Easing the escape

摘要

Every time a large passenger ship gets into trouble it seems to serve as a wake-up call about how the industry is riding a knife edge towards a major disaster. If the SOLAS regulations are working and effective then whenever a ship finds itself in trouble of one sort or another, the passengers and crew should have a means of escape from the immediate disaster and be able to wait for help to arrive. However, the recent Viking Sky event does suggest that even with the current level of mandatory lifesaving appliances (LSA) equipment on board there is no guarantee that the evacuation of a large passenger ship can be carried out effectively in adverse conditions.