In the unlikely event of an emergency at sea, time is of the essence. This is why the crew members on all cruise ships frequently practice safety drills – usually at least once a week – so they are prepared to respond appropriately in a crisis.
The 1,415 crew members currently working on Celebrity Beyond under the leadership of Captain Kate McCue are no exception – and the famous captain shared a behind-the-scenes look at a recent lifeboat drill.
McCue, who is well known as the first female captain of a mega cruise ship, confirmed that emergency drills are conducted weekly and the crew assigned to operate the lifeboats take them out monthly to practice maneuvering the tenders in the water and make sure everything is in working order.
However, once every three months, the Celebrity Beyond team is required to fill a lifeboat to the maximum certified capacity – which is 223 in this case – with passengers wearing life vests.
Luckily for interested followers online, Captain McCue shared what this process looks like on her social media accounts – where the reel has been viewed more than 320,000 times.
In a real emergency, crew members would need to load each lifeboat quickly – as Safety of Life at Sea (or SOLAS) requires that all lifeboats be ready to go with all persons and equipment onboard within a half hour of an order to abandon ship being given.
“This quarterly exercise is beneficial for the crew to not only witness but also experience the loading process,” McCue explained in the video.
By physically going through the motions, crew members learn exactly what to expect – and the practice and repetition can make the safety procedures feel like second nature in a panicked situation.
As expected, the drill went well – with the crew members involved beating their previous record for loading in 223 people.
The old record was seven minutes, but this time the crew did it in six minutes and 35 seconds – with McCue counting that total number of people as 223.25 with her Sphynx cat, Bug Naked, also on the boat.
How Are Lifeboats Tested?
While it’s highly unlikely for a cruise ship evacuation to occur in this modern day and age, all vessels must be equipped with enough lifeboats in case the unimaginable were to occur.
While the exact number of lifeboats will vary from ship to ship, there must be a seat on a lifeboat – or an inflatable raft in some cases – for every passenger onboard.
Current laws require cruise ships to be able to fill lifeboats with 37.5% of all guests from both sides of the ship simultaneously – accounting for 75% of the total capacity. The remaining guests can be evacuated using life rafts.
Read Also: Cruise Ship Lifeboats – How Are They Tested?
Cruise ships are also not allowed to sail if they do not have enough lifeboats or if the lifeboats are not in working order – and are frequently inspected using strict guidelines set by the International Maritime Organization.
Recently, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship actually had to cancel bookings due to a damaged lifeboat.
Indeed, Rhapsody of the Seas had to cancel her September 15, 2024, embarkation – which would have been a 7-night Southern Caribbean cruise. Because of the damaged lifeboat, the ship wouldn’t have had the capacity to evacuate everyone in an emergency situation.
Royal Caribbean – which also owns Celebrity Cruises (where Captain Kate McCue is employed) – compensated guests with a full refund and a future cruise credit.
There was also another incident onboard Quantum of the Seas in December of 2022 – during which crew members accidentally dropped a lifeboat during what was likely either a crew training drill or tendering operations.
Luckily, the lifeboat wasn’t damaged and no one was hurt in the incident – but this does serve as a prime example for why practice is so important.
