Fire drill and abandon ship drill

The ship’s normal routine is broken by seven short blasts followed by one long. The Chief Officer announces that this is an abandon ship drill. Crew members move quickly to the muster area, donning life jackets and carrying their immersion suits. The atmosphere is calm but alert, the kind of steady focus that comes from practice and trust in each other. On B Deck, the lifeboat hangs ready behind the assembly station.

The drill then shifts to a simulated fire in the galley. Officers and crew work in unison, with Team A and Team B carrying out their assigned duties. Two firefighters in full gear take their positions. It is a precise choreography, each movement honed by repetition. Watching it unfold makes it clear why drills are treated so seriously: at sea, there is no fire department to call, and safety depends entirely on the people on board.

(Note: I am out on my daily walk on the bridge for the first half of the podcast, so I sound a bit out of breath, but don't worry, that's normal. Next, there are only two batteries in the lifeboat. Also, the whole procedure did not take four hours but only two. Boy, did it feel longer.)