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You could fly a helicopter out to any ship that isn't crossing the pacific or atlantic, but that would be $100,000-$300,000 per incident and it would very quickly not be worth it. There isn't much in-between for reducing crew since a couple people alone on a boat together will probably be homicidal in short order.

I'm curious, what breaks on a ship? I have no experience with anything over a few dozen feet. I imagine hydraulic systems could break and lead to Consequences, but I can't imagine there are many big systems that can be fixed at sea, even with a crane onboard. What kind of things get fixed at sea?



You might as well ask what doesn't break on a ship. Salt water corrosion, thermal stress, vibration, residue accumulation, and hull flexing due to large swells are really hard on equipment. Here's a good case study on the type of repairs that a merchant ship crew might have to perform in the middle of the ocean.

http://www.brighthubengineering.com/marine-engines-machinery...

Ocean going merchant ships spend much of their time outside of practical helicopter range. And even when close to shore, winching a repair technician down to a disabled autonomous vessel that can't even keep its bow into the weather would be a dangerous affair.




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