Safety Articles
Navigating the tranquil expanse of the ocean on a superyacht is a sublime experience shrouded with numerous unseen safety threats. Uncovering these hazardous obstacles forms a crucial part in the journey to ensuring safer waters. Insightful case studies reported by the keen observers at CHIRP Maritime’s Superyacht Feedback program provide a glimpse into a few such situations.
During a routine inspection onboard a superyacht, a team found that an emergency escape hatch from the engine room to the deck was obstructed by turned-up mooring lines. The issue traced back to the superyacht’s design phase. While mooring arrangements and emergency escape routes were approved as compliant, no one had verified the practical operation of these systems. Just a few centimeters of rope blocked the emergency hatch, a small detail that could result in dramatic consequences in a critical situation.
Superyachts, known for their luxury and aesthetic pleasures, are drowned in a safety concern that left many hearts fluttering. A recent case study that emerged from CHIRP Maritime’s Superyacht Feedback shook the maritime industry awake to a glaring safety oversight. A reporter, who laboured on a commercial yacht less than 500gt, discovered the frightening claim that there were no enclosed spaces onboard. This assumption led to the absence of any gas-detection equipment, leaving everyone in the dark about the safety statuses of potential enclosed spaces, such as bilge spaces, chain lockers, and steering flats.