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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Analysis 69 Marine Accident ReportAs part of its mandate, <strong>the</strong> Coast Guard c<strong>on</strong>ducts quarterly CVEs of a vessel’soperati<strong>on</strong>s to determine if <strong>the</strong>y comply with SOLAS safety requirements. In this capacity,<strong>the</strong> Coast Guard could assist cruise ship companies in determining <strong>the</strong> effectiveness ofmuster drills addressing various c<strong>on</strong>tingencies. The Safety <strong>Board</strong>, <strong>the</strong>refore, believes that,as part of its quarterly CVEs, <strong>the</strong> Coast Guard should review a drill scenario in which <strong>on</strong>eor more MVZs are inaccessible and evaluate <strong>the</strong> procedural effectiveness of <strong>the</strong> crew incrowd c<strong>on</strong>trol, crisis management, lifejacket distributi<strong>on</strong>, and passenger accountability.Locally Sounding Smoke AlarmsWhen <strong>the</strong> first fire alarm sounded <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> bridge, <strong>the</strong> master ordered two bridgeofficers to investigate <strong>the</strong> source of <strong>the</strong> alarm and report <strong>the</strong>ir findings. About 20 minuteselapsed before he ordered <strong>the</strong> aft three MVZs secured and <strong>the</strong> cruise director to announcethat passengers who were quartered in <strong>the</strong> aft areas should ei<strong>the</strong>r leave or not return to <strong>the</strong>areas, depending up<strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir present locati<strong>on</strong>. The master did not order <strong>the</strong> general alarmuntil 50 minutes after <strong>the</strong> first fire alarm sounded <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> bridge.Of 126 passengers who answered <strong>the</strong> Safety <strong>Board</strong> survey, 72 resp<strong>on</strong>ders, or morethan half, said that <strong>the</strong>y smelled or saw smoke in <strong>the</strong> staterooms and passageways beforehearing <strong>the</strong> general alarm. A few passengers indicated that <strong>the</strong>y saw a televisi<strong>on</strong> report <strong>on</strong><strong>the</strong> fire before receiving any emergency notificati<strong>on</strong>. One passenger said that, up<strong>on</strong> seeingsmoke, she returned to her stateroom to awaken a sleeping relative. A crewman becameaware of emergency c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s when smoke entered his room through a vent.Sounding <strong>the</strong> general alarm after a fire team verifies <strong>the</strong> locati<strong>on</strong> of <strong>the</strong> fire doesnot necessarily provide enough time to escape from a smoke-filled envir<strong>on</strong>ment. TheVistafjord and Universe Explorer accidents dem<strong>on</strong>strated how quickly smoke could spreadduring a fire and that passengers and crewmembers needed to be warned immediately ifsmoke was in <strong>the</strong> area. As a result of its investigati<strong>on</strong> of <strong>the</strong>se two accidents, <strong>the</strong> Safety<strong>Board</strong> issued Safety Recommendati<strong>on</strong>s M-97-39 and -40 asking <strong>the</strong> Coast Guard topropose that <strong>the</strong> IMO require locally sounding alarms in passenger and crewaccommodati<strong>on</strong> areas. The Coast Guard subsequently made <strong>the</strong> proposal to <strong>the</strong> IMO,which referred <strong>the</strong> acti<strong>on</strong> for c<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong> to an MSC subcommittee. In Spring 2000,because of <strong>the</strong> c<strong>on</strong>cerns of some Administrati<strong>on</strong>s and <strong>the</strong> technical c<strong>on</strong>cerns of <strong>the</strong> ICCL,<strong>the</strong> MSC did not c<strong>on</strong>sider <strong>the</strong> locally sounding alarm proposal. It was removed from <strong>the</strong>agenda and no fur<strong>the</strong>r acti<strong>on</strong> was taken <strong>on</strong> it. The next available time that <strong>the</strong> proposal canbe introduced as an agenda item is Spring 2002. The Coast Guard is evaluating whatacti<strong>on</strong>s it might take <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> proposal.The Safety <strong>Board</strong> also issued Safety Recommendati<strong>on</strong>s M-97-37 and -38 askingthat <strong>the</strong> ICCL advise its members to install locally sounding smoke alarms in passengerand crew accommodati<strong>on</strong> areas. The ICCL at first advised <strong>the</strong> Safety <strong>Board</strong> that <strong>the</strong>recommendati<strong>on</strong>s would be an agenda item at <strong>the</strong> next meeting of its technical committeeand <strong>the</strong>n later asked that <strong>the</strong> recommendati<strong>on</strong>s remain in an open status pending acti<strong>on</strong> by<strong>the</strong> IMO.