Five P&O Arcadia crew members were injured yesterday when a lifeboat fell into the sea. The cruise ship was docked at Ponta Delgada, Azores when a terrible accident occurred during a routine lifeboat drill. All five injured crew members were inside the lifeboat. One crew member with broken ribs was taken to local hospital for further treatment. He was then returned to ship. The other four crew members were lightly injured with cuts and bruises and been treated onboard. P&O Arcadia captain announced that the scheduled departure is delayed until midnight due to undergoing investigation. 

The Underwriters representative and Marine Surveyors are on their way to start an investigation while the ship sail back to Southampton leaving behind the damaged lifeboat for repairs to be picked up on the ship return to the Azores on there round the world three months cruise circumnavigate the world.

The news was first reported by Mr. Jim Walker pointing that “Several years ago, the trade organization Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) announced that cruise lines were prohibited by the MLO from raising or lowering lifeboats with crew members aboard. Many cruise lines have ignored this safety rule.”

In the article Most Dangerous Crew Areas on Cruise Ship, we pointed out the 5 most dangerous which crew needs to be aware of. However strange it may sound Lifeboats are the second most dangerous palaces onboard cruise ships just after the watertight doors. There are numerous cases of accidents during the lowering of the lifeboats when lines snap and lifeboat falls in the water with crew members inside. Most common reasons for these incidents is salt water, causing corrosion of the launching equipment and/or poor maintenance.

Crew members and sailors who run the lifeboats regularly are exposed to these dangers not only during the lifeboat drills but also while the cruise ships are anchored and use lifeboats as tenders to transfer passengers onshore. We wish speedy recovery to the injured crew members.