members, providing brief details about person, their appearance, and the place where the incident happened and when happened.
These significant details can help the crew members in locating the victim quickly as every second is crucial in this kind of situation.
For most of the passengers hearing ‘Code Oscar’ will likely prompt alarm and worry, leading them to instantly search it’s meaning on Google and to check on to their loved ones.
Highlighting the incident
Once the bridge gets the report about a ‘man overboard’ they immediately log the ship’s coordinates and starts gathering the details about the fall.
To turn a large vessel around and stop it securley requires time, so correct location, and data both from where the person fell are essential for narrowing the search area.
Launching the search
With the help of recorded location of incident, the cruise ship reverses course at possible high speed.
All the nearby vessels present in the fleet also notified to help in the search. Crew members locates life rafts and rescue boates everywhere in to the sea. Meanwhile, looking out scan the area from the above.
Providing assistance to friends and family
During this, trained staff along with officers gives continuous emotional support to the family and friends of the overboard passengers.
Friends and family mostly gets the chance to leave a ship at the next port, regardless of the search’s outcomes, so that they can gather with their loved ones.
The quick response of crew and instant and clear reporting by witnesses along with great coordination with rescue boats and other ships provides many chances of fast recovery.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/AaronP/Bauer-Griffin
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