ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTD. SAFETY MESSAGES - FAQ

MUSTERING

Q:    What is a “muster drill”?

A:    A muster drill is a mandatory exercise with the objective to familiarize all guests and crew with the location (muster station) where they are to assemble in the unlikely event of an emergency. During this drill, additional safety information (i.e., how to put on a life jacket) is presented.

Q:    What is the timing of the muster drill for guests?

A:    The International Convention of Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulatory guidelines require that a muster drill be held within 24 hours of embarkation.  However, the muster drill for guests on any ship in our fleet is to be held prior to departure on embarkation day.

Q:    What languages are the muster drills conducted in?

A:    Announcements for the guest assembly drill are usually made in English.  The announcements are also made in additional core languages when we have large numbers of guests onboard who do not speak English.  On some sailings, announcements may be made in the language of the market, then followed by English and any other approved core language(s).

Q:    Should passengers wear their lifejackets when participating in a muster drill?

A:    Guests should not bring life jackets to the muster drill. In the unlikely event of an emergency, our procedures direct guests to precede directly to their muster stations upon hearing the emergency signal.  This reduces the chance for cross-traffic and improves response time at muster stations, as guests do not need to return to their staterooms to retrieve their lifejackets if they are in another part of the ship at the time.  Once a guest arrives at their muster station, a crew member will provide them with a life jacket. In the unlikely event of an emergency, one of the most important aspects is to account for all persons onboard, and this process facilitates that accountability. 

Q:    Why do guests not wear their lifejackets when participating in a muster drill?

A:    Guests should not bring life jackets to the muster drill. In the unlikely event of an emergency, our procedures direct guests to precede directly to their muster stations upon hearing the emergency signal.  This reduces the chance for cross-traffic and improves response time at muster stations, as guests do not need to return to their staterooms to retrieve their lifejackets if they are in another part of the ship at the time.  Once a guest arrives at their muster station, a crew member will provide them with a life jacket. In the unlikely event of an emergency, one of the most important aspects is to account for all persons onboard, and this process facilitates that accountability.  We also store additional life jackets at each muster station.

Q:    What kind of training does the crew go through for muster drills and emergency situations?

A:    All of our ships' officers receive specialized training, and every crew member must participate in safety training modules so they are prepared to respond quickly and effectively in the unlikely event of an emergency.  We also conduct weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual drills on all of our ships, to train and prepare our crew to respond to a variety of potential situations. In addition, each of our vessels is equipped with advanced fire detection and suppression systems, and every ship has highly trained personnel onboard who can effectively respond to and manage these systems.

Q:    How do you ensure the muster drill is done for interporting guests? How do you ensure that guests who board the ship at a different port of call are prepared for an emergency?

A:    Guests that board the ship at a different port of call are provided with a “Guest Joining Downline” letter prior to departure from the port of embarkation. They also receive a verbal safety briefing in person prior to departure from their port of embarkation.

In case of larger groups (1% of total guest capacity), a muster drill is organized and conducted.  The letter and briefing shall contain (as a minimum) the following information in English and other appropriate languages:
·    Clear instructions to be followed in case of an emergency
·    Location of the guest's Muster/Assembly Station
·    The essential actions to be taken in an emergency
·    The method of donning a lifejacket

Q:    What are the mustering procedures for kids participating children’s/youth programs?

A:    The muster procedure, as part of the Youth Evacuation Program, will ensure that children are brought to the muster station where they would be reunited with their parents / guardians. This is also mentioned of this in the general muster drill announcement.

Q:    What are the mustering procedures for passengers with disabilities?

A:    During the mustering process, trained crew with high visibility vests will be posted throughout the ship to assist guests with disabilities. In addition to posted personnel, specially trained crew teams are available to assist guests with special needs. In addition, if for any reason people cannot get to their designated muster/assembly station the Ship's emergency plan calls for crew to check every stateroom and space on the ship to ensure guests have made it to their assembly stations, and that if someone needs assistance to do so, it is provided. 


Q:    What if my mustering station is not available? Are their alternate mustering stations onboard?

A:    Each ship has alternate muster stations available throughout the ship and each crew member at all locations are trained in mustering procedures.

ELECTRICITY

Q:    What if the ship loses electricity?

A:    If the main electrical power source is lost, we have plans for a contingency and we move to using the emergency generators.  These are typically located on the upper decks and they have their own fuel supply and are completely independent. The generators can provide emergency lighting, operate elevators and even provide power to re-start the engines, if necessary.  They can also power communication channels - radio, telefax, email, so the ship can continue to communicate with shoreside.

LIFE Saving Craft

Q:    Are there enough life saving crafts for all the crew and guests on Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas if they’re sailing at full capacity?

A:    Yes.  At full capacity, there would be a total of 8,460 persons onboard (with 6,360 of these being guests). All passengers are assigned to life saving crafts  along with 12 crew members per life saving craft to assist with the launch, and to help guests.  This also includes a life saving craft Commander and a 2nd Commander who are trained to international regulatory (SCTW) standards. 

Q:    How many life saving crafts  do ships carry?

A:    The number of life saving crafts varies depending on the class/size of ship.  All of our ships have sufficient survival crafts for everyone on board, plus additional capacity in reserve, per regulatory requirements.

Q:    How often are the life saving crafts tested to make sure they work?

A:    The life saving crafts  onboard our ships are tested once a month, which is over and above what is required, which is once every three months. During this test, the life saving crafts are lowered into the water and pulled away from the ship.
 
regulations

Q:    Who regulates the cruise industry?  Is the cruise industry regulated?

A:    The cruise industry is a heavily regulated industry, and the safety of our guests and crew is always our highest priority.

·    All cruise ships are designed and operated in compliance with the strict requirements of the International Maritime Organization, the UN agency that mandates global standards for the safety and operation of cruise ships through adoption of treaties, regulations and resolutions, codified in the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention.
·    Safety-related regulations and requirements are rigorous – and we often go substantially above and beyond what is required; for example, carrying backup mechanical, navigational and safety provisions.
·    Our ships’ crews undertake extensive training, certification, drills and scenarios in preparation for the very unlikely event of an emergency, including training on ship evacuation procedures.
·    Our vessels, regardless of where they sail in the world, comply with the U.S. Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (CVSSA) requirements, including railing heights, access control, closed circuit TV, medical preparedness, crime allegation reporting and crew training. Our own requirements generally exceed those specified within the CVSSA. We work closely with regulatory authorities to improve safety laws, and regularly participate in discussions and studies to inform legislators of current practices and offer our perspective on regulations and standards to assure safety.
·    Flag State authorities and other maritime safety regulatory bodies, such as the U.S. Coast Guard, from each country our ships visit also regularly inspect our ships. Their examinations focus on life-saving equipment and safety and environmental protection items and these officials have the authority to prevent our ships from sailing if we fail to adhere to regulations. In addition to these inspections, ongoing system of internal as well as external (independent) marine expert audits also helps us remain vigilant, safely operate our ships and maintain effective systems

Captains

Q:    How are Captains appointed? Must they have risen through the ranks at your company first?

A:    Our Captains are typically selected and appointed from within our own fleet.  They have to have a marine license (at the level of Master - Unlimited Tonnage) and most of our Captains have approximately 15 years of experience before promotion to Captain.  There are also many various marine training courses and examinations that they are required to take throughout the course of their career as an Officer.

All of our Captains hold a Master - Unlimited license.  On our ships, we require the Captain and the Staff Captain to hold a Master - Unlimited license.  At any given time, we can have a few Officers who have met all the requirements and are ready to be Captains, but they continue as staff captains until a Captain position opens up.  The final step in the process to be promoted to Captain is an interview with our shoreside leadership team.  Most of our Captains have approximately 15 years of experience before they are promoted to Captain.  Currently, each of our Captains has an average of  25 years of experience on the seas.

Q:    How many Captains does each ship have? Do some ships have more than one Captain?

A:     Each ship has two dedicated Captains assigned to it.  Each Captain alternates their time at the helm.  If there is ever a time when a Captain is called away from the ship, the Staff Captain is fully trained and licensed to act as the Master of the vessel. Also, at any given time, we can have a few Officers who have also met all the requirements, including all of the required licensing and are ready to be Master Captains, but they continue as staff captains until a Captain position opens up. 

Q:    What type of licenses do your Captains have? What makes someone qualified to be Captain?

A:     Most of our officers attend an accredited institution, such as a Maritime Academy or University, for their maritime training, usually for four to five years.  This time is a combination of classroom instruction and time spent at sea.
Officer’s licenses are issued by their home countries, and each country has their own requirements and exams.  Licenses are tied together internationally by licensing standards known as STCW (Standards for Certification, Training, and Watchkeeping).   STCW is an IMO standard similar to SOLAS, only it’s for training.  While countries may have different systems, they all must comply with the Standards for Certification, Training, and Watchkeeping.
Beyond licenses, each officer needs a license endorsement from the Flag State of where the ship is registered.  The endorsement is an acknowledgment that the officer's national license is acceptable to the Flag State and meets all Standards for Certification, Training, and Watchkeeping requirements.
Besides the required training, we also send our officers to our company’s required training.  Examples of this are: Bridge Navigation Management (BRM), a navigation simulator course, a navigation system training course, or an equipment specific course, such as pod training. 
There are usually two or three levels that lead up to a Master - Unlimited license ('Unlimited' means any size of ship).   Each country requires specific amounts of sea service on specific sizes of ships in order to increase the license level.  They may also require formal exams at each level.
Q:    Does the Master Captain have the only say on what happens with a ship?
A:    The Captain is in charge of a ship however, we practice Bridge Resource Management (BRM) - and part of that is to encourage personnel on the bridge to question and when necessary, challenge the Captain.