worlds biggest cruiseship on the way

[shipbuild]

Good point when you consider how long it usually takes to disembark

[herky]

Originally Posted by D-H

To my eyes there is more than a passing resemblance to a block of flats... The actual ship bits are dominated by the accommodation. A magnificent achievement nonetheless.

I saw the QEII 2, or a sister, as she passed Portsmouth (Hampshire, England!) in the summer blotting out the view of the Isle of Wight.

D

my thoughts exactly.while they may be technical marvels im still a fan of the classic liners.i wonder what these appartment blocks would do in a major storm

[elliott]

If one of those apartment block cruise ships were caught out in a major storm they certainly look like they would turn turtle or at least be laid on their beam ends (if that's the proper nauticalspeak). Strictly a landlubbers opinion.

[herky]

Originally Posted by shipbuild

Good point when you consider how long it usually takes to disembark

also half the interesting ports we used to call in.well these giants are too big to get into

[piginapoke]

Interesting to know where the vertical centre of gravity is on the ship and whether it can cope with side loads as well as older lower height cruise liners.

[looker]

Fear not gentle folk, your concerns are mainly answered at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Oasis_of_the_Seas

The centre of gravity is indeed much higher than in most ships since the gross tonnage (a measure of intenal volume) is out of all proportion to the displacement (the measure of actual weight). Which is why this ship was designed with relatively broad beam and shallow draft to allow the centre of buoyancy to move over a wide range ensuring a suitable metacentric height and comfortable rolling period.

Quoting that Wiki page
"Propulsion is provided by three 20,000-kilowatt (26,800 hp) Azipods, ABB's brand of electric azimuth thrusters. These pods, suspended under the stern, contain electric motors driving 20-foot (6 m) propellers. Because they are rotatable, no rudders are needed to steer the ship. Docking is assisted by four 5,500-kilowatt (7,380 hp) transverse bow thrusters."
And let's face it, with that combination it could dock itself in a full gale force wind without the need for tugs - but not recommended.

As for safe evacuation in an emergency that would, as always at sea, be in the hands of a crew with adequate training, resoucefullness and professionalism. We have fairly recently seen what can happen when that isn't the case.

[herky]

Originally Posted by looker

Fear not gentle folk, your concerns are mainly answered at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Oasis_of_the_Seas

The centre of gravity is indeed much higher than in most ships since the gross tonnage (a measure of intenal volume) is out of all proportion to the displacement (the measure of actual weight). Which is why this ship was designed with relatively broad beam and shallow draft to allow the centre of buoyancy to move over a wide range ensuring a suitable metacentric height and comfortable rolling period.

Quoting that Wiki page
"Propulsion is provided by three 20,000-kilowatt (26,800 hp) Azipods, ABB's brand of electric azimuth thrusters. These pods, suspended under the stern, contain electric motors driving 20-foot (6 m) propellers. Because they are rotatable, no rudders are needed to steer the ship. Docking is assisted by four 5,500-kilowatt (7,380 hp) transverse bow thrusters."
And let's face it, with that combination it could dock itself in a full gale force wind without the need for tugs - but not recommended.

As for safe evacuation in an emergency that would, as always at sea, be in the hands of a crew with adequate training, resoucefullness and professionalism. We have fairly recently seen what can happen when that isn't the case.

the thought we would have to get over 2000 passengers plus 900 crew off in an emergency was scary enough.i can just imagine the chaos on ships carrying huge amounts of people

[herky]

link to a forum on subject of safety in the new big ships.its a site i regularly follow
harmony of the seas. - Ships Nostalgia

[looker]

Also of concern in the evacuation context, it's important to realize that the majority of the crew are service workers on short term contract (which they likely won't renew) and not dedicated career sailors, so many are little more than passengers themselves.
They do reckon passengers are the most troublesome form of cargo on any ship.

Put yourself off going on a cruise
Life Below Deck 4: What Passengers Don't Know & the Cruise Lines Won't Tell Them : Cruise Law News
and other pages on that site.

[jleslie48]

I've been on a 4000 passenger ship, and a 2000 passenger ship. I will never go on a 4000+ passenger ship again. I've been on the 2000 passenger ship 4 times now and loved it each time. The problem with the 4000+ ship is while the ship FOOTPRINT is some 50% bigger, they DOUBLED the number of people by adding 3 more decks of rooms. So while entertainment space increases by 50% (actually much less,) there are 2X as many people. Every venue is ridiculously crowded on the bigger ship.