Key Aspects:
- A cruiser onboard Carnival Adventure noticed a radiation warning sign onboard.
- The sign was most likely blocking an area at the stern of the ship that contains a docking radar.
- Cruise guests are safe and do not need to worry about radiation exposure as long as they obey the sign.
Radiation is a scary word, especially as people are largely conditioned to avoid exposure to radiation. For example, precautions are taken to avoid too much exposure during medical tests like X-rays or MRIs.
So, when one cruise guest stumbled upon a radiation warning while sailing onboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Adventure, they were a bit alarmed.
“What is this? I found a radiation warning on the back of the Carnival Adventure and I want to know what causes this,” the passenger posted on Reddit.
The post also included a picture of a yellow warning sign at the front of a blocked off area toward the aft (back) of the vessel that reads “Caution: Risk of Radiation.”
What is the Sign Guarding?
Though Carnival Cruise Line has not explicitly confirmed this, the area is most likely home to a docking radar.
Docking radars are typically positioned on the stern and bow, and are used to provide precise distance, speed, and angle measurements to the bridge to help vessels dock safely while visiting ports of call.
Read Also: Docking a Cruise Ship – How Is It Done?
“Should be the stern docking radar, as that’s the one generally likely to be accessible from the promenade deck (and OP says it’s at the back). The Fo’c’sle is generally restricted and the main radars will be up the masts,” one cruiser said in the comments.
“Likely a radio antenna or radar. Beyond that point would be beyond maximum permitted exposure. It would be non-ionizing radiation, but could be harmful by heating,” another concurred.
It’s also possible that the area is blocked off because repairs were being done that required radiography to make sure the work was done correctly, which can also emit radiation.
However, this seems less likely, as the 2,600-guest ship only just relaunched as Carnival Adventure earlier this year with the purpose of sailing around Australia and New Zealand.
Is the Radiation Harmful to Cruisers?
Unless cruisers ignore the warning signs and stand directly in front of the device, they do not need to worry about exposure to radiation.
Getting a bit technical here, cruise ships primarily use a form of non-ionizing radiation that emits electromagnetic fields (EMF), which comes with a very low risk to people.
Some actually noted that the picture on the warning sign was inaccurate, because the symbol Carnival is using suggests a greater danger than there is.
“It’s interesting, there’s supposed to be a separate “antenna” warning sign for non-ionizing radiation,” one person observed.
“Definitely the wrong logo. But I guess, everyone recognizes this one, and won’t stick around. The correct one is is probably more obvious to people familiar with technology warning signs,” another agreed.
Ship radars are also supposed to be pulsed and directional, with energy dropping off so quickly that exposure is extremely unlikely unless a passenger breaks the rules and enters a restricted area.
An Additional Protection
As seen in the Redditor’s photo, the curved piece of metal is likely also present to function as a barrier to block the reach of the radiation as an additional precaution.
“The curved piece at the top of the image should block the main beam path at least until you get right up close to it,” a cruise fan noted.
“A radar antenna is behind that gate, you can see it in the image. The metal round bracket is there to help shield the area (likely facing towards the vessel) as you said it was at the back,” someone else echoed.
More so than radiation exposure, the bigger risk is that the radio frequency emitted by cruise ship radars functions similar to a microwave.
The devices and the surrounding area can get quite hot and cause tissue damage, which is another reason why the area is blocked off to a point that keeps everyone at a safe distance.
