Titanic Time

Hundredth year of the dreaded tragedy:

                                      

• RMS Titanic an Olympic class liner set out on its maiden journey on April 12 1912, exactly one hundred years before. Built by Harland and Wolff shipyard Belfast, she started her journey from Southampton,UK destined to reach New york city.
• But three days later on 15 th April, 1912, she struck an iceberg 375 miles south of Newfoundland, only to be recorded as one of the most deadliest maritime disasters.
• Nearly 1500 people dying, the ship taught many lessons. Believed to be the indestructible, her destruction was a shock to the ship building industry then.
• Also several controversies sprung up regarding poor disaster response to her rescue calls.
• Then a need for  a regulatory framework for marine operations were felt.

Establishment of IMO:

                                                  

• As an immediate response SOLAS (International convention on Safety Of Life at Sea was signed in 1914) .
• The requirement for an unified international organization came true with the establishment of UN agency 'International Maritime Organization in 1949' headquartered at Geneva.

  IMO  established initially for disaster safety, rescue operation regulation , now covers regulations against pollution by oil, including compensations for persons affected. Many key treaties like MARPOL, SOLAS, GMDSS(global maritime distress safety system) have been signed under its aegis.

   Hypothermia:
                One of the main reasons reported to the loss of many lives in Titanic was Hypothermia. Human Beings are warm blooded animals who maintain a constant body temperature which is attained by metabolic activities. When normal body temperature drops below 35 degree Celsius, it is termed as hypothermia, when the internal organs are unable to replenish lost heat and are finally damaged. Ocean temperature below this range was the major cause for deaths in the Titanic tragedy.