Technically, yes, cruise ships “could” tip over or sink, but the chance of either happening is extremely low. 

Over the years there have been incidents with cruise ships sinking, like the Costa Concordia, when it collided with an underground rock after the captain steered the ship too close to shore causing the death of 32 passengers.

Another famous example that comes to mind is of course the Titanic. 

But before you cancel your cruise, let’s examine this further. 

Every year, millions of people travel on cruises around the world, enjoying a wonderful vacation without incident. Cruise ships are very safe, the ship staff are trained extremely well to handle emergencies and the chance of something happening is slim. 

The Key Is In The Design

Today’s modern cruise ships are the result of precise engineering and design. A cruise ship remains stable and upright in rough seas because the way they are built enables them to be stable. 

It would take truly extreme weather, a sideways position and 70 to 100 foot waves to tip over a cruise ship. 

Incredibly, the Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas has 20 decks that rise 196 feet above the water line. About the same height as an 18-story apartment building, the Icon is the length of three-and-a-half full-sized NFL football fields.

The design of the Icon is an amazing example of the engineering and design that goes into creating a massive, yet stable cruise ship. 

Center of Gravity

There is a balance between gravity and buoyancy that any ship, including cruise ships, must maintain to ensure they do not capsize. This makes the center of gravity in a ship an important factor. 

Designed with a “low center of gravity,” cruise ships are also built with the strongest materials and undergo meticulous testing and inspections before sailing. 

It takes about 18 months to build a cruise ship and can take 1.5 million hours of labor in the process. 

Center of Buoyancy

The center of buoyancy is where the force of buoyancy acts upwards on the ship. The volume of water that is displaced by the ship’s hull when underway, determines the force of buoyancy.  

Ship’s designers make sure that the ship’s center of gravity is below its center of buoyancy, which ensures the ship will remain upright even in rolling seas. 

The heaviest parts of the ship, like the engines, are located in the bottom levels to keep the center of gravity low. This provides a counterbalance to the weight of the ship downward, and prevents it from tipping over. 

Ships also have ballast tanks at the bottom of the ship. These tanks are loaded with water and adjusted accordingly to help with the ship’s stability. 

The Design Keeps Ships Afloat

The design of the ship also contributes to its stability. The U-shaped hull displaces thousands of tons of water as the ship travels. 

The water gets pushed down and to the sides of the ship, while the density of the water pushes back against the ship keeping it afloat. 

The extra-strength steel that is used to make today’s cruise ships provides a greater level of protection than ships of old. The steel is denser than water, and so can withstand enormous pressure from the water. 

Cruise ships also have a double hull, a hull within a hull, that provides an extra layer of protection. 

Final Thoughts

When designing and engineering a cruise ship, the center of buoyancy, the center of gravity, materials and motion all combine to make today’s cruise ships the safest in history.