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Cruise Ship Jobs - 3rd Officer

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3rd Officer Job Description and Duties:

- The Third Officer is an assistant to the OOW or the Junior Watch Keeping Officer on the ship

- Reports to the Officer of the Watch (either 1st or 2nd Officer) for navigation and watch keeping aspects and to the Staff Captain for all other issues

- Acts as a co-navigator on bigger ships, on smaller vessels could perform OOW functions during a day time as delegated by the Master

- Keeps the Master informed at all times of the navigational progress of the voyage and some specifics - current location, speed etc.

- Must be familiar with the voyage plan and the Captain’s standing and specific orders

- Participates in mooring and anchoring operations as well as monitors tender operations

- Drives tenders when required by the Staff Captain

- Must be familiar with the duties of the 2nd Officer be able his/her functions if needed

- Assists in the supervision and maintenance of all life saving devices, such as lifeboats, life rafts, life rings, launching appliances, pilot ladders and rescue boats

- Assists in the organisation of safety training inductions of the newly joined crew and monitors attendance at safety drills

Third Officer Job Requirements:

Unlimited Officer of the Watch license plus all required STCW 95 certificates

National Certificate of Competency endorsed by the Flag State

Diploma from an accredited maritime training school or facility

1 year experience on board ships at a minimum position of Deck Cadet

Very good verbal and written command of the English language

Computer literacy - basic Windows based programs

Decision Making, coaching and team building skills

3rd Officer - Navigation Salary Range:

$4500 to 6200 U.S. per month depending on the cruise line. Possibilities for promotion to Second Officer position.

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• Marine Operations
• Recruitment process

Carnival Cruise Line is the most popular cruise brand in North America and operates a fleet of ships designed to foster exceptionally safe, fun, and memorable vacation experiences at an outstanding value. Our company is committed to providing a diverse and inclusive work environment. Our focus is on continuous improvement and collaboration. Our employees have a responsibility to be accountable for all actions. We consider the environment in all aspects of our business and have a responsibility to put safety and sustainability first. We live and share a positive attitude that is based on fostering an environment of inclusion, trust, a willingness to listen, openness, and integrity. Doing this helps us to achieve our ultimate goal, which is to include FUN in everything we do!

Set sail on a new career with Carnival and help us bring the FUN to life aboard one of our fantastic vessels! We’re looking for dedicated individuals to join our Deck team. The 3rd Deck Officer role will be a vital piece of our navigation teams on-board.   

As part of the watch team, you will prioritize the safety of the voyage so our guests can have a great vacation experience in their home away from home! You’ll be working all around our vessel and on the ship's bridge to maintain the highest levels of safety. As with all of our team members, you’ll be a highly visible member of the team and will constantly interact with our guests and help them with questions. The vacation experience we promise our guests will start with you!   

Job functions:

• Assisting Bridge Watch Keeper as required by the BRMM Procedures, showing a good understanding of Bridge Resource Management procedure and use of bridge equipment.  
• Responsible to the OOW for the monitoring of the voyage plan according to the VPP Procedure
• Ensure that the company's Safety and Environmental policies are duly applied
• Assisting the Safety officer during inspection and maintenance on Life Savings ( lifeboats/ Life rafts/ Davids and cranes) and Fire Fighting Equipment/ Systems
• Familiarize wit the use of ECDIS and Ensure all nautical Charts and Publications are corrected and updated as required under the supervision of the OOW
• Familiarization with the Ship's stability calculation under the supervise of the OOW, including freshwater & Ballast management control plan
• Ensuring he/she is familiar with the use of the ships' stability calculation computer program ( onboard NAPA)
• Assist for tanks inspections, Maintenace & Record keeping ( FW-BW-GW) as directed by the OOW
• Assist with the upkeep of the ship's certificates as directed by the OOW
• Assist the Safety Officer in the conduct of the crew Safety Drills when needed
• Assist the OOW and Safety Officer in updating the OPMS Safety when needed
• Check and monitoring of the SMS for the Deck Department as directed by the Staff Captain
• As part of your safety responsibility, your Position /Rank has been identified as an "Assessor "' within the training, Drill, and Assessment program

Minimum Requirements

• To apply for this role, you must hold an IMO Certificate, Regulation   IMO II/2 (CH.MATE)
• Valid STCW certificates, as required for the position

Preferred Experience

• Experience working within a cruise ship environment is a plus
• 3rd Deck Officer experience or higher is a plus

Undergo assigned trainings to develop skills & knowledge for the future positions.

Report any equipment malfunction, difficulties & concerns to the supervisor on duty.

Follow additional duties, other than listed in the job description, assigned by management due to the operational needs/shortages/changes.

Ensure beverage stations are full at all times and cleaned daily.

Engage in light conversations with guests always greet them with a smile.

You should have at least 2-4 years of experience in a similar role.

Advanced level proficiency in English is required.

Minimum guest interaction might be required.

You must pass a Seafarers Medical Fitness Examination.

You focus on continuous improvement and collaboration.

3rd Deck Officer

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It is the policy of InnerSea Discoveries (dba UnCruise Adventures) not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, creed, religion, marital status, citizenship, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, ancestry, national origin, or veteran status in its educational programs, activities, or employment as required by law.

Application Process

How do i know you received my application.

Once you have applied for a position and clicked "Submit Application," you will receive a confirmation email. We then have your application on file and generally review applications within two weeks. If your qualifications are a match, we will be in contact to set up an interview.

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FAQ's:JOBS ON BOARD

Our Company Culture

UnCruise Adventures denounces all forms of racism, bigotry, and discrimination. We stand in solidarity with our employees, community members, and leaders in the fight to end systemic and passive racism, social injustice, and violence against the Black community and all who suffer from racism.

Three of our company's core values are “Do the right thing,” “Be good to each other,” and “Get a little better every day.” These words are a start, but it is never enough to just say it—we must live it! We commit today and every day to learn, support, and play an active role in dismantling racism, systemic oppression, and discrimination in our world.

The UnCruise Citizen

• The UnCruise Citizen is all of us—guests, crew on board, and our office team. We cherish exceptional experiences in nature and the unique stories we share with one another. We embrace the diversity of humanity just as we embrace the mosaic of nature.

We As An UnCruise Citizen Have Rights

• To an experience free from discrimination and unpleasant behavior, whether racist, sexist, ageist, or otherwise
• To celebrate who we are
• To articulate concerns without fear of judgement
• To resolve disputes and misunderstandings in a safe space
• To experience nature in its wild and pure form

The UnCruise Citizen Also Has Responsibilities  

• To hold ourselves accountable for our words and actions
• To speak up when we see our shipmates mistreated
• To own mistakes and get a little better every day
• To respect the environment and follow “leave no trace” practices
• To respect wildlife and their habitat
• To respect the cultural heritage of the places we visit and the people we travel with

At UnCruise Adventures we endeavor to do the right thing and be good to one another while leaving a small footprint in the areas we explore. We expect and invite all members of our community to do the same.

The UnCruise Citizen Policy is a commitment to each other, guests, and crew alike, that we will all strive for an unparalleled experience while keeping our shipboard environment free of disruptive or inappropriate behavior.  

Our Core Values

Be good to each other

Get a little better each day

Make different mistakes

Do the right thing

Bringing the Adventure to Life

At UnCruise Adventures, we work together to support and build a brand that provides an enriching adventure travel experience that inspires an appreciation of local cultures and the natural world. This means we kayak among icebergs, travel to hidden waterfalls, snorkel with sea lions, dive with manta rays and share air with whales. Our destinations include Alaska, Columbia & Snake Rivers, Costa Rica & Panama, Belize, Galapagos, Hawaiian Islands, Mexico’s Sea of Cortes, and Pacific Northwest. Every team member plays a major role in bringing the adventure to life. When you join our team, you become an important part of our uniqueness.

Our Core Values: Be good to each other. Get a little better every day. Make different mistakes. Do the right thing.

Watch Our Career Videos | Learn About Each Position

Discover life aboard. Watch the video specific to your department below, or watch them all. For more information, read the FAQ's. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

Cruise Employees Share What It's ACTUALLY Like To Work on a Cruise Ship

Alina Wang is a staff writer at Cheapism covering travel and personal finance. Prior to joining the Cheapism team, Alina worked as a U.S.-based correspondent for Vision Times and interned for several media outlets during college. She currently lives in Colorado.

Cheapism / DALL-E 3

Aye Aye, Captain

Boasting relaxation, adventure, and all-inclusive amenities , it's no wonder that cruises rank among the most sought-after vacation choices. But while they attract millions of travelers  each year, the realities for those employed aboard these floating resorts are very different. While operating behind the scenes to ensure a seamless and enjoyable experience for guests, cruise ship employees face a distinct set of challenges that diverge sharply from the glamorous vacationer's lifestyle.

From working super long hours to being apart from family and loved ones for months on end, here's what life is really like for cruise ship workers. 

1. Long Working Hours

Cruise ship employees often work incredibly long hours, sometimes up to 12-14 hours a day without a day off for weeks. "Customers will treat you like a servant, and you'll work insane hours without ANY days off for 6-10 months," writes one former cruise worker  on Reddit. On top of the grueling schedule, the work can also be physically and mentally-taxing, with almost no time left for recreation and personal relaxation. 

"This is a job that has a LOT of hours of work and very little free time," writes another user  who worked as a bartender on a cruise ship. "You will get very little, if any, time in port if you work as a bartender. And you will work long and hard hours." Yikes! 

Related:   23 Things That You Should Never Do on a Cruise

2. Extended Time Away From Home

Employees on cruise ships are typically contracted  for several months at a time, meaning they spend extended periods away from family and friends. This separation can lead to feelings of isolation and homesickness — particularly during holidays or family milestones — which they have to miss. Cruise lines often also hire workers from other countries  to capitalize on currency conversion rates and pay lower wages.

"Cruise lines typically hire workers from Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe," writes one user. "That is because they can pay them a little as possible, the money does translate for them to be fairly good, and they aren't going to quit because they are far away from home." Well, damn. 

Related:   The Worst Cruise Ship Horror Stories

3. Subpar Living Quarters

The living conditions on a cruise ship can be cramped, with several employees sharing the same bathroom and living space. "The rooms are very small, the bathrooms are generally shared (with some exceptions)." writes one  former cruise worker. Staff quarters are typically also much smaller than guest accommodations and are often shared with multiple coworkers, several users pointed out. 

"If you want a job that will let you see the world, there are better options that don't involve living in a cramped space with hundreds of other people,"  writes another user.  

4. Strict Rules and Regulations

Working on a cruise ship also means having to adhere to a strict set of rules  and regulations. These mandates can govern everything from personal conduct and dress codes to what foods they can eat and where they're allowed to hang out. Employees must maintain a high level of professionalism at all times, which can add an additional layer of stress to their already demanding roles. 

"Depending on the line and ship, you aren't allowed to eat the same food as the guests," writes one user,  adding, "And you aren't allowed to be in guest areas (with some exceptions)." 

Related:   14 Types of People Who Really Should Never Take a Cruise

5. Limited Access to Communication

While at sea, internet access can be limited or expensive — making it difficult for crew members to stay connected with their loved ones ashore. This can enhance feelings of isolation and make it harder to manage personal affairs while working for months on end. In fact, some cruise lines don't even offer free wifi to their employees, says one user . 

"Newer ships are great for cabins and wifi, older ships cabins can suck and really make you not want to be there," writes another user , adding, "Most bar staff would just go to the cafe at the dock to use the internet, call home, or transfer money."

6. Low Compensation

Cruise ship employees often face very low pay , especially when compared to similar roles on land. Cruise lines may try to leverage favorable currency conversion rates to offer wages that appear competitive in the employee's home country, but are relatively low by international standards. This issue is then compounded by the fact that many workers are from regions where economic conditions make any job opportunity attractive, despite the low pay. 

As one user points out , "If you’re from the countries they get most of the crew from (Philippines for restaurant workers, Thailand for housekeeping), it’s a better living than many jobs back home, but by American standards, it’s nonstop grueling work from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed for next to no pay." YIKES! 

7. Physically Demanding Work

Many roles on cruise ships are physically demanding, from deckhands to entertainment staff. Physical exhaustion is common, users point out, adding that the constant movement of the ship and the need to be always "on" in public areas can also be mentally-taxing. "[Servers and housekeeping staff] really do work 12+ hours a day," writes one user  who worked as an entertainer on a cruise ship. "[They're also given] rare opportunities for time off, including port days."

"We had long hours and were always on call," writes another user  who worked on a Holland America Line with her husband 10 years ago. "We only lasted 3 years because ship life can get tiresome," she adds. No kidding! 

Related:   Don’t Sink Your Wallet: 7 Things You Should Never Buy While on a Cruise

8. Job Security and Seasonality

Cruise ship employment can be highly seasonal, with many contracts offering little job security and next to zero opportunities for advancement. This can lead to uncertainty about future employment and financial instability, especially when contracts end and there is a wait before the next embarkation. "Some contracts are 9 or 10 months [but] you work every day of it. EVERY DAY!" writes one user.  

Another Redditor who worked as a photographer  aboard big names like Royal Caribbean, Silja Line, and Holland America says, "It was very, very, hard work, and the working contract was only 4 months due to the pressure and work load." 

For more cruise news you can use,   sign up for our free newsletters .

9. Safety Drills and Responsibilities

Since safety is paramount on cruise ships, employees are expected to be well-versed in drills and emergency procedures. These responsibilities — while critical for the safety of everyone on board — add another layer of seriousness to their roles, which can be time-consuming and pressure-filled. 

"We did fire training a lot," writes one user , adding, "Maybe once a week there was a basic verbal training, as in what to do when you hear the alarm, what are the types of fire extinguishers etc, and once a month was a full-on training where they got into the fire suits and did full evacuation drill." 

Related:   Before You Set Sail, Learn these Surprising Cruise Ship Facts

10. Personal Growth and Unique Experiences

Despite these challenges, some users pointed out that working on a cruise ship provided them with unique experiences and memories that led to significant personal and professional growth. "Worked on a Carnival cruise line for 4 years in the spa," writes one user. "It is what you make of it — you can complain about long hours and little pay, or see it as getting paid to travel. I saw more of the world than I would’ve [been able to] and don’t regret a thing about it."

Other employees also noted the opportunity to travel the world, meet new people, and gain valuable industry experience as key benefits of their job.

FinanceBuzz

15 Incredible Cruise Ship Jobs (Get Paid To Travel!)

Posted: October 16, 2023 | Last updated: October 16, 2023

Traveling the world while getting paid to do it might sound like a dream, but it can be a reality if you take a job on a cruise ship.

Of course, this type of work isn’t for everyone — the hours can be long, and it may mean a lot of time away from home. But there are plenty of benefits as well.

If working for a cruise line sounds ideal, there are plenty of career opportunities on board. Here are 15 jobs that can help  boost your bank account  as you travel the world.

Editor's note:  All salary figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

12 legit ways to make extra cash

Activities coordinator

Even short cruises are packed with activities for travelers to engage in. Among other things, you'll find games, happy hours and live music.

An activities coordinator is similar to an event planner. In this role, you oversee things like recreation on board and coordinating shore excursion activities. The BLS does not offer wage information for this position.

If you want to start traveling more — and get paid to do it — this can be a good role to consider.

Get expert advice on making more money - sent straight to your inbox.

It’s no secret that people on cruises like to drink. Many cruise lines offer a food and alcohol package as part of the booking process.

The amount of money you can make working as a bartender on a cruise ship varies greatly, depending on whether guests are expected to tip. But the average salary for bartenders is $29,380 annually.

Casino dealer

Working as a dealer at a cruise casino can be an exciting gig. These workers may oversee poker, blackjack, roulette, and more games.

Gambling service workers make $31,290 a year. However, as with tending bar, the actual wages for casino workers on a cruise can vary.

Many cruise ships have cafeterias and restaurants for when guests are in the mood for fine dining.

Cruise ship chefs may be involved in cooking and planning menus for guests and staff. Chefs or head cooks make $56,520 on average annually.

Deckhands help maintain the cruise ship. They may be involved in keeping these massive ships running, including cleaning and maintaining equipment, loading cargo, and getting passengers safely on board.

The experience required to work as a deckhand can vary greatly depending on the job description. The BLS does not offer salary information for this position.

Entertainer

Cruise lines hire all sorts of entertainers, from dancers to cover bands and magicians.

Working on a cruise ship can be a great way to hone and improve your craft or even take it in a different direction. The average wage for entertainers and performers is $29.67 an hour, which equates to about $61,713 annually.

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Entertainment director

Cruise ships also need people to manage their entertainers, particularly if the ship has a lot of shows and performances scheduled.

Entertainment directors may be involved in scheduling staff, planning performances, and doing administrative work. The average salary for entertainment/recreation managers is $67,220 annually.

Fitness instructor

Many cruise ships also offer various fitness classes, including yoga, Zumba, spin, and more.

For qualified instructors, this can be a great way to stay healthy, make money, and travel the world all at the same time. The average fitness instructor makes $45,380 annually.

Hair/makeup artist

On cruise ships, hair and makeup artists may work in spas, providing services to guests looking to get pampered while on board, and may be needed to work with the ship’s performers.

The BLS groups barbers, hairstyles, and cosmetologists together and states an average of $33,400 annual salary for these workers.

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Hotel director

Since a cruise ship is essentially a floating hotel, many employees with experience working in hospitality are needed.

Hotel directors ensure that guests are comfortable and enjoy their experience. They may also be involved in planning and coordinating cruise activities.

The average salary for lodging managers is $61,910 annually.

Some cruise ships also hire nurses to provide care to passengers and cruise staff.

The amount of money nurses make on average usually depends on the type of nurse. Registered nurses (RNs) make $81,220 annually. Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) make $54,620 a year.

Massage therapist

Many cruise passengers opt to take advantage of spa services. Massage therapists may work in a spa or travel to guests’ rooms with their equipment to provide massages.

Licensed massage therapists make just under $49,860 annually on average.

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Cruise ships also frequently employ security staff to ensure the safety of guests and crew members. These workers may patrol the ship regularly and respond to any issues that come up.

The average salary for security guards is $33,030 annually.

Eating often and well is a big draw for many cruise passengers. Ships often have several restaurants on board and employ experienced servers to staff them.

Pay for these workers can vary, depending on the cruise line’s tipping policy. The average salary for a server in the U.S. is $29,120 annually.

Sales associate

Part of the beauty of the typical cruise ship is that it’s kind of like a floating mall, filled with gift shops and retail stores galore. Ships often need many sales associates to staff these stores.

Again, depending on the cruise line and the job, the pay for these gigs may vary. However, BLS data puts the average salary for a retail sales worker at $30,750 annually.

That’s not huge money, but perhaps it's enough for students to get ahead financially during breaks between school years.

Bottom line

Working as a cruise crew member is certainly not for everyone — lodging for staff can be cramped, days can be long, and you might be away from home for weeks at a time.

But for those looking to tap into a new source of income as they travel, it just may be a win-win situation.

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• 7 things to do if you’re barely scraping by financially.
• 12 legit ways to earn extra cash .
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• 9 simple ways to make up to an extra $200/day

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Cruise ship boss explains why staff will ignore cabin 'do not disturb' signs after 24 hours

Your 'do not disturb' sign means nothing after a certain while.

Tom Earnshaw

Another day, another cruise ship rule explained by those who run the industry.

It's no secret that the massive floating holiday boats come with their own specific rules that passengers have to follow .

Staff aren't exempt from this either, with one very strict rule often broken by cruise liner employees .

And when it comes to departures, there is one timing rule that has been brought to light in some very brutal footage .

The latest little known rule issue has been brought to light by one of the bosses of Florida-based Carnival Cruise Lines.

Englishman John Heald, a senior cruise director for the company, took to his official Facebook page to share a complaint he had directly received following a customer's recent trip on a Carnival cruise liner.

The complaint revolved around 'do not disturb' signs placed on cabin doors by customers.

For Carnival Cruise Lines, they don't have actually have 'do not disturb' signs. In their place, they have 'Snoozin' signs that come in a variety of designs.

Other ships opt for magnets, with most walls on a cruise ship magnetic due to the metal frame throughout the vessels.

Sharing a customer complaint about the 'do not disturb' signs on Carnival cruises, they asked John: "How would you like it if the cabin cleaner walked in on you John Herald.

"Our cleaner knocked and walked in on us ignoring the do not disturb sign we had out. This was not acceptable.

"We took away the gratuity and gave it to other crew people. Is this how Carnival trains their workers?"

Responding, John explained exactly what had happened in this particular case after investigating it within the Carnival cruising company .

Explaining the situation on his Facebook page so other cruise-goers could see it, he carefully said the exact reason for why cleaners went in to their room.

John wrote: "The reason I am sharing this post is because when it was made, early last week, it had lots of you adding your thoughts saying that this was indeed wrong and that it should not have happened.

"I have since spoken with the Housekeeping Manager who explained what had happened. The guests had their 'SNOOZIN' sign out for more than 24 hours.

"So it is company policy that we check the safety and well being of the guests and that is what happened here.

"The state room attendant did knock as they always do before entering and as there was no reply they entered the room with the floor supervisor also there.

"The crew member was simply doing her job. I hope this explains the other side to the story. Thanks so much."

More than 1,500 people responded to John, with one saying: "Two sides to every story. I’m glad there is a policy to check on guests, this is good."

A second wrote: "Simply answering yes, we’re OK or opening the door would suffice. I’m glad it’s a policy if something happened to me while I’m on the ship I’m glad they’re looking out for my health and safety."

And a third added: "I’d definitely want someone to check on me if I hadn’t been seen or had a sign up for an extended amount of time.

"I think it’s especially important on a cruise, we run into our room attendant multiple times a day so if they don’t see me they know it’s weird."

Topics:  Cruise Ship , Holiday , World News , News , Facebook , Viral , UK News , US News , Social Media

Tom joined LADbible in 2024, specialising in SEO and trending content. He moved to the company from Reach plc where he enjoyed spells as a content editor and senior reporter for one of the country's most-read local news brands, LancsLive. When he's not in work, Tom spends his adult life as a suffering Manchester United supporter after a childhood filled with trebles and Premier League titles. You can't have it all forever, I suppose.

@ TREarnshaw

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PICTURES: Two iconic cruise ships dock in Cape Town

For the first time in African maritime history, the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria cruise ships have docked simultaneously in Cape Town.

The iconic Queen Mary 2 cruise ship has arrived in Cape Town as the final destination port in a 30-day one-way trip from Hong Kong to Cape Town.

Meanwhile, following closely in the Queen Mary’s wake, another stunning cruise ship, Queen Victoria , arrived in Cape Town on the 12th of April as part of a 55-day one-way trip from Sydney to Southampton, England.

You can see some stunning pictures of the two cruise ships in Cape Town below:

🌙 ICYMI: Very early this morning 🌙 The Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria luxury passenger cruise liners in Cape Town. #smile904fmnews https://t.co/hnqt9KJuuR Photos: Tanya Bhoopchand (listener) pic.twitter.com/YhB8Umlef4 — Smile90.4 FM (@Smile904FM) April 12, 2024

Cape Town rolls out the red carpet for the Queen Mary 2 & Queen Victoria, bringing a wave of joy and prosperity to our shores! 🎉🇿🇦 #MajesticArrivals #CapeTown https://t.co/DysaQPxXwD pic.twitter.com/aPtHfvVJ3N — The Newspaper (@thenewspapersa) April 11, 2024

Fancy meeting you here, mate! Half the Queen's Cruise Line fleet – 2 of its four massive tourist boats – have docked in Cape Town: the Queen Victoria and the largest of the fleet the Queen Mary 2, carrying about 5,000 passengers between them. A boost for the CT economy. pic.twitter.com/Glf2OA8dX6 — James Hall (@hallaboutafrica) April 12, 2024

Queen Mary 2 is the largest passenger cruise ship to ever dock in South Africa. She is longer than Freedom of the Seas. They both came out around the same time. In terms of tonnage Freedom is larger but QM2 is longer. They both were the world's largest at some point. pic.twitter.com/45joctqa1D — FlyZulu (@zulu_fly) April 12, 2024

WATCH: Queen Victoria has safely docked in Cape Town after a struggle with docking Yesterday due to inclement weather. Queen Mary 2 also docked safely earlier this morning. The City’s MMC for Economic Growth, James Vos was at the CT Cruise Terminal to Welcome the tourists. pic.twitter.com/ZRcNOWoRQf — EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) April 12, 2024

⛴ For the first time ever, Cunard Cruises' Queen Mary 2 & Queen Victoria docked together at the Port of Cape Town. This historic moment marks a milestone for African maritime history & highlights the growth of the cruise industry in the Western Cape ➡: https://t.co/Nqn1qNMLFQ pic.twitter.com/DPJ9LgRZmG — Wesgro – Cape Town & the Western Cape (@Wesgro) April 12, 2024

Welcome to the passengers and crew of both the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria cruise ships, docked here for the first time together. Have a great stay in Cape Town! More cruise arrivals, more visitors, means more great tourism jobs in our city. 🤩 https://t.co/nEfKYb9rZe — Geordin Hill-Lewis (@geordinhl) April 12, 2024

Special voyages

Queen Mary 2, concluding her 30-day voyage from Hong Kong, will undertake a turnaround call in Cape Town, facilitating the disembarkation and embarkation of passengers for her next voyage bound for New York, USA.

Meanwhile, Queen Victoria, on a 55-day journey from Sydney to Southampton, will also make a brief stopover in Cape Town for a turnaround call before continuing her voyage to Walvis Bay, Namibia.

“We are immensely proud to welcome both Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria to the Port of Cape Town. This historic occasion underscores Cape Town and the Western Cape’s growing stature as a premier cruise destination, reflecting the concerted efforts of all our partners in fostering the growth and sustainability of the industry,” said Wrenelle Stander, the Wesgro CEO and official spokesperson for Cruise Cape Town.

Alderman James Vos, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, added: “The arrival of these two beloved ships in Cape Town signifies our growth in the cruise tourism market and our strength as a destination. The City is proud to stand alongside its partners in the Cruise Cape Town initiative in further bolstering our region’s profile as a destination of choice for cruise travellers from all over the world.”

Each cruise ship visit translates into tangible economic benefits, with one full-time provincial job said to be created for every 30 arriving cruise passengers.

The current 2023/24 season is seeing 65 confirmed ship visits, attracting an estimated 90,000 two-way passengers and 38,000 crew members.

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) reports that 63% of cruise passengers are likely to revisit destinations they have encountered through cruise tourism.

Provincial Minister for Finance and Economic Development, Mireille Wenger, stated: “It is very exciting to be able to welcome both the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria at the same time for the first time to the Cape Town cruise terminal. This exciting occasion shows that tourism and cruise tourism is on the up in the Western Cape. This is great news because more tourists mean more jobs in the Province. With an expected 90 000 passengers in 2023/24 cruise season, and based on Wesgro’s estimates, we know that roughly 3 000 new permanent jobs have been created in this season alone. As the Western Cape Government, we will continue to partner with the private sector to continue on our path to enable the kind of breakout economic growth we need to help create many more jobs across this wonderful and sought after province we proudly call home.”

Is jy Afrikaans? Kliek hier vir nuus in jou taal!

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How many ships hit bridges, lose power every year? Data shows jarring numbers on the rise.

An alarm wails onboard the container ship as it approaches the Francis Scott Key Bridge during what had until that moment seemed like a routine departure from the Port of Baltimore.

For the past half hour, the crew navigated the hulking vessel through relatively calm waters and lined it up to pass perfectly under the main truss of the steel bridge, softly lit in the early morning darkness.

Now, just a half mile from the span, the vessel has gone dark – no power, no steering, no propulsion. Inside the ship’s towering command center, the crew tries to re-engage the system but no luck. The nearly 100,000-ton ship is adrift.

“Captain, we are on a collision course with the bridge support,” announces the officer of the watch, who recommends dropping its anchor. No change. A desperate call goes out to the shore to stop traffic from crossing the bridge.

The captain realizes the hard truth: The Dali is “at the point of extremis,” he says – the point of no return.

The crew watches helplessly as the bridge looms larger and larger until, just four minutes after the alarm sounded, their vessel slams into one of its main support columns.

“At this point there is absolutely, certainly nothing that we could do on our own,” said Chief Mate Kevin Calnan from inside California State University Maritime Academy’s 360-degree mission simulator during an eerily vivid replication of the Baltimore bridge disaster.

The state-of-the-art simulator – one of just three of its kind nationwide – showed how a total loss of power on a container ship the size and weight of the Dali could turn it into an uncontrollable weapon of mass destruction – a transformation counted in precisely calculated currents and breezes, velocity and minutes, not hours.

Moments after the Dali struck it, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into Patapsco River , killing at least six construction workers, likely causing billions of dollars in damage and forever altering the Baltimore skyline.

Although such disasters are rare, the conditions that could cause them are frighteningly common, according to a USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Coast Guard maritime incident data, which includes any reportable maritime event involving a death or injury, collision, grounding, environmental harm, or the loss of power and propulsion.

Map: Where ships have struck bridges, lost power

This map shows issues categorized as "major" or "significant" marine casualties and “serious marine incidents” in U.S. Coast Guard incident investigation reports that mention a freight ship, freight barge, tank ship, tank barge or ocean cruise vessel striking a bridge. It also includes cases where ships lost power, propulsion or steering within two kilometers of a highway bridge over navigable waters. Don't see a map? Click here.

At least 6,000 times in the past 22 years – an average of more than five times a week – crews on board massive cargo ships, oil tankers, container barges and even cruise vessels have reported what befell the Dali: a loss of power, loss of propulsion, loss of steering, or some combination of the three, a USA TODAY data analysis reveals.

At least 900 of them occurred near bridges identified by the U.S. Department of Transportation as spanning navigable waters. The vast majority were classified as routine but a dozen were labeled major or significant.

Some damaged both the ships and the structures they hit. Others left crew members with broken bones or other injuries. But most, including cases remarkably similar to what happened last month in Baltimore, have never been made public, buried deep in a federal database.

Often the dividing line between major and routine came down to a last-minute effort by the crew or rescue teams.

The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge had an earlier close call, in 2018

On March 16, 2018, the bulk carrier Strategic Alliance lost power and propulsion on the Delaware River just north of the Commodore Barry Bridge, a 2.6-mile span connecting Philadelphia to New Jersey and carrying more than 41,000 vehicles a day.

The Singapore-flagged vessel, about half the size of the Dali, dropped anchor in the channel without incident early that Friday morning and was able to regain propulsion and generator power after clearing its clogged cooling water strainers of debris. Nearly two years later, the Dali-sized container ship Maersk Chicago lost power in New York’s Lower Bay Channel as it approached the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge late on a Wednesday night.

Roughly 500 feet from the country’s longest suspension span – crossed by nearly a quarter-million vehicles a day – the ship was adrift with no steering, no propulsion and no engine. Fortunately, a pair of tugboats were able to rescue the U.S.-flagged vessel and tow it to safety, where it was determined a broken air compressor valve was to blame.

Just last week, another container ship lost propulsion near the same bridge. The Liberia-flagged vessel, Qingdao, experienced the failure around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday as it navigated through the Kill Van Kull shipping lane between Staten Island and Bayonne, New Jersey.

It took three tugboats to bring the vessel under control.

Unlike most incidents in the Coast Guard database, the Qingdao made the news as images of the gigantic ship floating near the bridge spooked jittery Americans still reeling from the recent Baltimore disaster.

That the two events happened in close succession was not so much a coincidence, but rather a fairly common occurrence that’s bound to happen when tens of thousands of ships from all over the world travel in and out of U.S. waters every year, several maritime experts told USA TODAY.

Statistically, the experts said, such failures are more likely to happen in ports and harbors, as well as in close proximity to bridges, because that’s when the ships are under the most stress.

“That’s when you’re giving all your engine orders,” said Calnan, the assistant professor of marine transportation who ran the simulation at Cal Maritime for USA TODAY. Calnan has operated large ships himself and has experienced what is sometimes known as a dark ship, though only while out at sea.

“It’s just like in the car; if you’re going 65 on the highway, there’s not a lot happening,” he said, “But when you’re doing a lot of stop and go and changing engine orders, it’s putting stress on the engine, and if something is mechanically wrong with the engine itself, there’s a higher chance it will happen when you’re using it more.”

Mechanical failure, human error and a host of other conditions can conspire to shut down a vessel’s engine, seize up its propulsion system or thwart its crew’s ability to steer.

Sometimes a simple miscalculation can cause a crew to lose command of a ship – or cause an otherwise seaworthy ship to hit a bridge.

USA TODAY’s data analysis revealed at least 2,600 bridge strikes occurring in U.S. waters since 2002, the earliest year for which such data is available. Three of these allisions were fatal, claiming 16 lives in all. The majority, however, were minor – a ship’s antenna or mast hitting a bridge, or a barge clipping a bridge’s protective fender.

But maritime problems – which international governing agencies call “casualty incidents” – have been steadily rising over the past decade, according to a report by Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a global maritime data and analytics company.

That’s especially true for those caused by machinery damage or failure.

The Lloyd’s report cites 700 such reported events in the third quarter of 2022 – the highest in 14 years – and attributed the increase to several factors. Among them: fewer ship inspections and internal audits, an unavailability of dry docks and technicians to perform maintenance and repairs, as well as supply chain delays in getting spare parts.

Lloyd’s was unable to provide updated data, but a representative told USA TODAY incidents have continued to rise.

The crew could do little to avert catastrophe

The frequency of such malfunctions and the risks to life and property are at the heart of Cal Maritime’s simulation exercises, which train students how to react to the worst disasters in a controlled environment.

In the case of the Dali simulation, the unfortunate lesson was that there was little they could do to avoid a catastrophe once the power was down except alert others to their plight.

“Making that emergency call and alerting all of the other traffic in the area that, ‘Hey, we’re this ship and we can’t maneuver anymore, we’re not under command’ – that call itself is what we see in this accident in Baltimore,” Calnan said. “That singular call… saved countless lives.”

While most power outages cause minimal harm, the one that darkened the Dali occurred at a most unfortunate place and time: about 0.6 nautical miles from the Francis Scott Key Bridge while the laden ship was moving at a speed of roughly 8 knots and the wind was blowing from the northeast, according to real-time data fed into the simulator.

When the blackout occurred, the ship’s rudder was turned 3 degrees to the starboard side and remained stuck there as the vessel drifted off course. Its towering stack of containers acted as a sail for the wind, which aimed it directly at the bridge’s support column.

Even if the engine had been working, Calnan said, it would have taken 0.8 nautical miles to bring that particular vessel under those particular conditions to a full stop – farther than the distance to the bridge it was about to hit. Simply put, time had run out.

“During any situation on board any type of vessel, we have a concept which we call the point of extremis, which essentially means there’s a point in every situation where no matter what you do, it's going to lead to some form of undesirable outcome,” he said. “Basically, it’s the point of no return.”

National Transportation Safety Board and U.S. Coast Guard investigators are still working to determine the cause of the blackout on the Dali. They have retrieved documents and interviewed the crew, as well as others who witnessed or were involved in the crash. But it could be months before they release their findings.

In the meantime, maritime experts have offered a number of possible causes based on their own experience with engine failure.

“There are 101 potential reasons for a blackout,” said Capt. Ashok Pandey, a master mariner and associate professor of international maritime business at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

They include inexperienced crew members accidentally switching off a valve that shuts down the fuel supply, water forming inside poorly maintained fuel tanks and knocking out the engine, and countless situations involving dirty fuel gumming up the ship’s filters, pumps and injectors.

Deep-sea vessels like the Dali burn what’s known as heavy fuel oil – sometimes called bunker fuel – a cheap, tar-like residue that the crew processes onboard the ship by heating, filtering and purifying it before feeding it into the combustion system.

Sometimes the heavy fuel itself is particularly bad and can clog the ship’s strainers. Other times the crew fails to properly maintain its onboard processing system and dirty fuel gets into the engine. Either way, it can lead to disaster.

“We have all been through bad fuel situations – you get bad fuel and it clogs the strainers, and every engineer has had to go down and clean the strainers,” said Keith Deirup, a licensed chief engineer with 20 years of experience in the U.S. merchant marine industry. “If you lose an engine, it's a total loss of propulsion, and it takes a while to get it back online.”

Accidents, dirty fuel and fish cause blackouts 

Coast Guard incident reports blame a host of culprits for the power outages reported by hundreds of ships over the years. They include unpredictable events like lightning strikes, fires on board or even fish clogging water inlets meant to help cool the engines.

Several incident reports attribute power losses to dirty – or degraded – fuel, as was the case in June 2017, when the Hong Kong-flagged Mallika Naree went dark on the Elizabeth River outside Norfolk, Virginia. The bulk carrier dragged a buoy nearly 400 yards before running aground. The investigation revealed about 16 gallons of water had leaked into the fuel oil supply tank.

Delayed maintenance also shows up as a common cause of power outages. “Poor maintenance” on a fuel oil valve led to a power outage that ran the 681-foot-long Alexander Dimitrov aground east of New Orleans in January 2002. The report states “the valves should have been checked as part of routine maintenance.”

“Lack of inspection, testing replacement/maintenance of the time delay relays” was to blame in February 2019, when the captain of the Portuguese container ship EMS Trader ordered an emergency lowering of the anchor. The ship had lost power, steering and propulsion not far from the Commodore Barry Bridge southwest of Philadelphia.

Many of the incident reports blame human error and inattention.

The 1,096-foot-long container ship Ever Lotus lost power while mooring at the Port of Los Angeles in November 2016. Even though the vessel’s crew was trained to slowly increase the pitch of the bow thruster so as to not overload the generators, “the pilot adjusted the pitch from 0% to 100% instantly,” according to the incident report.

Three years earlier, the 604-foot-long Manistee went dark as it was backing out of Ashtabula Harbor east of Cleveland. The engineer on watch forgot to throw a switch that would prevent the generators from overheating, leading to the outage.

Such incidents reinforce the need for extra precaution when ships navigate near critical infrastructure, said Pandey of Massachusetts Maritime, who advocated for mandatory tug escorts regardless of the ship, its cargo or the port. 

Protecting bridges: Baltimore's Key Bridge, opened in 1977, had few ship defenses. Are modern bridges better?

“Increasingly, the use of tugs is considered too old-fashioned, maybe too expensive, simply because we have the technology,” he said. “It’s something we don’t talk enough about.”

Other experts said nothing can prevent every disaster, and the Dali might be a case in point.

“Naval engineers will look at the root causes and ask what we can do to prevent it from happening again,” said a senior government official and former Coast Guard officer who spoke to USA TODAY on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

"And maybe there isn’t anything we can do,” he said. ”Maybe fate just caught up with it.”

More than half of major bridge collapses are in the U.S. 

Despite the frequency of power failures and bridge strikes reported to the Coast Guard, the maritime shipping industry has had relatively few major accidents like the one that toppled the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Until this March, the last incident identified by USA TODAY in which a ship knocked down a U.S. bridge was on Jan. 26, 2012, when the Delta Mariner cargo vessel carrying rocket components down the Tennessee River from Alabama to Florida slammed into the Eggner’s Ferry Bridge near Aurora, Kentucky.

The ship, going about 10 knots, tore away a 322-foot span of the bridge as it attempted to pass under a section with insufficient clearance.

Fortunately, traffic was light and vehicles stopped before reaching the missing portion of the bridge, according to an National Transportation Safety Board report of the crash. There were no deaths or injuries, but the bridge sustained major damage. It was repaired and reopened later that year but permanently closed in 2016 after a new bridge was built in its place.

Three years earlier, in March 2009, a tugboat pushing eight barges on the Mississippi River knocked out the Popps Ferry Bridge in Biloxi, Mississippi, when it crashed into one of its pilings and sent a section of the span tumbling into the water. Again, nobody died.

Other ship-on-bridge allisions killed people but did not topple the span. This includes the July 2015 death of a construction worker on the Eads Bridge in St. Louis when a tugboat pushing two loaded barges struck his scaffolding as it was passing under the span. And the August 2014 death of a tugboat master when his crane barge hit the Florida Avenue lift bridge in New Orleans and the crane’s mast fell onto the wheelhouse, crushing him.

The last U.S. ship-on-bridge allision to cause both fatalities and bring down the bridge, according to USA TODAY’s review of the data, happened more than two decades ago.

On May 26, 2002, the towboat Robert Y. Love was pushing two empty asphalt tank barges on the Arkansas River when it veered off course and struck a pier supporting the Interstate 40 highway bridge near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma.

The impact sent a 503-foot section of the bridge tumbling into the river. Unlike the Kentucky bridge collapse, highway traffic on the I-40 span had continued to “drive into the void,” according to the NTSB report.

Fourteen people died and five were injured in the accident, which the report said caused an estimated $30.1 million in damage to the bridge and $276,000 to the barges.

Worldwide, between 1960 and 2015 ships or barges caused 35 major bridge collapses that killed 342 people, according to a 2018 report from the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.More than half occurred in the United States.

Yet the United States has some of the strictest maritime standards in the world, according to the experts. Its rules and regulations – which include a host of technical, personnel and environmental practices – go far beyond those set by the International Maritime Organization, which governs all global shipping.

They ensure that U.S ships are built and maintained to the highest standards and that its crews follow industry best practices. These rules also apply, to a certain extent, to foreign-flagged ships in U.S. waters, even though those ships might operate under what some experts described as subpar conditions.

“Many of the world’s shipping companies are based out of countries like Liberia, Marshall Islands and Panama” Deirup said. “They do that to save on costs and liability, so they get to run these ships really cheaply. They hire mariners from whatever country they can offer the cheapest wages and will run a really shoddy operation without much oversight.”

Many of the ships, he said, “are just ramshackle.”

The U.S. Coast Guard has jurisdiction in U.S. waters and can detain a ship for safety issues, Deirup said, “but they’re spread really thin.”

Detainments typically happen when a Coast Guard inspection finds significant issues with a ship, but it takes years to train the marine inspectors and there aren’t nearly enough of them in the field, said the former Coast Guard officer who was not authorized to speak to the media.

Not all ships are inspected, either, he said. The Coast Guard uses an algorithm based on the vessel’s history and previous ports of call and current port to determine which ships to check.

Exacerbating the situation are the extremely tight schedules ships’ crews face to unload outgoing cargo and pickup inbound cargo before racing to the next port. That’s especially true of container ships, experts said, whose slots at ports are scheduled weeks in advance and must make it on time or miss the window.

“For this ship, the Dali, in Baltimore, they were probably under that pressure,” Deirup said. “That’s why if they had problems with their generators – just theorizing – but they might have been under a lot of pressure to just make it work and get off that dock.”

That type of pressure is difficult to mimic in a simulator, which is perhaps why the crew on the bridge of Cal Maritime’s digital ship operated with calm efficiency each time they ran through the scenario. Blackout, steering out, ship dead in the water, bridge looming, crash. Again and again and again.

Only one run involving tug boats averted the disaster, and even then only when two tugs at full power were tethered to the ship all the way under the bridge. That lineup is not a current day reality except in rare situations, such as tankers transporting oil or other toxins in certain ports.

Solutions: Tugboats left before ship reached Baltimore bridge. They might have saved it.

“No matter what nationality the crew was or what their training was like, I think in the end, it’s an unlucky situation at an unlucky point,” said Conor Finnerty, a Cal Maritime senior who assumed the role of officer of the watch during the simulation.

One of the most critical positions on the ship, the officer of the watch ensures the vessel navigates safely regardless of obstacles or conditions. During the simulation, Finnerty gave orders to the crew to continue testing the equipment, then to drop the anchor and, finally, to sound the danger signal warning anyone on the water that collision was imminent.

“There’s really not much that could have been done about it,” Finnerty said of the unfolding disaster, “except just watch it.”

USA TODAY reporter Dinah Voyles Pulver contributed to this report.