You think you have a hard time docking? Consider the Oasis of the Seas, one of the largest cruise ships in the world. coming in to a very tight entrance at St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The ship is 1,187 feet LOA, so the captain has to thread a needle into the harbor, making a tight turn in a narrow channel with sailboats moored all around. And with a 30-foot draft, there are only six feet to spare under the keel.
Power for the ship, which carries 6,000 passengers, comes from three 26,800-hp ABB Azipods, driving 20-foot props. Four 7,380-hp bow thrusters help. So does a pilot with local knowledge of the currents and ever-changing conditions. But still…
In this video, the captain admits that the entrance is “pretty tight,” and says one of the most important things is that everybody is on the same page. Everybody knows what to do, and when to do it, before they enter the harbor. That’s a message that resonates with all of us, even if we’re docking something slightly smaller than the Oasis of the Seas. See the video:
https://maritime-executive.com/article/watch-oasis-of-the-seas-maneuver-into-st-thomas#gs.pJvBhEU
