A Carnival Cruise Line ship endured an unfortunate safety mishap when a lifeboat broke apart from the Carnival Dream and plunged into the water.
The incident happened while the ship was docked in Cozumel, Mexico this past Thursday.
It fell into the water on the ocean-facing starboard side and was witnessed by passengers on another ship docked there.
Mishap Occurred During a Routine Unmanned Test in Cozumel
In the images, apparent damage can be seen to the lifeboat’s exterior, and the tarpaulin cover appeared to be ripped. Carnival Cruise Line acknowledged the incident, saying it happened as the crew were performing an “unmanned test.”Â
“The team on Carnival Dream was testing lowering one of the lifeboats when a latch got caught on one of the cables, resulting in the vessel hanging from one end then falling into the water below,” a cruise line spokesperson said.
It said there were no injuries to either crew or guests. On its safety information section on the Carnival website, it states lifeboats go through “regularly scheduled drills to make certain that they are in proper working order.”
There are strict rules on the availability of operational lifeboats, lifejackets and life rafts based on the overall number of a ship’s guests and crew as mandated by the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
The cruise line says its ships exceed the required minimum number of lifeboats and the accident didn’t impact the sailing.
Last year, Royal Caribbean canceled a cruise for some guests on Rhapsody of the Seas due to a damaged tender/lifeboat. As it could no longer meet the required lifeboat capacity for all guests, some customers had their voyage canceled.
In 2018, the same ship lost a lifeboat while sailing a Western Caribbean cruise when it became detached while underway.
