Cruise Ship Officer

Do the crew have their own emergency lifeboats or do you use the same ones as the passengers?

Asked by YMCA almost 13 years ago

It depends on your rank. A few deck officers will be in charge of some of the regular lifeboats with passengers. But on a ship with, say, 20 lifeboats, there aren't 20 deck officers to be in charge of each lifeboat. (In this case, other trained (and certified) people- Quartermasters, engineering officers, etc- will be in charge of the boat, along with several other crew members that will also help man the boat.) In addition, when you give the order to abandon ship, losing all of your officers to go man the lifeboats means you have less people onboard to ensure critical elements of the ship and evacuation are going as they should-- so a core team might remain behind until all the boats and rafts are away, and then that core team will go in the last liferaft(s). But each company has a different policy- and a different emergency response structure- and so do it a different way. But the general answer is some officers will go in lifeboats with passengers, and others may wait until the end and go in the last liferafts after the rest of the evacuation is complete.

How long are you at sea between breaks? Is it like 2 weeks on, 1 week off?

Asked by SeaTacJack almost 13 years ago

It really depends on individual companies. Most European/"western" officers will usually work between 6 or 8 months a year. This is often broken down into 3 months on and then 3 months off, or 4 months on and 2 months off. I would say 4 and 2 is probably slightly more common than 3 and 3, at least for cruiseships. Of course, when you are working, you are working 7 days a week without a break, and are always 'on call' even when off the bridge.

Have you experienced any close calls on any of your passenger ships?

Asked by Jmac almost 13 years ago

I wouldn't say any really close calls, no. There have been, however, many moments where my blood pressure has gone up and my heart rate increased, for sure, or times where if the situation was not handled correctly and promptly, there could have been more serious consequences. But I've seen fires- albeit minor ones that are out quickly- power outages, medical evacuations, big storms, and mechanical failures. But well trained crews can and do respond effectively to these situations to ensure they don't become 'incidents.' And being responsible for the safety of these ships is stressful- I always felt when I walked down the gangway at the end of a contract onboard something like relief that nothing major had happened. I definitely believe that highly qualified crew is vital for manning these new, huge, technologically advanced ships and that cruise lines need to focus on attracting and retaining top talent.

How many passengers fall off cruise every year, and what percent are rescued?

Asked by drc79 almost 13 years ago

Truthfully, I have no idea-- but the number is very small. Whenever it happens, there is usually a fair amount of media attention, so the frequency might seem higher than people think. The bottom line is you really have to try hard to fall off a ship. Regulations dictate the minimum height of railings, and they are high enough you won't just accidentally slip and suddenly find yourself in the sea. To fall off, you essentially have to be doing something pretty stupid- like climbing on a rail- or intentionally throw yourself off. Recovery chances vary depending on how high the person was when they jump and where the ship is-- obviously if you go overboard in the cold North Atlantic, your chances are much slimmer than if it is in the Caribbean. Recovery is therefor not totally out of the condition-- there have been a few cases within the last few years where the ship's crews have successfully recovered passengers who fell overboard.

How many crew members are responsible for piloting the ship at any given time? How long are the shifts?

Asked by Fran almost 13 years ago

It depends on the size of the ship, mostly, along with the conditions at that time... Smaller cruise ships on a normal passage out at sea will usually have one qualified officer on watch at any time, along with a lookout, or Quartermaster. But the vast majority of modern cruise ships will have two officers on watch at all times, with at least one lookout/Quartermaster assisting as well. However, if the vessel is in an area where there is more demanding navigation- close to shore, coming into or out of ports, areas in which there is heavy traffic, or during restricted visibility, for instance- the bridge team is supplemented by additional officers. Usually this would be the Staff/Deputy Captain (ie the Second in Command) or the Captain. (Coming into a port, you will often find there are two Officers of the Watch, the Staff Captain, the Captain, and a local harbor pilot.) The standard schedule for bridge officers is 4 hours of watch followed by 8 hours off watch. Some ships vary that routine in order to give officers one period a day where they can get at least 10 hours off, but most ships around the world operate on a 4 hours on, 8 hours off schedule.

Is the 'women and children first' rule still in effect, or is it antiquated at this point?

Asked by ondabriny almost 13 years ago

Antiquated. What surprises me are the news reports that this was- either formally or informally- the policy at some boats on the Concordia. None of the passenger ships I've worked on have had this rule at all. In fact, it is the opposite-- to keep passengers calm, you want to keep families together. Splitting people up will only make crowd control more difficult.

I still don't understand how the Italian ship actually tipped over. I've heard some experts say that the lower levels are supposed to have water-tight compartments to prevent exactly that from happening.

Asked by david almost 13 years ago

As with all these answers, until the report comes out we don't know for sure, and it is all speculation. But we do know the rock opened up a very, very long hole in the side of the ship. Ships are broken into watertight compartments that stretch from the bottom of the ship to a few decks above the waterline. This prevents a hole in one part of the ship from sinking the entire ship-- one watertight compartment would fill but the ship can still easily float. The Concordia was designed so that multiple compartments could be flooded and the ship would still be afloat, but I suspect the damage was just simply too large and the number of compartments penetrated exceeded the number she could still float with. At this point, with water rushing in, the ship began to lose her stability. As to what caused the ship to start listing- it could be a number of factors. Perhaps the ship turned sharply well after a lot of water was in, causing water to rush to one side. It could be any number of reasons because the stability was already compromised. But as the ship began to list, and without power to pump or transfer water to the other side, the situation got progressively worse, and the other design elements in place to keep the ship from listing were probably just not enough to deal with the amount of water in the ship given the size and length of the damage.

Have you just been getting flooded with questions about the Concordia sinking when you tell people what you do? What do you say when people ask how that could've possibly happened in this day and age?

Asked by Jessie almost 13 years ago

Absolutely, yes. (No doubt that is part of why I was asked to answer questions on here!) As soon as the accident occurred, I had many emails in from both friends and journalists asking for my reaction. It definitely has raised the awareness of my job-- but not in a way I had hoped. As for how this could possibly have happened-- well, it is of course a very relevant question. The first is the typical disclaimer-- we have to wait and see what really happened before we can make final judgements about what went wrong. Until those official reports come out with transcripts from the bridge and screen shots of the electronic chart and radar displays at the time, we won't know entirely what happened. That being said, if everything that has been reported so far in the media is fairly accurate, it seems to be a simple case of human error-- someone just not paying enough attention. This is an obvious statement, but it should never have happened. The area was well charted, the ship had excellent technology, and the weather does not seem to have been a factor. It definitely appears now that certain procedures and good industry standard practice were not being followed on the bridge that night.

Are officers allowed to drink alcohol during off-hours?

Asked by G-Fitz almost 13 years ago

Company policy dictates this usually. On most cruiseships it is OK to have a drink during off hours, but never exceeding certain limits, and generally not within 4 hours of duty. Again, this varies, however- some companies operate dry ships.

Do you think the Italian captain deserves criminal penalties and if so, what is an appropriate jail term?

Asked by Alex almost 13 years ago

Great question. At the end of the day, you are given tremendous authority when you are captain, but you also burdened with tremendous responsibility. He was entrusted with the lives of many thousands of people, and if, once the reports are out, he really was simply grossly negligent, then yes, he should face criminal penalties. Unfortunately accidents do occur, but there is not always gross negligence. For instance, if it turns out there was a large mechanical failure that was unpredictable and was the direct cause of the accident, and the Captain then acted prudently and was able to keep the ship afloat for as long as possible and promptly ordered an evacuation, etc, I don't believe he should be penalized. As for appropriate jail term-- I don't think I can come up with a solid number. The ship was registered in Italy and so Italian law- with its applicable penalties and jail terms- should apply.

Why do you think certain cruise lines (like Carnival), and perhaps cruises in general, have a bit of negative stigma as far as vacation choices go? So many people seem to turn their noses up at them, never really understood why.

Asked by Feelin Hot Hot Hot almost 13 years ago

I think it is a variety of reasons. A very large number of people are just put off by the worry of being sea sick. Lots of others think there is nothing to do onboard (except eat). Others hate the idea of being 'trapped' or 'confined' with thousands of other people and having to deal with 'forced revelry' that you can't 'escape from.' Carnival initially played up its "FunShips" theme so much to appeal to a broader demographic; that probably tainted the industry in the eyes of many. (Now, however, Carnival is trying to tone down its fun ship/party image, and be more family friendly.) Of course, the reality is that cruising has so many different niches there is a cruise for everyone- from ultra-luxurious small ships that rival some of the best accommodations on land to adventure trips to Antarctica to barges in France. That seems like a PR answer, but I genuinely think it is true.

Alright, god's honest truth -- have you ever hooked up with a passenger?

Asked by Pink182 almost 13 years ago

It certainly happens, no doubt about it, although every company has policies against it (and varying levels of enforcement.) But far more common is internal relations with the crew. People often ask if that is allowed-- and it is, absolutely.

Is there any new boat technology in the works to minimize rockiness even in choppy waters?

Asked by Johnny Dramamine over 12 years ago

Nothing new that I know of. However, stabilizers are remarkably effective at reducing the rolling of a ship-- most of the time, ensuring the ship does not roll more than say 2 or 3 degrees. (Keep in mind cruiseships generally sail in areas where the seas are calm anyway, and so the rolling is likely to be much less than that to start with.) In fact, stabilizers are so effective that it can somewhat change your strategy for minimizing discomfort-- in the past, you would put a ship's bow into the seas to reduce rolling and just have the ship pitch. Now, you can put the seas more on the side and have the ship more stable, thanks to the stabilizers. Of course, stabilizers do not work for pitching- ie the ship heading directly into seas and the bow going up and down- and no technology is in the works that I know of to address that issue. Some yachts have new systems that do allow them to minimize or reduce rolling even at anchor now, but I don't think you'll see that on cruiseships anytime soon-- in large part because there is not really a need for it.

What's the biggest secret about cruises or cruise ships that 99.9% of people don't know?

Asked by Jerry over 12 years ago

I've been thinking about this for a while and can't come up with a good answer. But I think I'll answer it with one aspect of the industry that is often reported but, I feel, inaccurate: that cruising is somehow this completely unregulated industry where every ship can do what they want. True, ships are registered in Bahamas or Panama or wherever, but they are all subject to port state control inspections in the countries they go visit and all follow internationally approved (by IMO) safety standards in SOLAS. Any large cruise ship built today has tremendous safety equipment and the crew will undergo a lot of training. And they all follow the regulations! I saw one email today from a company proposing new changes post Concordia, including having to send verification for every passenger booked in the US that an emergency drill was held prior to departure. I do believe there needs to be a drill before departure; why there needs to be a separate verification sent is something I find hard to understand. If there is a requirement to do so, ship's officers will do so. They have licenses and undergo years of training and know the importance of following these international regulations; it isn't like in this day and age once this becomes a requirement they would simply not do the drill and hope no one notices. Yes, ships are registered in a variety of countries, and yes I believe a ship registered in the UK is subject to more stringent inspections than one say in Liberia. But that does not mean that the Liberian registered ship does not meet certain standards or acts without any regard to international laws or regulation.

If you have a spouse are you allowed to bring her on your ship's excursions free of charge?

Asked by mamasara825 almost 13 years ago

It depends on the company, but generally yes. That is one of the nicer aspects of working on a cruise ship (as opposed to a cargo ship.) If you bring a spouse along, there is plenty for her (or him) to do when you are working. Some lines may allow you to bring someone along for free in your cabin-- others may charge a nominal fee just to cover a few expenses. A generous family travel policy is one way a company can really generate goodwill from its employees-- those companies that try and restrict it often find their employees upset.

Is the "captain going down with the ship" actually a law? Like was the Italian captain legally required to stay on board if he knew that there were still passengers alive on the ship?

Asked by SSmith almost 13 years ago

No one is going to fault a Captain for abandoning ship after the evacuation is complete. However, the Captain has a duty of care to his or her passengers, and this means taking every possible step to ensure the safety of your passengers until the very end. The comment from a Captain that, "I ordered 'Abandon Ship'-- that means everyone, including me" is definitely not correct. The Captain should be in the last boat (or raft) from the ship, and barring imminent death or sinking, should be onboard until he or she has been told everyone else is off. Now, if there is a fire or water is lapping at the bridge and the ship will sink within moments meaning that the Captain needs to either jump off then or certainly die within a few minutes, then he or she should save himself. As long as he or she has done everything possible until the last minute, there isn't any reason for the Captain to unnecessarily die. And while I don't know the specifics of the law, there is a law in Italy against abandoning ship prematurely that the Captain is being charged with.

How much can cruise ship captains make?

Asked by greatScott almost 13 years ago

I would think most captains run in the range of 50,000GBP to 100,000GBP. Those higher ranges, though, are probably for Captains who are on older contracts with a defined incremental raise increase every year and have been going to sea for four decades or so. I don't think you'd find too many cruise ship captains at that top range.

Are there any additional cruise-ship safety precautions that are being put into place as a result of the Italy disaster?

Asked by JimmyBX almost 13 years ago

I don't think you'll see any new international regulations go into effect before the official reports come out about the accident. You want to wait and see what really happened before you start legislating ways to prevent it in the future. However, what I see as the most likely regulation to change- that you can wait 24 hours after sailing before holding an official muster and emergency drill- has already been adopted by the cruise lines. A broad collection of companies announced last week, I think, that they would make it their policy to always hold the emergency drill before sailing. Again, regulations don't require this immediately, and almost all companies already did this anyways, but now the lines will be exceeding the international requirements here. Also, I am sure companies are doing individual additional precautions. These would likely include additional damage control training or additional training for crowd and crisis management for affected crew. There is no doubt that companies will also be communicating with their Captains and bridge teams about the accident, and that onboard the officers will be reviewing the accident- and their own procedures- in meetings. Carnival Corporation has already announced they will be doing a complete review of all their safety procedures in light of the accident.

Have you ever sailed through waters where you knew pirates were active? Were you scared and did you take extra precautions?

Asked by SSmith almost 13 years ago

I've been on cargo ships going through the Straits of Malacca where there are active pirates. You certainly take extra pre-cautions, including extra watches posted around the ship, all the doors from the outside being locked, and fire hoses kept full of pressure to repel any boarders if necessary. I was also on a very large passenger ship a few years ago going through the Arabian Sea- many precautions were taken, including naval escorts, instructions to passengers, a partial blacking out of the ship. I had very little concern then that the pirates would be able to do much to the ship-- it was too large, with too many people, going too fast for them to do anything significant. I know of another passenger ship that transited the region off Somalia- but without passengers- where razor wire was strung around the ship, the hull coated with grease to make boarding difficult, and outside security agents placed onboard for the transit.

What's the protocol if a passenger gets really sick and needs to be hospitalized but you're days away from a port?

Asked by Sarah over 12 years ago

It depends on the severity of the illness, but the general procedure is whatever the doctor recommends, we will do. So that might mean diverting very far to get within helicopter range so the passenger can be medi-vaced off. (On a North Atlantic crossing, for instance, you have the option of airlifting from Newfoundland or Ireland, meaning there are really only a few days when the ship is in the middle of the ocean where you can't get someone off by helicopter.) But if the doctor recommends getting to shore (or near shore) as quickly as possible, then costs are not factored and the ship will go full speed in order to get there quickly.

What is a Staff Captain? My ship has a Master, a Chief Mate for cargo ops and maintenance, 2nd Mate for navigation and two 3rd Mates for OICNW. Is it the same on a cruise ship?

Asked by Capt. Dennis O'Leary about 11 years ago

Do officers hook up with passengers

Asked by Shilpi over 8 years ago

What does a cruise ship's flag mean? Why do they often have flags of really random countries?

Asked by tYLERdURDEN over 11 years ago

How does one, who has graduated high school and completed one year of college unrelated to anything ship related get an officer job on a cruise ship? What steps should I take next? please answer my question to my email at masondf98@gmail.com

Asked by Mason Fosberg over 7 years ago

what do Captains do if they or a crew member gets assalted on a cruise ship

Asked by mel almost 11 years ago

Do Cruise Ships accept deck officers base on their CoC examinations or where they graduated from?
Do they accept Asians deck officers?

Asked by Joe over 10 years ago

May officers fraternize with guests?

Asked by P2p over 5 years ago

What's the maximum speed for a large cruise ship?

Asked by Speed Deux almost 12 years ago

What types of jobs are there on cruise ships that is like engineers/don't have to see guests?

Asked by Ragnorik over 5 years ago

i have a 100 ton masters and my endorsements what do I need to be a officer? I can find any list of lic or endorsements that I need

Asked by Derick Wilson over 11 years ago

Can i become an officer without studying at a maritime college?I say that becase i read an article about a man from my country[Romania]who works as an officer on a cruise ship.He applied for the job and he was employed.

Asked by Sebastian over 10 years ago

How much do security officers make on cruise vessels? And do you know how much average port security makes?

Asked by jboxx over 10 years ago

If a passenger goes missing on a ship while the boat is in motion, do you immediately STOP the boat (in case it's discovered that the passenger fell off?)

Asked by Binto Joe AZ about 12 years ago

How could the passengers on that Carnival cruise ship have been stranded for so long? Why couldn't Carnival or the coast guard just send other boats to pick them up?

Asked by WTF? over 11 years ago

How much do do you think a captain as F Schettino makes every year?How long does it take to reach that rank?

Asked by Turin195 about 11 years ago

I'm a member of Turkish Navy and had several duties on board including master in a ship for 3 years. I'd like to work in a cruise ship and want to learn what needs to be done to be accepted.

Asked by alper gonoral almost 10 years ago

Can you arrest?

Asked by Mark over 4 years ago

When you're on a cruise contract or whatever it is and you're at sea how long do you spend away before you can go home.

Asked by Tommy Mc Carthy over 11 years ago

Hii sir!!! Is that possible to have wife onboard as a 3rd officer on cruise?

Asked by Satjinder singh over 10 years ago

How do i become a cruise ship officer? How long does it take? (any officer)

Asked by Aaron almost 9 years ago

Can a electrical/electronics engineer join to ship as deck cadet. I meant at deck department?.

Asked by Can a electrical engineer enter to ship as deck cadet?. almost 10 years ago

I currently work on a cruise ship in the retail department. I would like to join the deck as a safety officer. I was wondering if there is any studies I can take up for the same.

Asked by Neo about 9 years ago

I have never before been on the ocean or a ship. I know a lot about the Titanic so my question is Does cruise ship still use look out in crow's nest? If not what technology took their place.

Asked by Jimmy almost 9 years ago