Fire on Board the Liberian Passenger Ship Ecstasy, Miami, Florida ...

Factual Information 37 Marine Accident Reportbelow the fire on the aft mooring deck. The electrical power and control cables for thesteering systems were routed in cableways near the overheads of the steering gear roomson deck No. 3. Investigators observed that the control cables and control systemcomponents in the steering gear control cabinet were burned and melted. The port steeringgear room showed evidence of greater damage to a greater extent than the starboardsteering gear room.Stern thruster system. The temperature-sensitive equipment in the stern thrusterroom, including the power supply cables to the stern thruster electric motors, were burnedand melted. Two of the three stern thruster electric drive motors were damaged by heat.Low-location lighting. The wiring insulation on a portion of one low-locationlighting loop was melted. The system was designed to sound an alarm on the bridge in theevent of a power failure.Air conditioning system. Investigators observed signs of heating-flameimpingement on the transom next to the intake supply ventilators. This air conditioningduct ran beneath cabins and storage lockers on deck No. 7, where the carpet andfurnishing sustained heat damage.Other Damaged AreasTable 4 summarizes the conditions and damage that investigators observed invarious areas of the vessel during their postaccident examination of the Ecstasy.Table 4. Damage by Deck AreaDeck Location Observed Conditions and Damage2 Laundry room Laundry space sustained no fire damage. Several areas within thespace sustained heat and smoke damage. The mangle had smoke andsoot on its underside.A light fixture near the mangle had melted.Mangle had melted and burned insulation in the electrical controlcables of the control panel (under the loading end of mangle) and in themangle’s exhaust system.The housings of the two mangle exhaust blowers that removed steamfrom the rollers were caked inside with partially burned lint and wax.*Impeller blades on the aft exhaust blower fan were not attached to thefan motor shaft. All that was left of the fan impeller blades were rustcolored metal flakes that were imbedded in the lint and wax. Impeller onthe forward fan was caked with lint and wax but was otherwise intact.The ducts attached to the two mangle blowers sustained heat damage.The paint on the aft exhaust duct was blistered and charred; theforward exhaust duct had less heat damage. Both ducts containedburned debris.Felt on the loading end roller was burned on the edge nearest the aftblower.Ventilation duct above the mangle contained 2-3 inches of burneddebris.