Fire on Board the Liberian Passenger Ship Ecstasy, Miami, Florida ...
Fire on Board the Liberian Passenger Ship Ecstasy, Miami, Florida ...
Fire on Board the Liberian Passenger Ship Ecstasy, Miami, Florida ...
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viiiMarine Accident ReportExecutive SummaryOn <strong>the</strong> afterno<strong>on</strong> of July 20, 1998, <strong>the</strong> <strong>Liberian</strong> passenger ship <strong>Ecstasy</strong> haddeparted <strong>the</strong> Port of <strong>Miami</strong>, <strong>Florida</strong>, en route to Key West, <strong>Florida</strong>, with 2,565 passengersand 916 crewmembers <strong>on</strong> board when a fire started in <strong>the</strong> main laundry shortly after 1700.The fire migrated through <strong>the</strong> ventilati<strong>on</strong> system to <strong>the</strong> aft mooring deck where mooringlines ignited, creating intense heat and large amounts of smoke. As <strong>the</strong> <strong>Ecstasy</strong> wasattempting to reach an anchorage north of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Miami</strong> sea buoy, <strong>the</strong> vessel lost propulsi<strong>on</strong>power and steering and began to drift. The master <strong>the</strong>n radioed <strong>the</strong> U.S. Coast Guard forassistance. A total of six tugboats resp<strong>on</strong>ded to help fight <strong>the</strong> fire and to tow <strong>the</strong> <strong>Ecstasy</strong>.The fire was brought under c<strong>on</strong>trol by <strong>on</strong>board firefighters and was officially declaredextinguished about 2109. Fourteen crewmembers and eight passengers suffered minorinjuries. One passenger who required medical treatment as a result of a pre-existingc<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong> was categorized as a serious injury victim because of <strong>the</strong> length of her hospitalstay. Carnival Corporati<strong>on</strong>, Inc., <strong>the</strong> owner of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Ecstasy</strong>, estimated that losses from <strong>the</strong>fire and associated damages exceeded $17 milli<strong>on</strong>.The Nati<strong>on</strong>al Transportati<strong>on</strong> Safety <strong>Board</strong> determines that <strong>the</strong> probable cause offire aboard <strong>the</strong> <strong>Ecstasy</strong> was <strong>the</strong> unauthorized welding by crewmembers in <strong>the</strong> mainlaundry that ignited a large accumulati<strong>on</strong> of lint in <strong>the</strong> ventilati<strong>on</strong> system and <strong>the</strong> failure ofCarnival Cruise Lines to maintain <strong>the</strong> laundry exhaust ducts in a fire-safe c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>.C<strong>on</strong>tributing to <strong>the</strong> extensive fire damage <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> ship was <strong>the</strong> lack of an automatic firesuppressi<strong>on</strong> system <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> aft mooring deck and <strong>the</strong> lack of an automatic means ofmitigating <strong>the</strong> spread of smoke and fire through <strong>the</strong> ventilati<strong>on</strong> ducts.The major safety issues discussed in this report are as follows:• Adequacy of management safety oversight;• Adequacy of <strong>the</strong> fire protecti<strong>on</strong> systems;• Adequacy of passenger and crew safety; and• Adequacy of engineering system design.As result of its investigati<strong>on</strong> of this accident, <strong>the</strong> Safety <strong>Board</strong> makesrecommendati<strong>on</strong>s to <strong>the</strong> U.S. Coast Guard, American Classic Voyages, CarnivalCorporati<strong>on</strong>, Inc., Carnival Cruise Lines, Crystal Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, NorwegianCruise Line, Orient Lines, P&O Princess Cruises Internati<strong>on</strong>al, Ltd., Radiss<strong>on</strong> Seven SeasCruises, Regal Cruises, Renaissance Cruises, Inc., Royal Olympic Cruises, RoyalCaribbean Cruises, Ltd., and Silversea Cruises, Ltd., ABB, Inc., and <strong>the</strong> Internati<strong>on</strong>alAssociati<strong>on</strong> of Classificati<strong>on</strong> Societies.