It was the day after Christmas 2004 when my wife received a call from a relative asking if I was ok. I departed the region a week before, but the big Asian Tsunami rolled right under the my ship creating a massive current that wreaked havoc on the vessel’s navigation system but did no damage to the ship itself. The residents of the nearby town were not so lucky.
As most gCaptain readers know, the safest places to be during a Tsunami are in the air, at sea or high on a hilltop but what if you can’t get there in time? The Japanese company Cosmopower has designed an answer.
Named after the great biblical builder of ships, “Noah” is a capsule designed to help you survive the swift power of a full scale tsunami. Deemed “Watersafe” by its inventors, Noah looks like an oversized fiberglass beachball, but functions more like a 21st century version of the barrels made by daredevils for rolling off Niagra Falls.
While the company doesn’t tell us what materials are used to build Noah, we do know that it measures 4 feet in diameter, can house up to four adults and looks to be well built. Furthermore, it’s designed with dogging watertight door, air vents, and integrated water ballast to keep it floating upright. Not bad for a total cost of approximately $3900USD, but don’t pull out your credit cards just yet, a quick look inside might not meet your expectations.
Once opened, Noah reveals a sparse interior. Inside you won’t find any safety-belts or webbing and there doesn’t seem to be much padding – just a vertical bar which survivors are expected to hold onto while bouncing off buildings and debris. So, if you don’t have the arms of superman, you might want to wait until version 2 comes out or consider an alternative plan like bolting a used diving bell to your basement floor!
Ever wondered how cruise lines supersize their ships? In 2008, the cruise ship Balmoral underwent a significant transformation at Hamburg’s Blohm + Voss shipyard when it was extended by 99...
by Kevin Hamilton (University of Hawaii) In 2021, an expedition off the icy northern Greenland coast spotted what appeared to be a previously uncharted island. It was small and gravelly,...
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by gCaptain in 2016 and is being republished now because it’s lessons are timeless and possibly more relevant in 2022 as today’s ships...
November 27, 2022
Total Views: 5310
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.