When we hear about icebergs, all of our thoughts immediately go to the Titanic. A tragedy that occurred more than 110 years ago but still affects the lives of cruise passengers.
However, we must consider that many things have changed since then, and icebergs are no longer as dangerous as they were before.
During a cruise in Alaska, the Carnival Spirit, owned by Carnival Cruise Line hit a huge chunk of ice. Some passengers were understandably shaken, but the outcome was not quite what you’d expect.
The moment when Carnival Spirit hit the ice
Some images of the impact were shared by James Spann, the famous TV meteorologist who is also very active on social media.
As you can see from the pictures it was quite a big piece of ice, but it can still be considered drift ice.
If we want to be specific, icebergs are much larger and denser than drifting ice, as they are composed of compacted snow that turns into ice over time.
On the other hand, drifting ice forms when seawater freezes, it’s generally flat and can form ice sheets or floes
Usually, icebergs are more dangerous for ships compared to drifting ice. In addition to being larger, about 90% of an iceberg’s mass is underwater. So they are more difficult to spot and can cause severe damage to a ship.
What happened to Carnival Spirit
According to the testimony of a passenger who was on board, the collision was not felt by those on the ship.
Subsequently, the captain informed the passengers of the situation and listed the ship to allow for a thorough inspection and assessment of any potential damage.
After the examination, no issues were found, so Carnival Spirit resumed its sailing without any particular interruption.
It can be said that the situation was handled perfectly by Carnival and there was no impact on passengers.
Consider that modern cruise ships are very different from the Titanic, you can clearly see it in the article where we compared the Titanic with modern cruise ships.
Today’s ships are built with stronger hulls and better structural integrity, which reduces the risk of damage from icebergs.
In addition, monitoring and security systems are greatly improved. We have seen that with the list of the 7 cruise safety tips that everyone should follow.
