Design-Flaws Articles

Embarking on a fascinating narrative, we plunge into a case study following a 50-meter-plus sailing superyacht’s ordeal. The vessel had just set sail when an unusual amount of spray was spotted on one of its decks. The root cause – a rogue shell door, a boarding platform with a cavity for guest amenities, left wide open. Despite not providing direct ingress to the yacht’s interiors, the open door could have caused considerable harm, even potentially rupturing hydraulic hoses had it not been identified in time.

Pre-departure checks (PDCs) underscored the significance of securing all hull openings. However, the yacht’s design, coupled with the door and hull’s shape, meant that identifying this vulnerability required an overboard glance. Complicating matters further, the shell door’s associated sensor was known to be problematic, often giving false readings thereby compromising the monitoring system and sounding false alarms.