You are turning down a cabin at 22:00 and you catch the corner of a picture frame with the edge of a folded duvet. A sliver of gilded ornament drops onto the carpet. There is nobody in the room and no camera on you. What you do in the next sixty seconds defines your career. There is exactly one right answer, and it starts with stopping and telling someone.
The Damage Protocol
When a work of art is damaged, in this order, without deviation:
- STOP. Move away. Do not make a second movement that could make it worse.
- DO NOT TOUCH IT. Do not straighten it, wipe it, brush it, blot it, or pick anything up off the floor other than to protect a loose fragment from being trodden on.
- NEVER attempt to clean or repair it. Not a wipe, not a dab, not a re-glue. A crew repair turns a recoverable work into a ruined one and multiplies the loss.
- Photograph it in place, immediately, before anything changes - wide, then close, then the surrounding area.
- Secure the area. Close and lock the space, keep guests and crew out, and protect any fragments where they lie.
- Report immediately to the chief stew, who reports to the captain. Immediately means now, not at the end of your shift.
- Record the facts, honestly and completely - time, place, what happened, who was present, what you did.
The Cover-Up Is Always Worse
Say this plainly. Damage happens, and insurers expect it. What insurers do not forgive is a false account. A concealed or misdescribed incident can void cover on a seven-figure asset, and it will end the career of everyone who touched the story. Delay makes it worse too: a stain that could have been dealt with in an hour becomes permanent overnight. There is no damage so bad that lying about it does not make it worse.
Fire, Flood and Water Ingress
| Priority | Rule |
|---|---|
| 1. People | Life safety first, always. Nobody risks themselves for an object |
| 2. The emergency | Follow the ship emergency plan. The art is not in the plan and does not override it |
| 3. Salvage | A professional decision, taken by conservators and the insurer, not by crew |
Water damage is the most common serious loss, and it comes from firefighting, sprinklers, condensation, leaks and burst plumbing as often as from the sea. If a work is wet: do not unwrap it, do not lay it flat to dry, do not put it in the sun, do not use a hairdryer, do not blot the surface, do not open a frame. Wet paper, wet canvas and wet gilding are catastrophically fragile. Stabilise the room, not the object - stop the water, drop the temperature, get the humidity down, and get a conservator involved within hours. Mould can start within about 48 hours.
Onboard Notes
- Stop, do not touch, photograph, secure, report, write it down. In that order, every time.
- Never clean or repair damage. The attempt is usually worse than the accident.
- People before objects. Salvage is a professional decision, never a crew one.
- Tell the truth, fast, in full. It is the only version that protects you and the owner.