Duties of the crew of passenger ships in emergency situations

Indeed safety is a vital concern in the maritime sector, but more so when dealing with passenger ships. Apart from any technical regulations, human factor remains very crucial in the hazardous environment of marine transport, where skill and professionalism are required to co-exist with an unforgiving sea. For years it has been recognised that "human error", directly or indirectly, has been responsible for the vast majority of marine accidents, but curiously, the human element has tended to be positioned well down on the list of priorities, with regulatory efforts focused upon the structure and equipment of ships and their operating criteria. The scope of this research will encompass the detailed study of the duties of the crew of passenger vessels in emergency situations. This is done by analyzing maritime risks and emergency preparedness to such risks, muster lists of passenger vessels and crew training issues. Also two serious marine disasters of the last two decades, which are sinking of the MV “Estonia” in 1994 and stranding of cruise ship “Costa Concordia” in 2012 will be evaluated