Have you ever wondered how the crew would leave a ship in an emergency, once the lifeboats with passengers are deployed? In larger ships, they would use something like the Marine Evacuation System shown in this video from MSC Cruises. It shows their crews training to use the system aboard a Fantasia-class ship.
Technical training has already begun by crew members aboard MSC Divina, the next ship in the class, which is under construction at the STX France yard in Saint Nazaire (France). That includes the deployment of the MES, and what they learn is practiced every week.
There are two of the systems aboard each of the Fantasia-class ships. They would normally be used to evacuate crew members in liferafts after passengers have filled the lifeboats. Each system deploys four of the giant, enclosed, inflatable liferafts, meaning that together they will accommodate 1,514 people beyond the capacity of the lifeboats.
Marine Evacuation Systems are found aboard MSC Divina, MSC Fantasia and MSC Splendida. MSC Divina will be christened in Marseille on May 26, 2012.
