Question for Copper 10-8 regarding MS Amsterdam

[Overpacker]

My family and I will be sailing on the MS Amsterdam to Alaska next July 2017 . We were following a few 2016 World Cruise blogs and it was mentioned, during a talk Captain Mercer attended, that the MS Amsterdam would be having a retrofit in 2017. We're curious to know if you have heard when that will be?

Thank you for your help.

[Copper10-8]

My family and I will be sailing on the MS Amsterdam to Alaska next July 2017 . We were following a few 2016 World Cruise blogs and it was mentioned, during a talk Captain Mercer attended, that the MS Amsterdam would be having a retrofit in 2017. We're curious to know if you have heard when that will be?

Thank you for your help.

 

Evening Overpacker;

 

AMDM went into dry-dock in Freeport a year ago. She doesn't show any dry-dock scheduled for 2017. Sorry I can't be of any more assistance to you

 

[OlsSalt]

Copper 10-8 Did you hear any other reports about the really bad stench coming up through the verandah scupper drains, that we experienced on the Amsterdam - starboard -verandah cabin mid ship?

 

- Tales of the South Pacific - last October/November 2015. What sort of ship's system could have caused this.

 

They flushed out the drains every couple days, but it remained a chronic problem. Did the warm weather affect a drain pipe system. Where do those "scuppers" go and why did it generate this smelly feedback?

 

Thanks for any insights into the mechanics of this condition.

[Copper10-8]

Copper 10-8 Did you hear any other reports about the really bad stench coming up through the verandah scupper drains, that we experienced on the Amsterdam - starboard -verandah cabin mid ship?

 

- Tales of the South Pacific - last October/November 2015. What sort of ship's system could have caused this.

 

They flushed out the drains every couple days, but it remained a chronic problem. Did the warm weather affect a drain pipe system. Where do those "scuppers" go and why did it generate this smelly feedback?

 

Thanks for any insights into the mechanics of this condition.

 

Evening Old Salt;

 

A scupper is an opening that allows accumulated water to drain away into the sea or into the bilges. Have not heard of any stench associated with those during the just completed world cruise, I wasn't on the 2015 Tales of the Pacific but it's possible water accumulated/didn't drain and caused a foul odor

[OlsSalt]

Evening Old Salt;

 

A scupper is an opening that allows accumulated water to drain away into the sea or into the bilges. Have not heard of any stench associated with those during the just completed world cruise, I wasn't on the 2015 Tales of the Pacific but it's possible water accumulated/didn't drain and caused a foul odor

 

Thanks - obviously the "flushing" work they did on the drains during our cruise did not permanently solve the problem. I gather the water must have been collecting somewhere rather than draining out to sea, since the odor kept coming back - it was acrid "bilgy", not a frank sewer smell.

 

Since we spent so much time on open water for days on end on that cruise, what are the procedures that need to be followed when dumping that bilge water and/or vigorously cleaning the collecting tanks.

 

Glad to hear there are no further reported problems because it would not have been a good way to introduce a HAL ship to new passengers. We know things can go wrong from time to time, but this would have been a real downer for someone new.

Edited May 3, 2016 by OlsSalt

[chengkp75]

Copper 10-8 Did you hear any other reports about the really bad stench coming up through the verandah scupper drains, that we experienced on the Amsterdam - starboard -verandah cabin mid ship?

 

- Tales of the South Pacific - last October/November 2015. What sort of ship's system could have caused this.

 

They flushed out the drains every couple days, but it remained a chronic problem. Did the warm weather affect a drain pipe system. Where do those "scuppers" go and why did it generate this smelly feedback?

 

Thanks for any insights into the mechanics of this condition.

 

Thanks - obviously the "flushing" work they did on the drains during our cruise did not permanently solve the problem. I gather the water must have been collecting somewhere rather than draining out to sea, since the odor kept coming back - it was acrid "bilgy", not a frank sewer smell.

 

Since we spent so much time on open water for days on end on that cruise, what are the procedures that need to be followed when dumping that bilge water and/or vigorously cleaning the collecting tanks.

 

Glad to hear there are no further reported problems because it would not have been a good way to introduce a HAL ship to new passengers. We know things can go wrong from time to time, but this would have been a real downer for someone new.

 

Typically, the balcony (veranda for HAL cruisers) scuppers go right over the side. They will all collect as they go down, and join with other open deck drains like the promenade deck, and then go overboard below the waterline. Because they exit the hull below the waterline, there will be a "storm" valve at the ship's side. This is a swing check valve (I'm assuming from your user name that you've got some maritime experience) to keep water from going back up the piping when the ship rolls, and also has a closing feature to use if there is a leak in the piping to close off from the sea. There would normally be no connection to any gray water (sinks, showers, laundry or galley drains), black water (toilets) or bilge systems. Since these drains do not connect to any of these other sanitary systems, they do not have S-traps in them to prevent odors backing up.

 

My guess as to the cause of the problem is that some food was washed down a balcony drain and was either partially blocking a drain, and the "flushing" did not remove it or they didn't get the exact drain that had the problem, or that this organic matter went down to where the scupper line goes overboard, and where there is always 5-10 feet of water in the piping (from the waterline down to the overboard valve), and this stuff just kept floating on the top of this water column. The only way to remedy this is to either plug all the drains and use a high pressure water hose to push everything out of the line overboard, or break the line and drain the standing water. I've not seen this before, but it could happen.

[OlsSalt]

Thank you for the additional details, chengkp. It sounded like they were flushing it with some sort of biocide and I gather being in the tropics does add a stress on the amount and activity of any existing funk in the system. Warmer water, more condensation all happy bacteria incubators.

 

Though as you describe this (so well), it all should have flushed out to sea anyway rather than collected and fermented into this stinky stew. Plus there are grates on the scupper drains so it was unlikely food at least from the verandahs could have gone down. Our seas were relatively calm so there was not much sloshing of tanks.

 

Who knows, maybe it was all that "whipped cream" they used in Crossing the Equator ceremonies that fed the bugs in the lines after hosing off the Lido deck and they couldn't get rid of them by the next cruise and then added even more?

 

(Anyone know what that colored goop was they smear the crew with during the King Neptune frolic?)

[Copper10-8]

...................(Anyone know what that colored goop was they smear the crew with during the King Neptune frolic?)

 

That's basically a Meringue mix

 

Thanks for the technical "how does that work" details Cheng

[OlsSalt]

That's basically a Meringue mix

 

Thanks for the technical "how does that work" details Cheng

 

Ahhhh ....Pure protein - egg whites and sugar. Definitely happy bacteria food.

[RMLincoln]

Welcome home John! Trusting you had an excellent voyage. It sure was exciting to follow along.

We are looking forward to boarding Amsterdam in September for Tales of the South Pacific and hoping she will be ship shape and have the tender platforms ready for our many, many tender ports. And idea who might be assigned as Captain?

Thanks for all your insights. Maureen