Why Did a Cruise Ship Engine Room Catch on Fire?
Sadly, in December 2014, three workers died in an engine room fire aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean.
According to Professional Mariner, the fire aboard the Insignia killed two contractors and a crewmember. The incident occurred while the ship was in port at St. Lucia, in the process of a 10-day cruise that began in Puerto Rico.
The fire began in the engine room of the vessel, operated by Oceania Cruises and owned by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. None of the 684 passengers aboard the vessel was hurt. A U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the incident is ongoing. A vessel safety consultant Professional Mariner talked to said that the fire might have started due to a fuel line breaking, spilling flammable materials on a hot manifold.
Professional Mariner reported that over the last few years, there have been several engine room fires on international cruise ships. In January, the engine room aboard the Boudicca caught fire while it was off the coast of Morocco. Thankfully, nobody was injured. Additionally, in 2013, three Carnival cruise ships were ported after engine room fire problems.
The consultant Professional Mariner talked to indicated that more fires could be occurring in engine rooms because so many ships are being built overseas, where safety inspections may not be as thorough.
Unfortunately, engine room fires can result in death, severe burns and lung injuries to workers aboard all types of vessels. When oil, fuel and other flammable items spray on exhaust manifolds, large fires can ignite.
Can I File a Lawsuit if I Have Been Injured Due to an Engine Room Fire?
If you or a loved one was involved in a maritime fire incident, you should contact an experienced maritime attorney who understands the various laws under which employees can obtain damages. You should not have to suffer due to the negligence of an employer. Recently, our attorneys obtained an $8 million settlement for a severely burned engineer’s family after he died following an engine room fire on a tugboat.
In the video above, our own David Anderson discusses the various types of maritime injuries and accidents that can lead to litigation. For more information about our firm, visit our Facebook or Twitter pages, and continue to follow our blog.
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