Design and Installation of Fall Protection Engineered Systems for Royal Caribbean International
Date of event: 8 November 2019
Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is the largest cruise line by revenue and second largest by passengers counts. In 2018, Royal Caribbean International controlled 19.2% of the worldwide cruise market by passengers and 14.0% by revenue. As of July 2019, RCI operates twenty-six ships, including the four largest cruise ships in the world.
In Oct 2019, Quantum of the Seas (168,666 gross tonnage) entered Sembcorp Marine Tuas Boulevard Yard in Singapore for its first dry-dock. Ship maintenance and upkeep is of paramount importance for RCI and crew are exposed to Work-At-Height hazards at certain areas during maintenance work.
To ensure crew safety, United Resources was contracted for the Design and Installation of Fall Protection Engineered Systems, of below scope:
- Almost 1,000m of Horizontal Lifeline System installed, 18 lines across 6 locations; System designed for safe fall arrest of 2 users’ simultaneous fall impact/arrest
- Fall hazard assessment, system design, installation of Fall Protection System (in accordance to BS EN795 standards)
- All materials (i.e. cables, turn-buckles, anchors, intermediates, entry/exit units) Stainless Steel Grade 316 for corrosive maritime environment
With a tight 3 weeks turn-around for dry-dock, the project had little margin for errors and delays. UR Fall Protection Specialists conducted fall hazard assessment during ship voyage in China, therein designing Fall Protection systems to mitigate associated risks and to protect both crew and ship structure.
2 main challenges were faced during design phase:
1. Limited Fall Clearance (Deck 16 Seaplex & Indoor Pool)
Due to ship design, certain Work-At-Height areas had limited fall clearance distance. Fall Protection Systems had to be designed to meet both operational and safety needs. This was achieved through optimizing design and with enhanced Fall Protection Equipment – MSA V-Tec™Twin-Leg Personal Fall Limiter.
2. Deck 13 Overhang Working Basket
Each working basket railing is more than 150m with multiple bends and limited structural anchorage. Installing overhead lifelines from limited space of hanging working basket increased the difficulty of the accuracy and efficiency of installation.
Lifelines were designed and calculated to ensure safe, effective operations while optimizing load distribution across systems. UR also designed and load tested custom clamp brackets to be fitted onto limited space of available structural anchorage.
Installation execution and project management was then key in ensuring timeline was met. Lead Engineer (Mr. Kelson Chua) planned the work schedule and managed a team of 7 installers, ensuring project progress in accordance to dry-dock schedule.
Project successfully completed within 3 week and was commissioned, endorsed by American Bureau of Shipping.
United Resources is proud to be part of this project and would like to thank Royal Caribbean International Construction for this kind opportunity.
