Americas News
Leak in Fuel Return Line Caused Triumph Cruise Ship Fire
Investigators have determined that a leak in a fuel oil return line caused the engine-room fire that left the Carnival Triumph cruise ship stranded in the Gulf of Mexico for five days, the Associated Press reports.
Officials, led by a team in the Bahamas where the ship is flagged, are continuing to investigate the incident and the crew's response, and are attempting to determine why the ship remained disabled for so long.
U.S. Coast Guard Commander Teresa Hatfield told reporters in a conference call the investigation will take about six months.
But Hatfield said the ship's crew responded appropriately to the fire, saying "they did a very good job."
A Carnival Cruise Lines spokesman said the company agrees with the findings regarding the fire's source.
Andrew Coggins, a professor at Pace University in New York who studies the cruise industry, said that if the crew had not reacted quickly and the ship fire suppression system had not been effective, the fire could have spread, potentially destroying the entire ship.
"The problem is the oil's under pressure," he said.
"What happens in the case of a fuel oil leak where you have a fire like that is it leaks in such a way that it sprays out in a mist.
"In the engine room you have many hot surfaces, so once the mist hits a hot surface it will flash into flame."
The U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement that it will work with the Bahamas Maritime Authority on the investigation.
The U.S. investigation will also include the National Transportation Safety Board Office of Marine Safety and the Office of Research and Engineering.
"The purpose of the investigation is to identify causal and contributing factors that led to the incident," it said.
"Additionally both the crew response and effectiveness of fire fighting systems will be evaluated to help prevent future incidents."
The U.S. team is expected to arrive in Mobile, Alabama, where the ship is now located, on Wednesday.
