“Voices from the Deck”: Evacuation Effectiveness on Cruise and Passenger Ships through Seafarers’ Perspectives and Literature Analysis

The effectiveness of cruise/passenger ship evacuation is influenced by multiple factors. This paper investigates the limitations of current evacuation protocols by examining crew training practices, human behavioral and psychological patterns during emergencies, ship design innovations and constraints, as well as factors not under human control such as weather, sea state, and specific type of emergency. Furthermore, it provides a comparative analysis between available literature around various factors that can determine the outcome of a cruise/ passenger ship evacuation, and empirical data obtained from responses of approximately 100 seafarers employed in the cruise and passenger ship industry. Related data revolves around key areas such as drills, ashore training, psychological impact, decision making, evacuation practices and preparedness, and evacuation equipment. Seafarers (along with passengers) are directly and most affected during a ship emergency, therefore uncovering existing regulatory gaps, boosting the safety culture onboard ships, and providing solutions that will enhance the safe evacuation practices (and ultimately save more lives) are clearly actions of priority.