Apparently more than 2.5 cruise ships become grounded every year on average.
The cost in terms of tugboats and prestige must be enormous (Nearly as much as when the toilets all block up).
Today’s invention is a simple addition to cruise ships to help them get out of these difficulties -whilst minimising the negative publicity.
A streamlined sledge is strapped to to the bottom of the hull. This contains a bank of sprung rollers, so that when the ship hits the bottom, the impact is less obvious to those on board.
Once stuck, the ties on deck are released and the engines thrown into reverse so that the vessel relaunches itself, leaving the sledge with a buoy attached so as to enable its later recovery.
