The Nation - News from July 7, 1989
The National Transportation Safety Board voted to seek safety regulation of foreign-registered cruise ships that carry thousands of American passengers a day from U.S. ports. The recommendation came after the board ruled that lack of maintenance, lack of fire-fighting procedures and poor crew training caused a nearly catastrophic 1988 fire aboard a Bahamian vessel carrying 700 people. The board asked the Coast Guard, which regulates civilian shipping, to seek legislation that would give it authority over the safety of cruise ships. “It was only sheer luck” that no injuries or deaths occurred in the fire aboard the 10,000-ton vessel owned by Sea Escape of Miami, said the safety board chairman, James L. Kolstad.
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