Oasis incident at Freeport Shipyard

[scottish67]

Hi! I'm new here but I'm on the May 19th sailing out of Barcelona. I've heard reports that the ship has minor cosmetic damage all the way up to sensational reports that it has severe structure damage that will need months to repair. 

 

Is there any point in continuing to try to find more info? Like most people, we booked this (our very first cruise) over a year in advance and have done lots of planning. We can change our dates and flights if RC gives us enough notice, do we think they'll let us know sooner than a week in advance of our sailing? Thanks everyone and apologies if i'm not following posting protocol/etiquette. 

[jdjaguar]

3 minutes ago, scottish67 said:

Hi! I'm new here but I'm on the May 19th sailing out of Barcelona. I've heard reports that the ship has minor cosmetic damage all the way up to sensational reports that it has severe structure damage that will need months to repair. 

 

Is there any point in continuing to try to find more info? Like most people, we booked this (our very first cruise) over a year in advance and have done lots of planning. We can change our dates and flights if RC gives us enough notice, do we think they'll let us know sooner than a week in advance of our sailing? Thanks everyone and apologies if i'm not following posting protocol/etiquette. 

Myself, I will keep a keen eye on  1. what day Oasis actually departs Freeport for Cadiz.

and 2. what is her cruising speed during the transit.

 

[orville99]

5 minutes ago, scottish67 said:

Hi! I'm new here but I'm on the May 19th sailing out of Barcelona. I've heard reports that the ship has minor cosmetic damage all the way up to sensational reports that it has severe structure damage that will need months to repair. 

 

Is there any point in continuing to try to find more info? Like most people, we booked this (our very first cruise) over a year in advance and have done lots of planning. We can change our dates and flights if RC gives us enough notice, do we think they'll let us know sooner than a week in advance of our sailing? Thanks everyone and apologies if i'm not following posting protocol/etiquette. 

Pure speculation on my part, but I would guess a lot depends on how long it takes GBSA to get their crane and debris off of the deck; how long it takes for Oasis to get clearance to make the TA to Cadiz; how quickly she can make the journey (under her own power, being towed, or a combination of both) once she sets out, how much repair/clean up/refresh can be done topside while she's in route; and what needs to be done in  Cadiz to make her ready for the summer Med cruises.

[scottish67]

7 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Pure speculation on my part, but I would guess a lot depends on how long it takes GBSA to get their crane and debris off of the deck; how long it takes for Oasis to get clearance to make the TA to Cadiz; how quickly she can make the journey (under her own power, being towed, or a combination of both) once she sets out, how much repair/clean up/refresh can be done topside while she's in route; and what needs to be done in  Cadiz to make her ready for the summer Med cruises.

 

Thank you, I know everything is speculation at this point. I've tried seeing if something similar has happened to other ships in the past to try and estimate time but haven't found anything at this time. Thankfully our dates are flexible and assuming RC offers us the same flight change credit ($400/person for international) we'd be able to make changes. The longer we sit in limbo, the less options we have for rebooking to later sailing so hopefully we'll know more soon. Thanks again. 

[Retired LEO]

1 hour ago, orville99 said:

The refund of the booking revenue alone is probably a loss of $15-$20 Million/cruise. Figure in another ~$3 Million/cruise in onboard revenue, and you're looking at a loss of ~$60-$70 Million if just the three cruises that have already been cancelled are all that are eventually cancelled. Include the potential FCC impacts (not everyone will take advantage of that part of the compensation offer), and the revenue loss quickly approaches $100 Million. There's probably that much or more cost for the necessary repairs as well.

 

They've already begun to recoup some of their loss. 3 of my future bookings went up 18% in the last 2 days.

[Rhymanocerous]

1 hour ago, CarnivalCruiser32 said:

Someone mentioned that you can buy general travel insurance that would refund you if the trip is canceled even for airline non-refundable airfare (or at least that's what I understood from the website below but maybe I understood it wrong)  "We always procure a policy from www.insuremytrip.com but there are other insurance sites out there. Third party insurance normally provides more robust coverage for less and it's easy to include all of your non-reimbursable expenses in your coverage." 

 

Just as an FYI I called RCCL today and they told me that they won't cover cancelation fees only change fees... I fail to see how a cancelation fee is any different than a change fee. Still fighting with them.

[A&L_Ont]

 

 

1 hour ago, fsjosh said:

Even still its surprising that nothing has came out. If this happened in the US, someone would have posted a pic just to get fired and use that for 15 minutes of fame. 

 

This isn’t the US. A job is better than 15 minutes of fame for someone who works at the yard. I would assume RC also told their crew and staff to stop any pic postings etc. 

 

On a similar note there was a CC Member (I remember his name) that worked on a dry dock revitalization crew and he wasn’t from the islands. His wife would post his pics here about the specific RC ship revitalization, on different threads over the years.

 

The last thread they ever did disappeared before the dry dock was completed. RC saw it here on CC. They figured out that a worker on board was sharing/posting pics. They must have put the word out on board the ship to cease and desist to whomever was taking photos.

 

The thread was gone rather quickly and CC members questioned where did it go. It didn’t take members long to figure it out. 

Edited April 4, 2019 by A&L_Ont

[twangster]

If I were to pull out a cell phone while outside at a surface mine I'd be escorted off the property.  An industrial workplace is no place to be distracted by a text message.

 

If they didn't have a no cell policy before, I'm betting they do now.  Not just for a media blackout but from a safety perspective.  

[Goofyfanatic]

Looks like she is now settled into her new spot. Assuming for crane removal.

[bajathree]

1 hour ago, fsjosh said:

It's amazing to me that there have been no pics or videos from the scene since the day of the accident. In this age of cell phones, it's monumental that someone hasn't snapped a pic and posted it. 

No one in Freeport must own a drone.

[John&LaLa]

2 minutes ago, bajathree said:

No one in Freeport must own a drone.

 

Where is CLR when you need him. 🤣

[scottish67]

8 minutes ago, Goofyfanatic said:

Looks like she is now settled into her new spot. Assuming for crane removal.

 

Are we even sure she moved? I wish there was a live on board webcam or port webcam we can see what's going on live time. I do notice that the smaller tugs boats that were the neon blue dots are no longer there. Hopefully she did move as that would be progress!

[johnjen]

20 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Really?  The crew, and the thousands of sub-contractors are always onboard in drydock, and were when the Oasis did this evolution previously, and when the Allure did it as well.  Yes, 2000 crew would be about 180 metric tons, but when you compare this to the displacement of the ship:  100,000 metric tons the crew represent less than 0.2% of the weight (she probably has more weight in fuel and water, each, (a ship this size carries thousands of tons of fuel and water)than the crew weighs.  And the dockmaster can constantly check the weight of the ship (including crew, food, supplies, fuel, water, sewage, etc) simply by checking his drafts, his ballast tank levels, and the stability charts for the dock.  While they do estimate the weight before the ship is lifted, they know exactly (well, within a 100 tons or so, which is nothing) how much weight they are lifting as they do it.

Good description. We had all kinds of equipment coming and going off and onboard while we were drydocked. In our case we had a HUGE comm box where they had to literally cut a hole in the side of radio to have it pulled out and it weighed well over a thousand pounds on its own (we called it the coke machine because it was red). That, all of my teletypes, racks of radio gear we had discontinued, along with engineering dept's stuff which included a new main condenser and thousands of tubes....wow. and we were just sitting there stable as can be on the blocks. Even had a screw removed and replaced. Those were the days!

[Goofyfanatic]

20 minutes ago, scottish67 said:

 

Are we even sure she moved? I wish there was a live on board webcam or port webcam we can see what's going on live time. I do notice that the smaller tugs boats that were the neon blue dots are no longer there. Hopefully she did move as that would be progress!

It showed it as it was moving. The site was updating every few minutes. The quickest I saw her moving was 1.1 knots. 

 

And Vessel Finder has her at the same place. 

Edited April 4, 2019 by Goofyfanatic
adding info

[bajathree]

Well according to this just posted there is now a tentative date for Oasis to arrive into Cadiz April 18.

 

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=https://www.europapress.es/andalucia/cadiz-00351/noticia-crucero-oasis-of-the-seas-dirige-navantia-cadiz-ser-reparado-sufrir-accidente-bahamas-20190404181140.html&prev=search

Edited April 4, 2019 by bajathree

[coaster]

Seems at the very least a thank you to Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line could of been posted on social media from a representative of Royal.

[Cel_cruise]

Well according to this just posted there is now a tentative date for Oasis to arrive into Cadiz April 18.
 
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=https://www.europapress.es/andalucia/cadiz-00351/noticia-crucero-oasis-of-the-seas-dirige-navantia-cadiz-ser-reparado-sufrir-accidente-bahamas-20190404181140.html&prev=search

14 days away...progress...this allows us to now wonder about the next real questions.. when does she leave GBSY and is she traveling alone....(although I like the idea of traveling with a friend even if she might be able to go on her own power...given she is already suffering an injury and all...)

While my heart bleeds for all of the people impacted and those sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for news - I can’t help but say the logistics behind planning this last minute unexpected operation sort of fascinate me...so many moving parts to try to coordinate...the literal moving ones - but also the dock availability, the supplies they want on board for the sailing to keep doing work, the staff support/displacement, the supplies needed in Spain etc...not to mention all of the typical shoreside logistics that need to be cancelled...food/beverage supplies for the next 4 weeks, check in guest workers etc...



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[Dry Dock Dave]

15 hours ago, luisrp said:

Hello all.  I have been following this thread since there is more information here (or easier to find) than in other places.

 

The evacuation video brings to me a big issue that nobody has mentioned.  Did anyone notice that they had to walk under the fallen crane on the port side of the floating dock to evacuate to dry land?  What if that section of the boom had broken off and fallen into that area blocking access?  Was there a different evacuation route they could use?

There’s two ramps up to the dock walls, one port and one starboard. There are also stairs down within the walls but they’re no use if the dock isn’t dry

 

gangways from the ship to the dock wall were not usable on one side, so the only option was to use the exit and go under the crane. The walkways on the ramps are closed in and caged over head for safety / falling items on the newer dock 3, I honestly can’t recall for definite if they are or not on dock 2... I seem to think they are, will look back through some pictures 

Edited April 4, 2019 by Dry Dock Dave

[molsonschooner]

1 hour ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

 

 

This isn’t the US. A job is better than 15 minutes of fame for someone who works at the yard. I would assume RC also told their crew and staff to stop any pic postings etc. 

 

On a similar note there was a CC Member (I remember his name) that worked on a dry dock revitalization crew and he wasn’t from the islands. His wife would post his pics here about the specific RC ship revitalization, on different threads over the years.

 

The last thread they ever did disappeared before the dry dock was completed. RC saw it here on CC. They figured out that a worker on board was sharing/posting pics. They must have put the word out on board the ship to cease and desist to whomever was taking photos.

 

The thread was gone rather quickly and CC members questioned where did it go. It didn’t take members long to figure it out. 

I remember those threads. It was very interesting watching the progress. 

[Dry Dock Dave]

1 hour ago, scottish67 said:

 

Are we even sure she moved? I wish there was a live on board webcam or port webcam we can see what's going on live time. I do notice that the smaller tugs boats that were the neon blue dots are no longer there. Hopefully she did move as that would be progress!

 

Yes, it’s out of the dock and alongside the pier by the car park for the yard 

[jdjaguar]

30 minutes ago, bajathree said:

Well according to this just posted there is now a tentative date for Oasis to arrive into Cadiz April 18.

 

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=https://www.europapress.es/andalucia/cadiz-00351/noticia-crucero-oasis-of-the-seas-dirige-navantia-cadiz-ser-reparado-sufrir-accidente-bahamas-20190404181140.html&prev=search

The cruise 'Oasis of the Seas' goes to Navantia Cádiz to be repaired after suffering an accident in the Bahamas

"...previously, a team of workers from Navantia and the auxiliary industry traveled to the Bahamas to make a preliminary study of the damage that the ship has and make the journey to the capital of Cadiz."

 

This sounds to me that the damage has been assessed, and that appropriate personnel and materials will be transported to the ship so that some repairs can be made en-route to Cadiz for additional repairs.

 

June 2 sailing is looker a bit safer, but I won't relax until Oasis departs Cardiz for Barcelona to resume her normal cruise schedule.


 

[HBE4]

15 minutes ago, Cel_cruise said:

14 days away...progress...this allows us to now wonder about the next real questions.. when does she leave GBSY and is she traveling alone....(although I like the idea of traveling with a friend even if she might be able to go on her own power...given she is already suffering an injury and all...)

 

I'd think there would be some kind of escort just in case she runs into bad weather along the way.

 

17 minutes ago, Cel_cruise said:

I can’t help but say the logistics behind planning this last minute unexpected operation sort of fascinate me...so many moving parts to try to coordinate...the literal moving ones - but also the dock availability, the supplies they want on board for the sailing to keep doing work, the staff support/displacement, the supplies needed in Spain etc...not to mention all of the typical shoreside logistics that need to be cancelled...food/beverage supplies for the next 4 weeks, check in guest workers etc...

 

For some reason, the video screens keep popping into my mind. I'm pretty sure you can't go out to your local Best Buy and purchase 2 more. Are they special order? Is Royal on the phone with Samsung promising free cruises if the factories can manufacture them in time? Are they going to raid Oasis-5 for parts?

 

 

 

 

[Dry Dock Dave]

4 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I'd think there would be some kind of escort just in case she runs into bad weather along the way.

 

 

For some reason, the video screens keep popping into my mind. I'm pretty sure you can't go out to your local Best Buy and purchase 2 more. Are they special order? Is Royal on the phone with Samsung promising free cruises if the factories can manufacture them in time? Are they going to raid Oasis-5 for parts?

 

 

 

 

 

The screens are modular panels and easily replaced, spares kept on board for failures. They’ll need stripping and the frame replaced / straightened, but it’s a day or two to strip down once the scaffold is up, and a good crew can cable and replace the panels again in one long day when needed

[bajathree]

32 minutes ago, Dry Dock Dave said:

 

The screens are modular panels and easily replaced, spares kept on board for failures. They’ll need stripping and the frame replaced / straightened, but it’s a day or two to strip down once the scaffold is up, and a good crew can cable and replace the panels again in one long day when needed

I remember sailing Oasis back in the earlier days with bad modules for many sailings over a duration of time. They were like having a large cluster of bad pixels on your TV...black boxes. There must have been a reason they weren't fixed for a very long time. In any case I wouldn't expect Royal to be worrying about putting that Aquatheater back  into showroom condition...I think they would be happy just getting it back together and somewhat presentable....especially since its going back into dry dock for a major refurb in fall. Removing those screens completely till the refurb I would believe probably isn't  out of the question.

Edited April 4, 2019 by bajathree

[Dry Dock Dave]

4 minutes ago, bajathree said:

I remember sailing Oasis back in the earlier days with bad modules for many sailings over a duration of time. They were like having a large cluster of bad pixels on your TV...black boxes. There must have been a reason they weren't fixed for a very long time. In any case I wouldn't expect Royal to be worrying about putting that Aquatheater back  into showroom condition...I think they would be happy just getting it back together and somewhat presentable....especially since its going back into dry dock for a major refurb in fall. Removing those screens completely till the refurb I wouldn't even believe probably isn't  out of the question.

 

Agree with that, it’s very possible the screens are due for upgrading in the long dry dock coming up, if it’s not cost effective to repair, they’ll go without