Jamaica earthquakes & possible tsunami ... will ships be affected?

[perditax]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/28/americas/earthquake-caribbean-sea/index.html

 

https://earthquaketrack.com/p/jamaica/recent

 

https://www.marinevesseltraffic.com/2013/06/vessel-cruise-finder.html

 

I see a MSC, a Costa, and a HAL ship in the region ... 

Edited January 28, 2020 by perditax

[WIChick27]

Adventure is down in Grand Cayman along with Carnival's Victory

[clo]

That's a big, honking earthquake!

 

I saw that buildings shook in MIAMI!!!!!!!!

[Kartgv]

It's unlikely that ships at sea will be affected, as tsunamis do not appear as dramatic waves out in the deep waters - it's only as they come ashore that they build and potentially cause damage and loss of life.  If a ship were docked in port when a large one hit,  - then it could be a real problem.  The itineraries could also be affected if the cruise line or the port authorities determine that there's too much damage to safely handle the cruise ship crowds.    

[mom says]

The threat of a tsunami has passed. Read one article that said there was damage to a sewer line in the Caymans.

[evandbob]

Unless there's a gigantic rogue wave, a tsunami will not cause any disturbance to a cruise ship at sea.  In this case, it was supposed to be a small 3 foot wave, or about 1 meter.  It will lift the cruise ship up a bit, but that would hardly be noticeable to anyone on board.  Depending on the length of the wave, it might take a minute or two to pass.

 

If that small wave continues to a beach though, it might make for an interesting story and video for anyone near the shoreline.

 

However, none of that materialized, and the Tsunami warning was rescinded.

Edited January 29, 2020 by evandbob

[bbwex]

Tidal waves at sea are small, but travel at about 600 miles per hour.  A ship might not even notice that one passed.  That wave, traveling at 600 miles an hour, piles up a whole lot of fast moving water when it hits land.  Considering where the earthquake was, by the time the OP posted the comment, the wave would have already passed everyplace around the Caribbean. 

 

Certainly an odd number of earthquakes in the Caribbean region in a short period of time!

[robinl516]

5 hours ago, Kartgv said:

It's unlikely that ships at sea will be affected, as tsunamis do not appear as dramatic waves out in the deep waters - it's only as they come ashore that they build and potentially cause damage and loss of life.  If a ship were docked in port when a large one hit,  - then it could be a real problem.  The itineraries could also be affected if the cruise line or the port authorities determine that there's too much damage to safely handle the cruise ship crowds.    

Do you think the cruise line will notify us before we board if anything will change with the itinerary.   Do you think there will be aftershocks?  

[Kartgv]

1 hour ago, robinl516 said:

Do you think the cruise line will notify us before we board if anything will change with the itinerary.   Do you think there will be aftershocks?  

Cruise lines typically notify people only when they've made a final decision - could be soon, or it could be just the night before you are scheduled at some particular port.    They want to assess all the latest safety information and financial issues before deciding.   Your contract with the cruise line specifies that they can change any itinerary at any time.   

I'm by no means an expert, but have lived in California for over 40 years, (survived the 1989 Loma Prieta quake with nothing worse than 2 broken wine glasses) so can say that aftershocks are very common.    They are usually smaller in magnitude than the original and many times no one but a seismologist knows they've occurred.   Unless you're in areas of older buildings or roadways not up to current safety standards or areas where there might be landslides, the odds of your being injured in one are extremely slim.   

Edited January 29, 2020 by Kartgv

[cb at sea]

If you're at sea, you would not even notice a tsunami......it's only ON SHORE that you notice it....and you'll notice it BIG TIME, should it occur.  Not all earthquakes cause tsunamis.  Only those that disrupt a huge portion of the sea floor and cause a "concussive wave" which is NOT common in the Atlantic or Caribbean.....that's more of a Pacific occurrence.