When most people go on vacation, they take it for granted that their transportation is safe and well-maintained. This is especially true for guests of cruise lines, where the transportation is also lodging and entertainment. Many cruise ships keep a supply of spare parts on board, but space is limited, so other arrangements should be made for other vessel parts.

Most of the marine spare parts are located at ports where the cruise ships dock for service and passenger entertainment. Many cruise ship crews are able to perform a variety of repairs at sea, including replacing minor cruise vessel parts and equipment inside the ship. Often, the cruise ship guests will have no idea that anything was ever wrong.

Unfortunately, some mechanical problems require dry docking repairs, which can cause lengthy delays in the ship’s traveling plans. Occasionally, a ship will need a repair for which the supply of spare parts is unprepared, which can strand the ship and its occupants in the ocean, with no way of reaching the stash at port. When this happens, a smaller vessel often has to bring parts to the stranded cruise ship, or, if the repair is too large, tow the ship to port.

With even the smallest cruise ships carrying almost 700 passengers and even more crew members, keeping the ship running and safe for the people on board is the priority of every cruise line. Keeping a supply of spare parts near the engines is a great way to make sure that the ship is prepared for any possible repair situation. Of course, spare parts alone cannot repair a disabled cruise ship. Thorough training of the crew and engineers is crucial to a ship’s recovery.

While space is limited on cruise ships, making room for a supply of spare parts is essential to ensuring the safety of crew and passengers. Removing one amenity or show to make room for spare parts is likely to go unnoticed by passengers between trips. While one or two people may be temporarily upset by the loss of an amenity, everyone will be upset by a ship’s loss of function.