THE AIDADIVA - A STATE-OF-THE-ART CRUISE-SHIP WITH NEW PROVEN PROGRESS IN FIRE SAFETY DEVICES

Annals of Burns and Fire Disasters - vol. XXI - n. 1 - March 2008

THE AIDADIVA - A STATE-OF-THE-ART CRUISE-SHIP WITH NEW PROVEN PROGRESS IN FIRE SAFETY DEVICES

Becker D.

Medical Sub-Commander German Navy (ret.), Bad Hersfeld, Germany

The steady growth of cruise travelling stimulates the building of more expensive and more comfortable cruise-liners. Shipping companies are obliged to invest more money in safety devices, and as recommended by specialists - such as our own Mediterranean Burns Council - in burns and fire disasters, which are the most feared of accidents at sea, such safety techniques for the prevention of fire disasters aboard ship have become ever more in demand.



Fig. 1The Aidadiva.

Fig. 1 - The Aidadiva.





Fig. 2Fire safety. Aboard the Aidadiva, safety is ensured every three centimetres by smoke- and fire-detectors and by sprinkler devices (dots). The most sensitive sensors communicate to the bridge and the safety centre even the presence of cigarette smoke or steam from an overlong shower

Fig. 2 - Fire safety. Aboard the Aidadiva, safety is ensured every three centimetres by smoke- and fire-detectors and by sprinkler devices (dots). The most sensitive sensors communicate to the bridge and the safety centre even the presence of cigarette smoke or steam from an overlong shower





Fig. 3Evacuation. In the event of a disaster, the 2500 passengers and 646 crew leave the ship in groups. Lifeboats and Viking rescue aisles are available and can be reached by emergency slides. The capacity of the lifeboats and the rescue aisles is always 25% above the number of persons aboard ship.

Fig. 3 - Evacuation. In the event of a disaster, the 2500 passengers and 646 crew leave the ship in groups. Lifeboats and Viking rescue aisles are available and can be reached by emergency slides. The capacity of the lifeboats and the rescue aisles is always 25% above the number of persons aboard ship.



In May 2007 the new AIDADIVA was launched and her presentation demonstrated the advanced state of devices protecting against the outbreak of fire:

  • Passenger ships of the new generation go to sea with their hatchways firmly closed in order to minimize all risks
  • Fire protection is based on a dual system: smoke- and fire-detectors warn the bridge immediately in case of any sort of fire
  • Ceiling sprinklers in the cabins, floors, and social rooms quickly extinguish the fire
  • Smoke detectors measure the level of ionization in the air. If this reaches a critical level, this will be communicated to the bridge

(Information supplied by Michael Kowalski, expert in fire protection at Knaack & Jahn Schiffbau GmbH, Hamburg, Germany - this firm installs most of the safety devices in German-built ships)

The fire alarm sensors measure the light waves. A burning fire shows other forms of waves such as an electric light and the differences are recorded and processed for preventive or defensive measures.

The sprinklers also record the temperature in the rooms. If the temperature exceeds a set limit, a glass bowl bursts in the sprinkler, a valve opens, and water stored in ceiling tanks is sprinkled via hoses into the rooms.

The sensitivity of the techniques of this new generation of ships was shown aboard the Aidadiva - the newest and most modern ship in the AIDA CRUISES fleet. In April 2007 she was handed over by the Meyer Werft shipbuilding company in Papenburg, Germany, to the owners and she made her maiden voyage in the Mediterranean Sea, the area of our MBC.

This communication was received on 28 August 2007.
Address correspondence to: Prof. Dr Dietrich Becker, Berberitzenweg 34, 36251 Bad Hersfeld, Germany.