Smoke detectors apparently failed, as did an automatic system to douse flames. Safety standards may not be stringent enough in the cruise industry, the chairman of a federal agency investigating the March engine-room fire aboard the Scandinavian Star said Wednesday. A crew member discovered the March 15 fire aboard the Star, carrying 439 mostly American passengers, as the ship returned form Cozumel, Mexico to Tampa. The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release its findings on the cause and possible causes for the blaze at an undetermined date this week. Also, the ship's emergency generators didn't work for an hour. The Safety board will examine whether existing Coast Guard procedures and international regulations are adequate to protect passengers or whether more rigorous standards are needed.
Safety standards may not be stringent enough in the cruise industry, the chairman of a federal agency investigating the March engine-room fire aboard the Scandinavian Star said Wednesday. A crew member discovered the March 15 fire aboard the Star, carrying 439 mostly American passengers, as the ship returned form Cozumel, Mexico to Tampa. The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release its findings on the cause and possible causes for the blaze at an undetermined date this week. Also, the ship's emergency generators didn't work for an hour. The Safety board will examine whether existing Coast Guard procedures and international regulations are adequate to protect passengers or whether more rigorous standards are needed.