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. ``The cruise ship industry is generally not operated under the U.S. flag. You do have visits by the Coast Guard, but those are paper certifications,'' said Jim Burnett, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. ``There may not be sufficient safety standards,'' he said, adding that his agency has probed fires aboard four cruise ships in the past five years. ``The potential for loss of life is enormous.'' The March 15 engine-room fire aboard the Star, carrying 439 mostly American passengers, was discovered by a crew member as the ship returned from Cozumel, Mexico to its Tampa home port. Smoke detectors apparently failed, as did an automatic system to douse flames. Also, the ship's emergency generators didn't work for an hour, leaving the vessel without power in rough seas in the Yucatan Channel, according to NTSB reports released as the agency's three-day hearing opened here. ``Although there were no injuries or deaths, the failure of the vessel's safety systems highlights the potential for a catastrophic loss of life in this accident and future vessel fires,'' Burnett said. The safety board will examine whether the existing Coast Guard procedures and international regulations are adequate to protect passengers or whether more rigorous standards are needed. Because the NTSB lacks regulatory authority and because cruise ships are often registered outside the United States, he said his agency can only make recommendations. These might have to be followed up with congressional action or with new treaties with nations where ships are registered, Burnett said. The 465-foot Star, operated by Miami-based SeaEscape Limited, is registered in the Bahamas. Its engine room was badly damaged by the fire, and there was smoke and water damage throughout the 17-year-old French-made ship, which has since been repaired. Burnett estimated damages at about $20 million, but SeaEscape officials did not answer questions at the hearing. SeaEscape lawyer Nils Linfors Jr. vowed to challenge in court the NTSB's authority to hold such public hearings as Wednesday's. Atissue is that the board does not permit cross-examinations and contentions that the Bahamian-registered ship is outside the agency's jurisdiction. An NTSB report said the fire ignited when pressurized fuel leaked from a line and sprayed against a hot engine exhaust manifold. The leak continued for 13 minutes after the fire was discovered, feeding the flames, the report said. Because smoke detectors apparently weren't working, Capt. Peter Schaab said he had to send an officer to the engine room to confirm there was a fire. Firefighting efforts were hampered when an automatic carbox dioxide extinguishing system failed, and had to be operated by hand. But the fire was contained to the engine room. ``There was no further spreading,'' said Schaab, who was praised by Burnett for his 268-member crew acting quickly to move passengers from ship discos, bars, shows and dining rooms. There were no serious injuries to passengers or crew. NTSB records show that between September 1987 and February 1988, there were at least six leaks in fuel pipes that feed the engines. The official analysis of the fire and any recommendations that come out of the hearings will be adopted by the full NTSB board in Washington later this summer.
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.