"Virtual" Muster Drill?

[klfrodo]

Should be interesting.

Not sure of the validity of this report I saw from a TA on YouTube.

According to them, Royal is considering future Muster Drills be performed on the app on your mobile device.

That should be interesting. Especially for those who don't have mobile devices.

[JT1962]

Yes, there are a couple of threads on this from late April when Royal Caribbean applied to trademark the name eMuster. It seems like a great idea, but would need approval from the Coast Guard or other authorities.

[ECCruise]

1 minute ago, JT1962 said:

Yes, there are a couple of threads on this from late April when Royal Caribbean applied to trademark the name eMuster. It seems like a great idea, but would need approval from the Coast Guard or other authorities.

The Coast Guard would have minimal jurisdiction, if at all.

SOLAS determines muster requirements (as well as many other components of shipping) , which consists of agreements between 164 states, virtually the whole world with maritime interests.

[time4u2go]

5 minutes ago, JT1962 said:

Yes, there are a couple of threads on this from late April when Royal Caribbean applied to trademark the name eMuster. It seems like a great idea, but would need approval from the Coast Guard or other authorities.

Maybe they could combine their eMuster and SeaFace trademarks to get MusterFace!

[chengkp75]

3 hours ago, ECCruise said:

The Coast Guard would have minimal jurisdiction, if at all.

SOLAS determines muster requirements (as well as many other components of shipping) , which consists of agreements between 164 states, virtually the whole world with maritime interests.

SOLAS signatory nations include landlocked nations like Austria, as well.  And the USCG is the agency that interfaces with the IMO.  But, you are correct that any major change to muster drills, and eliminating the actual "gathering" or mustering of the guests at one time would be a major change, would require not only a rule change, but then acceptance by the member nations.  Resolutions can be "adopted" by the IMO if 38 member nations approve of it, but after "adoption" it must be "accepted".  SOLAS regulations are "accepted" by "tacit approval" (meaning that the measure will be accepted "unless objected to" by 38 member nations), but there is a "minimum time interval" between "adoption" and "acceptance" for tacit approval is 10 months, and then SOLAS resolutions are 6 months between "acceptance" and "entry into force".  So, any change to muster drill will not happen for a minimum of 16 months.

[ECCruise]

1 minute ago, chengkp75 said:

SOLAS signatory nations include landlocked nations like Austria, as well.  And the USCG is the agency that interfaces with the IMO.  But, you are correct that any major change to muster drills, and eliminating the actual "gathering" or mustering of the guests at one time would be a major change, would require not only a rule change, but then acceptance by the member nations.  Resolutions can be "adopted" by the IMO if 38 member nations approve of it, but after "adoption" it must be "accepted".  SOLAS regulations are "accepted" by "tacit approval" (meaning that the measure will be accepted "unless objected to" by 38 member nations), but there is a "minimum time interval" between "adoption" and "acceptance" for tacit approval is 10 months, and then SOLAS resolutions are 6 months between "acceptance" and "entry into force".  So, any change to muster drill will not happen for a minimum of 16 months.

Thanks.  Hoping you would bring your expertise in.

And, as I thought, a change would not be in place when cruising resumes, whether in 2 or 6 months.

[Ashland]

4 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Should be interesting.

Not sure of the validity of this report I saw from a TA on YouTube.

According to them, Royal is considering future Muster Drills be performed on the app on your mobile device.

That should be interesting. Especially for those who don't have mobile devices.

Or those that don't care (want ) to use an app...which is me.

[rafinmd]

46 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

SOLAS signatory nations include landlocked nations like Austria, as well.  And the USCG is the agency that interfaces with the IMO.  But, you are correct that any major change to muster drills, and eliminating the actual "gathering" or mustering of the guests at one time would be a major change, would require not only a rule change, but then acceptance by the member nations.  Resolutions can be "adopted" by the IMO if 38 member nations approve of it, but after "adoption" it must be "accepted".  SOLAS regulations are "accepted" by "tacit approval" (meaning that the measure will be accepted "unless objected to" by 38 member nations), but there is a "minimum time interval" between "adoption" and "acceptance" for tacit approval is 10 months, and then SOLAS resolutions are 6 months between "acceptance" and "entry into force".  So, any change to muster drill will not happen for a minimum of 16 months.

Would SOLAS allow the muster to be done in shifts (eg decks 6 and 7 at 2, 8 and 9 at 2:30, 10-12 at 3, and higher decks at 3:30)?

 

Roy

[mpk]

2 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Would SOLAS allow the muster to be done in shifts (eg decks 6 and 7 at 2, 8 and 9 at 2:30, 10-12 at 3, and higher decks at 3:30)?

 

SOLAS has no requirements that is has to be done all at the same time.  For example, many lines in the Med run bus-like cruises.  There is no single embark/debark port.  They take on passengers at every major port, and muster drill only these new pax as needed.

Edited June 11, 2020 by mpk

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

Would SOLAS allow the muster to be done in shifts (eg decks 6 and 7 at 2, 8 and 9 at 2:30, 10-12 at 3, and higher decks at 3:30)?

 

Roy

No.  The main requirements for the drill are that passengers are accounted for all together (as they would need to be during an emergency) and that the drill be "as realistic as possible".  Additionally, unless you restricted those for the later muster to their cabins, this would cause chaos as crew attempted to direct passengers to their muster, only to have the passenger say "I'm not in this drill", along with chaos in the public spaces as some need to go to muster and some don't.

1 hour ago, mpk said:

 

SOLAS has no requirements that is has to be done all at the same time.  For example, many lines in the Med run bus-like cruises.  There is no single embark/debark port.  They take on passengers at every major port, and muster drill only these new pax as needed.

While this is correct, SOLAS does require that all new guests muster at one time.  So, those who embark on one day must all muster at the same time, that day.  Those who have done a muster drill at a previous port are not required to redo the drill unless the passenger is onboard for over 30 days.

[mpk]

28 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

While this is correct, SOLAS does require that all new guests muster at one time.  So, those who embark on one day must all muster at the same time, that day.  Those who have done a muster drill at a previous port are not required to redo the drill unless the passenger is onboard for over 30 days.

 

Interesting, thanks for the info.

 

Out of curiousity, when professionals, cruise crew, and merchant mariners sail, do they go through muster drills as well?

 

Edited June 11, 2020 by mpk

[chengkp75]

3 minutes ago, mpk said:

 

Interesting, thanks for the info.

 

Out of curiousity, when professionals and merchant mariners sail, do they go through SOLAS as well?

 

Not sure what is meant by "go through SOLAS", but SOLAS and all other IMO conventions, binds all commercial vessels (over a certain size), the only exception is naval vessels.

 

As an extension of your example of multi-porting muster drills, regardless of how long ago a crew held a fire and boat drill, when 25% or more of the crew has changed out, a new drill must be held within 24 hours.

Edited June 11, 2020 by chengkp75

[mpk]

24 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Not sure what is meant by "go through SOLAS", but SOLAS and all other IMO conventions, binds all commercial vessels (over a certain size), the only exception is naval vessels.

 

As an extension of your example of multi-porting muster drills, regardless of how long ago a crew held a fire and boat drill, when 25% or more of the crew has changed out, a new drill must be held within 24 hours.

 

You're right, I meant "go thru muster drill".  As you can tell, I am not a professional mariner   🙂

 

I've heard of stories where a cruiser missed muster.  Do they get a makeup muster?

[chengkp75]

7 minutes ago, mpk said:

 

You're right, I meant "go thru muster drill".  As you can tell, I am not a professional mariner   🙂

 

I've heard of stories where a cruiser missed muster.  Do they get a makeup muster?

They can either do a make up muster, at the convenience of the Safety Manager, not the passenger, or they may be disembarked.

 

As for mariners, we do not do a "muster" drill, since this is a drill to take people who have no training and no emergency duties, and get them to locations where accountability can be taken, to  determine if emergency assets need to be allocated to search for missing passengers.  Since all of the crew on merchant ships have assigned emergency duties, our drills, just like the crew drills on cruise ships, focuses on the emergencies (fire, flooding, pollution, abandon ship), but the first and most important part of any drill is "accountability", so we "muster" ourselves at the emergency stations.  Cruise ship crews will also do this, for example in a fire, each fire team "musters" at their equipment locker, and then report to the On-Scene Commander, who musters all his/her teams, and then reports to the Bridge that all teams are present.  This procedure is repeated for each function, like the emergency teams, the passenger muster teams (including those passageway "directors" and those assigned to clear passenger cabins, and special needs assistance, etc), Bridge team, Engine room team, and so on.

[lenquixote66]

7 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Should be interesting.

Not sure of the validity of this report I saw from a TA on YouTube.

According to them, Royal is considering future Muster Drills be performed on the app on your mobile device.

That should be interesting. Especially for those who don't have mobile devices.

I would think that the ship would supply a device to those who do not have mobile devices.

[time4u2go]

1 minute ago, lenquixote66 said:

I would think that the ship would supply a device to those who do not have mobile devices.

It can't be done anyway. See recent posts explaining why. 

[PrincessPatti]

On 6/11/2020 at 12:45 PM, time4u2go said:

Maybe they could combine their eMuster and SeaFace trademarks to get MusterFace!

Laughed so hard I almost spit out my wine.....

[Royal_Cruise_Bear]

Imho a muster drill is absolutely necessary on any cruise ship. It brings you some routine for the case, that hopefully never will happen. And noone should say, that they have it done sooooo many times, that they don't need it. 🤐

 

Studies had shown, that even experienced flyers in a real emergency, forget how to open their seat buckle on a flight.😲

 

On the other side Color Line "cruises" has its drill only virtuell on the TV screen in your stateroom, when entering. I believe, that even though this "cruise" from Kiel to Oslo takes 20 hours oneway, it is only a ferryboat. Are there different regulations?😳🤔

 

By the way, for those who are interested in: Color Magic and Color Fantasy have a lot similarities with the Voyager Class. Not only the dockyard (Aker Finyards) but a club, that looks like a Viking crown and a promenade witch is a Royal Promenade, but only one deck lower..😍... I should consider to make a trip to Oslo and back, just for having seen any water in 2020....😉

 

Stay safe and healthy!

[chengkp75]

19 minutes ago, Royal_Cruise_Bear said:

 it is only a ferryboat. Are there different regulations?😳🤔

Yes, vessels that are intended for less than 24 hour itineraries, and those operating in "near coastal waters", which for the countries bordering the Baltic Sea is defined as the Baltic, meet separate regulations, and are not required to have passenger muster drill.

[Royal_Cruise_Bear]

7 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Yes, vessels that are intended for less than 24 hour itineraries, and those operating in "near coastal waters", which for the countries bordering the Baltic Sea is defined as the Baltic, meet separate regulations, and are not required to have passenger muster drill.

Thanks for sharing your vast knowledge

[Georgia_Peaches]

If it takes 16 month to change current muster procedures, what will cruise lines do in the interim?  Requiring face masks during muster seems like a given.  But what other measures can be taken to meet the muster requirement while maintaining some semblance of social distancing?

[FionaMG]

On 6/12/2020 at 1:13 AM, mpk said:

I've heard of stories where a cruiser missed muster.  Do they get a makeup muster?

This happened to us once on an MSC cruise when we boarded at oneof the secondary embarkation ports. The guest services person who checked us in told us the wrong time and we arrived, on time as far as we were concerned, to find that the drill had just finished. The crew member present told us we would receive notification in our cabin telling us when to report for the replacement drill and this is in fact what happened.  It was held the next morning and there were quite a lot of others there too. I guess they must have been checked in by the same person!