Cruise ship ignores distressed boat

Originally posted by nixie_nox
reply to post by DavidWillts

 

It was a Panamanian fishing boat. Who knows what they had. They reported waving their orange life vests to get the attention of the cruise ship.

So even if they had signaled, apprently it doesn't matter.

Waiving a life vest- not a distress signal....

Transmitting a spoken voice Pan-pan, or a Mayday message by radio over very high frequency (shorter range VHF) channel 16 (156.8 MHz) and/or high frequency (longer range HF) on 2182 kHz
Transmitting a digital distress signal by activating (or pressing) the distress button (or key) on a marine radio equipped with Digital Selective Calling (DSC) over the VHF (channel 70) and/or HF frequency bands.
Transmitting a digital distress signal by activating (or pressing) the distress button (or key) on a Inmarsat-C satellite internet device
Sending the Morse code group SOS by light flashes or sounds
Burning a red flare (either hand-held or aerial parachute flare)
Emitting orange smoke from a canister
Showing flames on the vessel (as from a burning tar barrel, oil barrel, etc.)
Raising and lowering slowly and repeatedly both arms outstretched to each side
Making a continuous sound with any fog-signalling apparatus
Firing a gun or other explosive signal at intervals of about a minute
Flying the international maritime signal flags NC ICS November.svg ICS Charlie.svg
Displaying a visual signal consisting of a square flag having above or below it a ball or anything resembling a ball (round or circular in appearance)
Launching distress rockets

In addition, a distress can be signaled using automated radio signals such as a Search and Rescue Transponder (SART) which responds to 9GHz radar signal, or a Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) which operates in the 406 MHz radio frequency. EPIRB signals are received and processed by a constellation of satellites known as COSPAS-SARSAT.

A GPIRB is an EPIRB that is equipped with a global positioning system (GPS) sensor which enables the distress signal to incorporate the latitude and longitude position of the party in distress.

A DSC radio distress signal can include the position if the lat/long are manually keyed into the radio or if a GPS-derived position is passed electronically directly into the radio.

A Mayday message consists of the word "mayday" spoken three times in succession, which is the distress signal, followed by the distress message, which should include:

Name of the vessel or ship in distress
Her position (actual, last known or estimated expressed in lat./long. or in distance/bearing from a specific location)
Nature of the vessel distress condition or situation (e.g. on fire, sinking, aground, taking on water, adrift in hazardous waters)
Number of persons at risk or to be rescued; grave injuries
Type of assistance needed or being sought
Any other details to facilitate resolution of the emergency such as actions being taken (e.g. abandoning ship, pumping flood water), estimated available time remaining afloat

In North America, marine search and rescue agencies in Canada and the United States also recognize certain other distress signals:

Sea marker dye
White high intensity strobe light flashing at 60 times per minute

A floating man-overboard pole or dan buoy can be used to indicate that a person is in distress in the water and is ordinarily equipped with a yellow and red flag (international code of signals flag "O") and a flashing lamp or strobe light.

Originally posted by nixie_nox
Nevermind.

edit on 19-4-2012 by nixie_nox because: (no reason given)

Sorry about that...I read thru your post again. Missed it the first time around. Well thank you for posting it the first time around

reply to post by Insomniac


I know, right?
Most are foreign. Most of the ones I have seen are Italian, but in this case it seems they were English.

The Star Princess, which has an English captain, is said to have sailed on even though three passengers told the crew they had spotted the stricken boat.

dailymail

Originally posted by DavidWillts

Originally posted by nixie_nox
reply to post by DavidWillts

 

It was a Panamanian fishing boat. Who knows what they had. They reported waving their orange life vests to get the attention of the cruise ship.

So even if they had signaled, apprently it doesn't matter.

Waiving a life vest- not a distress signal....

That's where it could get murky in pressing charges. While you are correct...common sense tells me that these boys were flagging anything and everything they could. Damn...just couldn't imagine the pure joy of being rescued and then nothing.

reply to post by HawkeyeNation


This is a sad story, but distress signals are very specific so people can distinguish a friendly waive from a distress sign. If you are going to head a boat it is your responsibility to know the signals and have the required safety equipment. The only person responsible is the head of the fishing boat who lost his friends to his own negligence.

reply to post by DavidWillts


Well you can keep it up with your one liners or you can make your point.
Which by your one liners is that you think the cruise line isn't at fault, but it is.

It was a tiny fishing boat. They used what they had, which was their life vests.

You can try to spin it how you want but three different passengers and a crew member reported seeing the stricken boat and it looked obvious to them that it was in distress. The captain remarked in it in a log, lied and said they communicated with them, when they had no ability to communicate. Lets not forget these guys were already out to see for days and may have used any signaling equipment they had.

The passengers also have a picture of the fishing boat in distress.

So what is your next one liner going to be?

reply to post by DavidWillts


There it is.

Because jumping up and down waving your shirts and life vests in the air can be confused with a friendly hello.

The passengers all reported them as being frantic.

“I had a red T-shirt and I was waving it over my head like this. My friend Fernando had an orange life vest he was waving over his head”…

Red is the signal for needing help.

And what part don't you get that it was a 9 foot boat without electricity?

Nice try. But they had the red shirt. So

reply to post by nixie_nox

It was a tiny fishing boat. They used what they had, which was their life vests.

They are REQUIRED to have more than that. This is why it is the fishing boat captain's fault.

You can try to spin it how you want but three different passengers and a crew member reported seeing the stricken boat and it looked obvious to them that it was in distress.

Like i said distress signals are specific, a square flag made out of ANYTHING, even if they waived slowly it would have been a distress signal.

The captain remarked in it in a log, lied and said they communicated with them, when they had no ability to communicate. Lets not forget these guys were already out to see for days and may have used any signaling equipment they had.

The captain said he talked to some fishermen and he assumed it was them. Since they were not sending out any sort of real distress signal how can you really blame him.

The passengers also have a picture of the fishing boat in distress.

You mean pictures of a fishing boat not displaying a distress signal?

They are REQUIRED to have more than that. This is why it is the fishing boat captain's fault.

It wasnt a commercial fishing boat.......

I think what you are failing to understand here (not your fault its not well defined in this particular article) is that it wasnt a "fishing boat" like you would think it would be...


It was just a small boat, the normal little boats that only hold like 4-5 people......it did after all have one small outboard motor.......

Im guessing it was just a little boat like you would find in poorer areas......

This being said it probably didnt have alternative electricity or anything like that.........

And it was probably just something these kids went out in regularly just to fish..........

Im guessing they had no more then just life vests and fishing gear.......

Heres a pic of the boat taken by someone on the Cruise ship



as you can see tiny boat

reply to post by nixie_nox

Red is the signal for needing help.

In lala land? A red flag (which could be a red shirt) attacked to a buoy is a distress signal. Waiving it frantically is not. But waiving slowly is a distress signal...

And what part don't you get that it was a 9 foot boat without electricity?

I understand that, but what part of there are so many distress signals that do not require electricity don't you get?

Nice try. But they had the red shirt. So

Nice try. But that is still not a distress signal

reply to post by ManBehindTheMask

I think what you are failing to understand here (not your fault its not well defined in this particular article) is that it wasnt a "fishing boat" like you would think it would be...

No I completely understand that but that does not in any way mean they should have not known how to give out a distress signal.

This being said it probably didnt have alternative electricity or anything like that.........

They did not need electricity to display a distress signal...

reply to post by DavidWillts


Both points are valid......

However were talking 16-18 year old kids.........how often do they really prepare properly?

2nd...the fact that 1 if not several people indicated they were worried the vessel was in distress, should have warranted a bit more investigation (IMO) by the cruise ship captain......

Not to mention how far off shore they were in such a tiny boat should have been an indicator of something amiss.......

However i DO agree they should have atleast had an orange distress flag to fly

reply to post by DavidWillts


It was a panga, they don't have all the rules you refer to. They don't get any education. The world is not as ordered as you would think. Children go into the water everyday with out all the rules and regulations, and these got swept out to sea. I wonder if even one passenger who saw this boat brought it to the attention of any of the crew.

reply to post by earthdude

It was a panga, they don't have all the rules you refer to

What are you talking about? A Panga is over 16 feet which makes them responsible for MORE rules than a smaller boat.

The world is not as ordered as you would think. Children go into the water everyday with out all the rules and regulations, and these got swept out to sea.

People really cannot hold people to two different standards.
The fishing boat did nothing wrong because they were poor and ignorant of the distress signals
The Cruise ship captain should know on the spot made up signal be heart.

I wonder if even one passenger who saw this boat brought it to the attention of any of the crew.

I wonder if you bother to read anything besides the title before you comment on a subject.

Originally posted by DavidWillts
l. Waiving it frantically is not. But waiving slowly is a distress signal...

]

Dude, your rule sucks. I refuse to teach anybody that frantic waiving is hello, and slow waiving is help.

reply to post by ManBehindTheMask

However were talking 16-18 year old kids.........how often do they really prepare properly?

But why should anyone else but them be responsible?

Originally posted by earthdude

Originally posted by DavidWillts
l. Waiving it frantically is not. But waiving slowly is a distress signal...

]

Dude, your rule sucks. I refuse to teach anybody that frantic waiving is hello, and slow waiving is help.

Those are not my rules those are internationally recognized distress signals, which every person who is out at sea should know.

Originally posted by DavidWillts

Originally posted by earthdude

Originally posted by DavidWillts
l. Waiving it frantically is not. But waiving slowly is a distress signal...

]

Dude, your rule sucks. I refuse to teach anybody that frantic waiving is hello, and slow waiving is help.

Those are not my rules those are internationally recognized distress signals, which every person who is out at sea should know.

and if they don't ya leave 'em to die? Come on. Yeah, I didn't read most of it. posted premature. That poor lady,. I bet she regrets not going up to the captain personally or starting a mutiny. One could blame her just as easily as lack of seafaring education. But we all know the captain looked into his binoculars, saw a need for help, and decided somebody else could do it, but did not bother to send help.

Didn't the article say they were found 650 miles from shore?
Even if they were only 100 miles from shore....in a 9 foot boat?
THAT alone should tell any rational human that such a small boat must be in distress.

reply to post by HawkeyeNation


universal law of the sea even in times of war aid is often given to those you just sunk all humans are united when facing the sea or at least that is how it has been for the past 1000 years this man is a disgrace to captians everywhere if some one is in need of help on the ocean any and all aid is to be given dispite the economic cost this makes me sick