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Cruise Line Blamed For Fatal Explosion On Ship

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By JOHN PAIN, The Associated Press

Published: January 12, 2008

MIAMI - A boiler explosion on the cruise ship SS Norway that killed eight crew members in 2003 was likely caused by Norwegian Cruise Line's improper operation, maintenance and inspection of the steam chamber, federal investigators said.

Part of the boiler had "extensive fatigue cracking" and deteriorated materials that weakened the metal and caused it to rupture under the intense steam pressure, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a report quietly adopted in October.

Evidence "indicates that NCL shipboard engineers were aware of the cracking condition but did not take appropriate action to fix the problem," the report said.

The line's only steam-powered ship was docked in Miami on the morning of May 25, 2003, when the boiler exploded and spewed steam, smoke and debris through engineering spaces, burning eight crew members seriously enough to kill them. Seventeen workers were injured, but none of the 2,135 passengers was hurt.

The Miami-based cruise line, owned by Malaysia's Star Cruises and private equity firm Apollo Management LP, said it has improved safety procedures that are audited by the U.S. Coast Guard and took responsibility for the accident.

"None of the management or contractors who were involved in the operation, maintenance or inspection of the Norway's boilers are employed by NCL," line CEO and President Colin Veitch said in a statement.

The investigation into the demise of what was once the world's longest passenger ship also found evidence that the cruise line heated and cooled the boiler too quickly, which stresses the metal by expanding it and contracting it under great pressure.

The report said that the cruise line and an outside inspection company did not properly examine the boiler to check it for damage. The outside company, Bureau Veritas, had workers outside the boiler look in with a flashlight, instead of having them crawl inside for a more thorough inspection, the report said.

The report also said maintenance workers did not take into account how many times the boiler was heated up and cooled down.

"In recent years, no formal inspection program appears to have been carried out for the boilers, even though it was known that they were susceptible to cracking," the report said.
Bureau Veritas officials had no immediate comment.

The boiler cracks were first found in the 1970s, when the ship was owned by another company and known as the SS France. Norwegian bought the ship in 1979, detected more cracks over the years and patched them up with "questionable weld repair procedures," the report said.

The ship was retired from service and is being scrapped.

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