Passenger Safety During Rescue and Evacuation from Passenger Vessels: A Holistic Concept for the Integration of Technical Assistance

Worldwide the popularity of cruise holidays is constantly growing. In the last 10 years the annual passenger capacity has doubled to more than 20 million. With the deployment of modern cruise ships with capacities of up to 8000 persons (passenger and crew) new challenges arise for the international cruise industry with regards to a safe and effective evacuation in case of an emergency. This paper describes project work funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to develop innovative methods and technical solutions for supporting a fast and complete evacuation of all passengers. The focus of this project is on optimizing the workflow and communication of the emergency organization onboard by providing technical support for the crew member's key functions such as counting and identifying passengers at their assembly stations.