On Feb. 19, 2009, the chief engineer of the Oceanic Discoverer cruise ship was crushed to death by a water-tight fire door on the vessel.
The 34-year-old man was trapped for over eight minutes before the crew freed him by taking apart the door handle and hydraulic mechanism. Though resuscitated, he never regained consciousness and died later at the hospital.
The New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission just released a report about the accident that occurred on the Cairns, Australia-based ship at the Port of Napier.
The hydraulic water-tight doors were being tested during a fire and emergency drill, the report said. The master shut the doors from the bridge remotely. The Brisbane-based chief may have tried passing through the doors. However, investigators discovered they were set to twice the allowable working speed and the door closing audible alarm may not have been functioning.
The water-tight door was not in compliance with SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) minimum requirements, the commission said.
The vessel’s safety management systems did not ensure the doors were maintained up to good marine engineering standards. The report said that doors should not be set to close greater than the maximum allowable speed.
The commission recommended that Maritime New Zealand and the IMO “address” water-tight door safety. It also asked the Australian Maritime Safety Authority to deal with safety management system issues of the Oceanic Discoverer.
“It was an unfortunate accident,” said Coral Princess Cruises general manager Mark Fifield. He said that all issues in the report have been resolved.
Source: The Cairns Post
Category: Cruise Ship Injuries
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