What happens when you are met with an accident on land? Rescue work begins in a couple of minutes (or hours depending on where you are) and soon experienced professionals will be rescuing and assisting you for further treatment.

But what if an accident occurs at sea? What is a cruise ship is in a distressing situation?

We’re talking about 6680 people on board (not to forget a 2200 people crew which equals to a total of around 8800, approx. 9000 people!) a cruise ship now (Let’s say onboard Symphony of the Seas- the world’s largest cruise liner or we all remember Costa Concordia, right?).

How do authorities even allow for such vessels to operate in notorious ocean waters where the waves and weather conditions are highly unpredictable? Does the ship have certain means to save lives in event of a disaster by the time they are aided by a rescue team?

Apart from the stringent rules and regulations followed during ship design and construction, it is mandatory to carry onboard certain life-saving equipment and appliances, which are helpful in saving the lives of people in the event of a disaster.

This article focuses on such life-saving equipment present onboard ships. One thing to keep in mind is not all ships have all the life-saving equipment mentioned herein.

It depends on the ship type, number of passengers (and crew) on board and the requirement pertaining to safety regulations that determine the type and quantity of life-saving equipment available.

Listed below are the main life-saving equipment used for evacuating and saving lives of people when a ship is under distress.

Life Boats

These are the primary life-saving equipment used when the crew and passengers are supposed to ‘abandon’ the ship and need out of water support. They must be available in sufficient quantity and support the required capacity and size such that the total number of persons on board can be evacuated from either port or starboard. ( This is done so that in case the ship is capsizing to one side, say port, the lifeboats can be lowered from the starboard side and everyone on board can be saved.)

In small vessels, such as harbour and river crafts open lifeboats and semi-enclosed lifeboats are used.

For all large vessels plying in oceans totally enclosed lifeboats are provided. This is done to ensure better protection against the weather and sea. They are fitted with small diesel engines for self-propulsion at a speed of around 6 knots and carry fuel for 24 hours of operation.