View non-flash version
SS Norway Boiler Room Explosion Claims Seven Lives line, the first suit was filed on May 28 by Miami attorney William Huggett on behalf of one of the injured crewmem- bers, Ahdi Comedia, for a reported $1B. In response, NCL issued a follow- up press statement deeming the suit as "an opportunistic lawsuit,...a self-serv- ing ploy in furtherance of Huggett's own personal interests. The line furthered that it, "denies the allegation of the lawsuit and regrets that Huggett is more concerned with his law- suit than with allowing (our) crewmem- bers the optimal conditions to fight for (Continued on page 10) Tragedy at dawn: A steam leak from one of the boilers onboard S/S Norway reportedly caused the deaths of seven crewmembers. Twenty-two crew were also Injured in the accident. On the morning of Sunday, May 25, 2003, passengers onboard the Norwegian Cruise Lines' (NCL) vessel, S/S Norway awoke to a loud boom, as the vessel returned from seven-day Caribbean cruise to its homeport in Miami, Fla. The noise, which came from the vessel's engine room, is believed to be caused by a steam leak from one of the 41-year-old ship's boilers. The explosion, has, at press time, claimed the lives of seven crewmembers, the most recent being Ramon Villarais, 39, who was employed as an engine room stoker. According to a statement issued by NCL on May 28, 2003, the following six additional crewmembers perished in the tragedy: Ramil Bernal, 28, engine room stoker; Ricardo Rosal, 49, third engineer; Candido Valenzuela, 50, engine room stoker; Rene Villanueva, 28, oiler, engine department; Mari John Bautista, 29, First Asst. Refrigeration Engineer; and Winston Lewis, 53, sec- ond steward. Hotel Department. According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, 22 crewmembers were injured, but passengers were disembarked safely following security measures. The vessel, which was formerly known as the SS France, was construct- ed in 1961, and has built its own follow- ing. NCL purchased the venerable ship in 1977 for $18M and refurbished it for $120M. The vessel underwent routine maintenance and a refit at Lloyd Werft Shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany. The job, which was completed in 1999 included work on the affected boiler. While, according to a statement, NCL has expressed its concern and sympathy for both the deceased and injured vic- tims and their next of kin, the line, which is owned by Malaysian-based Star Cruises, will undoubtedly find that it will remain in the headlines — not for its recent establishment of its new Homeland Cruising brand — but for a succession of law suits that are expected to be filed by the victims and their fam- ilies. According to a statement issued by the Build. Repair. Convert. Two New Construction Yards Two Repair Yards ll^B Coast and m M\ East Coast Locations ATWOOD OCEANIC S ATWOOD HUNTER undergoing conversion at Atlantic Marine-Mobile 'tlantic Full Service Shipyards New Construction Repair and Conversions Atlantic Marine, Inc. Atlantic Dry Dock Corp. 8500 Heckscher Drive Jacksonville, FL 32226 (904) 251-1545 Atlantic Marine - Mobile Alabama Shipyard Pinto Island. Box 3202 Mobile, AL 36601 (251) 690-7100 www.atlanticmarine.com From our beginnings as builders of small commercial ships to our major expansion into multi-port shipbuilding, ship repair and ship conversion facilities, Atlantic Marine has evolved as one of the worlds most highly regard- ed names in marine construction. The reason behind our success is performance - the Atlantic Marine tradition of delivering quality work, competitive pricing and on time deliver}. Call us when it absolutely, positively must be done right and delivered on time. Circle 286 on Reader Service Card 5