# Are Nile boats safe?



## marenostrum (Feb 19, 2011)

The recent maritime disaster in Italy made me think about the Nile boats.

I was thinking of how safe or unsafe these boats may be.
I doubt that the crews have maps of the Nile bed, I wonder how refined the navigation systems are on these boats. Do they rely on GPS or handwritten maps?
Also what about lifeboats? Are there enough on board?

I recall an incident in 1991 when a nile boat capsized. The Nile can get choppy at times and I wonder if these boats have too many cabins and little stability to cope with nasty waters.

These are small boats and IMHO there would not be enough time for passengers to leave safely should problems arise.

Do you guys think cruising on the Nile is safe? I have never been on a cruise here so I may be completely wrong in my assumptions.


----------



## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

T
I was on one BCA cruise down the Nile on a boat.. think it was called the Doddi?
Never again.. the life preservers were broken and crumbling there was not enough for the amount of people on board.
I can't remember all the disasters waiting to happen on board ( I used to have a boat so know how important safety is) 
Ohh yes the one toilet that was working collapsed and I do mean collapsed.. it has been taped to the floor with gaffer tape!! Now if they skimp on such a cheap repair as that what else are they skimping on.. the life preservers and what else?
I did ask to be put ashore and was refused.. I sat on one chair and never moved off it for the rest of the day..and I have never been on the Nile since other than the Christina.


----------



## marenostrum (Feb 19, 2011)

MaidenScotland said:


> T
> I was on one BCA cruise down the Nile on a boat.. think it was called the Doddi?
> Never again.. the life preservers were broken and crumbling there was not enough for the amount of people on board.
> I can't remember all the disasters waiting to happen on board ( I used to have a boat so know how important safety is)
> ...


I just think they stick too many cabins on these boats and this must compromise stability. Also the Nile does get choppy and it only takes a freak wave....
I am not even sure if they have life rafts on them.


----------



## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

marenostrum said:


> I just think they stick too many cabins on these boats and this must compromise stability. Also the Nile does get choppy and it only takes a freak wave....
> I am not even sure if they have life rafts on them.




They do have them on board but they are not maintained and are so old they are next to useless and I suppose give people a false sense of security.

I did go on the felluca bus that goes from Zamalek to Agouza but that was when I was daft.. it cost me 25piasters many many years ago but it still runs and I like to watch it from my window.


----------



## Gounie (Jan 27, 2011)

A Nile cruise is a wonderful experience but there are accidents. The currents are very strong too. Even the majority of the Red Sea dive/snorkelling boats don't use GPS!! There was a day a couple of years ago when there was no wind but the air was full of sand and the visibility at sea was very bad. About 25 boats were stuck out at Dolphin House because they couldn't navigate the reefs and get back to Hurghada. Even one of the dive boats from El Gouna was out there and friends went out in a RHIB to guide the boat back at 11pm with GPS.

You never read about any boating accidents on the Red Sea nor diving incidents here in Egypt but they happen all the time. It's all kept quiet. It's a shame because in the UK diving with the British Sub Aqua Club you always report any incident and they produce an annual report and present statistics at the annual Diving Officers Conference. I think that makes you more aware of how easily it can all go horribly wrong.


----------



## PaulAshton (Nov 18, 2011)

Carrefour sells life vests for 120LE and I take mine on any boating venture, where I live I see tourist boats and submarines come very close to the reef and each other on a daily basis and hear a worrying scraping noise that does not sound healthy, I am suprised people who snorkle don't get pulled into the propeller or thrown on the fire coral from the waves, nothing in the water is safe..


----------



## CatMandoo (Dec 16, 2011)

There has to be over 50 different boats (large cruise vessels) that sail the Nile. They have * ratings similar to hotels. I think if you want to take a cruise, go for it. Just make sure you are on a newer, higher rated boat. Five star minimum (five star boats have at least three different level categories). 

I just booked a cruise (not on the Nile) 2 days before the Italian incident and am really looking forward to it. Nothing stops me  Accidents happen, in all fields of transportation. That's just life.


----------



## aykalam (Apr 12, 2010)

This from the FCO website:


Safety and Security - River/Sea Travel


In recent years, overcrowding and poor safety standards have led to several accidents on Red Sea ferries and Nile cruisers. There have been* four significant fires on Nile cruisers since September 2006*. An Egyptian ferry sank in the Red Sea between Duba, Saudi Arabia and Safaga, Egypt in February 2006. Seventeen people died when a minibus fell off a ferry in late April in Beni Suef.

Egypt does not experience the scale of piracy seen in the Horn of Africa. Travellers in small or slow boats are however advised to move in convoy and obtain detailed advice from the coastguard before carefully considering the risks in travelling through the Red Sea. Some cruise ships departing from Egyptian ports travel through the Gulf of Aden. Consult the Department for Transport's latest advice on piracy in the Gulf of Aden if you are considering travelling through this region.


----------



## marenostrum (Feb 19, 2011)

CatMandoo said:


> I just booked a cruise (not on the Nile) 2 days before the Italian incident and am really looking forward to it. Nothing stops me  Accidents happen, in all fields of transportation. That's just life.


Of course you should look forward to it. A cruise is a great experience. My best holiday was on a Costa cruise in the Far East and I would go again. 

As you say accidents happen and also, on the latest incident, the xenophobic press have preferred to crucify someone who has yet to be tried in a court of law instead of focusing on the acts of heroism of many on the doomed ship that saved 3980 people out of a total of 4000....

My comment was on Nile cruises. I have not been on one so don't have experience
of safety on board of these boats. The only thing I would say is that these boats would sink in five minutes due to their small size and also I don't think the Nile is a river to take for granted. I wonder if sailors have detailed maps of the Nile geology when they sail.


----------



## Whitedesert (Oct 9, 2011)

I think the fallukahs down on the Nile is fine. They are wooden boats anyway and wont sink that easily, and the "captains" are quite good at handling them, unlike some Italian cruise ship captains. If the worst comes to the worst you can at least use the oars to get back on shore. That is if you survive the polution in the water...The red sea ferries are a different kettle of fish, you literally take your life into your hands on those.


----------



## kevinthegulf (Aug 16, 2009)

.The red sea ferries are a different kettle of fish said:


> I have surveyed some of the red sea ferries and actually the safety standards were satisffactory (I admit I have only inspected one company), since the Al Salaam disaster, the Egyptians have put in place some reasonable ideas for ferries, I will not pass comment upon other areas of the maritime industry.
> 
> When one is considering safety etc in Egypt however, if you look to your own area of expertise what ever that is, you notice nothing is done right here so why do you imagine that, medicine, aviation, hotels, cruise boats, education, driving etc operate to international standards. or if they are supposedly "international" then that is really true, Perhaps some parts of international chains have structures in place, however, if you work in a jam factory and you see muppets working, why do you honestly think that some other industry will be "up to standard".
> 
> ...


----------

