Panorama ship Continues to operate

[Jeffrey]

We cruised in January and was told prior to the cruise that the engine thrusters were up and working. Carnival blatenly lied to me claiming everything was fixed! They are continuing to operate under false pretences and a clear disregard to passengers safety! After speaking to Carnival they offered an extremely low compensation,  less than what they keep offering me via emails. 

[Woody14]

12 minutes ago, Jeffrey said:

We cruised in January and was told prior to the cruise that the engine thrusters were up and working. Carnival blatenly lied to me claiming everything was fixed! They are continuing to operate under false pretences and a clear disregard to passengers safety! After speaking to Carnival they offered an extremely low compensation,  less than what they keep offering me via emails. 

I would live to know more about this.  what wasn't fixed or 'up & working'?   your statement about 'operating under false pretences and a clear disregard to passengers safety!' is a big statement I would love to know more.

[3Sisters]

@Jeffrey I too would appreciate some additional information here. This seems quite vague. How is Carnival Panorama operating under false pretenses? Why are you supposed to be receiving compensation? 

@Woody14 I'm right there with you! 

[euroguy]

@3Sisters @Woody14 CCL made an announcement that the Panorama on it 7 day cruises is now leaving Cabo 30 min. Earlier and arriving 30 minutes later to home port in Long Beach due to some kind of meca iCal issue that is preventing the ship from reaching its normal cruising speed. With that said nothing was expressly stated as to what the mechanical issue was or how long it was going to take for repairs or when such repairs would take place. It certaincertainly rase the question as to what is wrong and is it safe. I would like to look at it as glass half full and safe but at same time it makes one wonder as carnival doesn't seem to be very forthcoming with information as to what the problem actually is.

[3Sisters]

@euroguy What is a meca iCal issue? I'm unaware of much of the logistics behind cruising, but I am certainly curious! If this has anything to do with calibration, I would think Carnival Panorama could handle that with corporate. As we all know, time is money. I truly hope this issue isn't posing a threat in any way to the safety and security of cruise guests. If there was a safety issue, I would imagine that this issue would need to be addressed immediately. Maybe if there isn't a sense of urgency for repair, it's secure enough. At least I too, would like to look at this news with a glass-half-full perspective. If you have any updates on the topic please share so I can follow along. 

[kefthecruiser]

@3Sisters I think euroguy means mechanical but typed meca iCal. SO I'll weigh in here with my speculation since CCL is keeping it close to the vest. Panorama reportedly has 5 diesel generator sets that produce 62.4 MW (unsure how much of this is used at any given time) and two azipods (google this) for propulsion, each consuming 16.5 MW. Though there could be an issue with one of the 5 gen-sets, I'm thinking there is an azipod issue (perhaps high vibration) that limits its performance and thus overall speed. Azipods have had a history of issues, across cruise lines. They are rather complex machines that hang off the hull. If it is a azipod issue, there certainly are no safety concerns. If the gen-sets are failing, that's a whole different story..., worst case is a Carnival Triumph repeat (not trying to be debbie downer, just covering the range of possibilities).

[euroguy]

Yes I meant to write mechanical but fat thumbed it and smart phone became dumb phone once more 😆 

I'm really not sure why CCL would be holding info back especially if it's simply the azipod as you mentioned.

 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@kefthecruiser  I always enjoy your analytical and "matter-of-fact" perspective! I'm glad to read that this potential azipod issue is not a safety threat to guests onboard. You certainly know your stuff! Perhaps you may need to be a consultant onboard. This could be a great part-time gig while cruising abroad! Now if you could, please explain to me the risk potentials of flawed gen-sets. 

[kefthecruiser]

@Kendall James-Vargas The diesel engine driven gen-sets (giant versions of gasoline generators you buy at Home Depot) produce the electricity that runs the entire ship. I'm sure of the 5 on Panorama, one is a spare to backup loss of an operating set. If you lose multiple sets, the the ship will need to 'cut load' -turn off systems (like HVAC), slow down, etc. and worst case, "go dark" - no electricity. Lots of possible reasons for things to go wrong, most are very low probability to occur. More than one failing gen set is extremely rare. 

 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@kefthecruiser Thanks for laying this out in laymans terms for me. I understand the purpose of gen-sets onboard now. They are a very critical piece of the cruise ship experience, so I should know more about them! I'm sure this does happen though, ship mechanics do require maintenance and will deteriorate over time just like any piece of machinery. Are gen-sets easily replaced? I wonder if this sort of maintenance would be pretty basic to switch out if needed. Maybe ordering/receiving the right parts could take a bit, but the installation could possibly be done while docked in between cruise itineraries. Would the ship need to be dry docked or stationed in a dock longer in order to switch out a faulty gen-set, or is this case extremely rare? 

[kefthecruiser]

@Kendall James-Vargas  All good questions. I would say quite a bit of ‘normal’ maintenance is done while the ship is operating, with the engine either in service or shutdown with another engine running in its place. The heavy maintenance & overhauls would be scheduled for a ship yard (not necessarily a dry dock unless the azipod or hull needs work). I can’t say never, but engine changeouts should be extremely rare. Most everything can be repaired in place or has replaceable components. Let’s keep in mind the engines are massive and set in the ship on the lowest deck, near the hull, and then the ship is built up around the engines.  The 5 engines (two sizes) on Panorama are built by MAN, a well-known engine builder in Germany. The larger engine overall length is 33 feet, width of 15.5 ft, and is 18 feet tall. The engine weighs 230 short tons. So, not too easy to move. Note this is just the engine, does not include the generator that connects to the engine shaft.

Class dismissed, teacher deserves a gold star. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@kefthecruiser Thanks for answering my questions. I guess the life of a ship engine has a great amount of longevity with proper maintenance! Routine maintenance sounds appropriate, and I'm sure the key to success in keeping the ship running smoothly is actively scheduled maintenance, without having to dry dock the ship. That's much cheaper than having a ship dry docked and more financially responsible than losing out on booking income. 

I love my ship engine 101 sessions. Thanks for the great lesson. You definitely earned yourself a gold star; in fact, maybe even a new badge as one of the most knowledgeable members on the boards! Your posts are always a good read!