It Pays to Know If Your Ship Passed Inspection

How safe is your cruise ship? Such a question may not be welcome at some cruise lines, but it, and others, need to be asked.

Who, for example, inspects your ship for safety, fire prevention and overall seaworthiness?

The answers might surprise--and worry--you.

This year more than 1.5 million people will take cruises on passenger ships leaving from North American ports. Few of these people bother to find out much about their ship other than the fare, the dress requirements, the menu and, of course, the ports the vessel will visit.

But what about safety?

On the surface, statistics on cruise ship safety seem reassuring. Considering the number of cruises made and the somewhat more adventurous itineraries being undertaken, there have been remarkably few mishaps.

However, the potential for serious and life-threatening accidents remains high. One reason is the way in which cruise ships are registered, how they are inspected and how well their crews are trained to handle emergencies.

Some Serious Accidents

In the last 10 years there have been some serious cruise ships accidents:

--The Scandinavian Sea, off Florida. The 506-foot ship, carrying 946 passengers, was on an 11-hour cruise from Port Canaveral when a fire broke out in a forward passenger cabin. The captain was able to turn the ship around as the passengers put on life vests and were moved to the top two decks. The Scandinavian Sea made it back to port and all the passengers were evacuated safely. The ship, however, was gutted by the fire, which raged for nearly two days.

--The Angelina Lauro. A fire erupted in the crew galley on the Italian passenger ship while it was berthed at Charlotte Amalie Harbor in St. Thomas. The fire quickly spread to the main dining room, then throughout the rest of the ship. The crew abandoned the vessel. Four days later, when the fire burned itself out, the Angelina Lauro was virtually destroyed.

--The Scandinavian Sun. Two passengers were reported dead and 31 injured after a fire that broke out as the ship was returning to Miami after a day cruise to the Bahamas.

--The Prinsendam. As the new ship steamed through the Gulf of Alaska on a trip between Vancouver and Singapore, fire broke out. The passengers safely boarded lifeboats and abandoned ship. Miraculously, all were rescued despite cold temperatures and high seas. The ship sank.

Fire Prompts Study

Another fire, in March, 1988, aboard the Scandinavian Star prompted the National Transportation Safety Board to begin the first comprehensive study of passenger ship safety.

Earlier this year, while that study still was being conducted, an accident at sea off Cuba accelerated the NTSB investigation.

Just before dawn on Feb. 10 the 750-foot Carnival ship Celebration was returning to Miami from a seven-day cruise carrying 2,251 passengers and crew.

Without warning it struck a 352-foot Cuban freighter amidships, cutting the Cuban ship in half and sinking it. The captain and two crew members on the Cuban freighter were killed.

Although the Cuban ship was disabled and operating without lights at the time of the accident, visibility in the area was good. Why did the crew of the Celebration not see the other vessel? What was the bridge watch doing? Wasn’t anyone continuously checking the ship’s radar? The questions were many.

When the NTSB began to investigate, Carnival refused to cooperate, claiming that the federal agency does not have jurisdiction over the accident. Carnival later refused to answer subpoenas by the NTSB.

Who Does Inspecting?

“It’s really an argument over who investigates, not what happened,” said a Carnival spokesman. “The company operates our ships at the highest safety standards, and we have been actively cooperating with the proper authorities in this matter.”

In this case the “proper authorities” are government inspectors--from Liberia, where Carnival ships are registered. Liberia?

Passengers are generally unaware that most cruise ships entering U.S. ports are registered not in the United States but in such countries as Liberia, Panama or the Bahamas.

These countries aren’t called “flags of convenience” for nothing. They allow many cruise lines to operate at less cost, pay less taxes and hire non-union crews. Last, and absolutely not least, some of these countries have allowed ships to operate in less-than-safe conditions.

But despite the fact that many cruise ships are based in U.S. ports, U.S. authorities are prohibited from performing detailed safety inspections on foreign-flag cruise lines. Still, all ships that enter U.S. ports must comply with an international agreement called SOLAS.

SOLAS stands for “safety of life at sea,” and it is a compendium of safety regulations agreed to by more than 100 countries. It was codified in 1974, officially adopted in 1980 and updated in 1983.

Leeway in Rules

“SOLAS in itself is not a bad standard,” said Cmdr. Henry Przelomski, executive officer of the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office in Miami. The Miami office is one of the Coast Guard’s busiest, inspecting cruise ships representing 42 countries.

“But it’s open to too much interpretation as to adherence. Too much is left up to the administrations in individual countries. There’s been too much leeway in the interpretation of the rules,” he said.

Statistically, ships registered in the United States, Great Britain, West Germany and Scandinavia generally have the best safety records--plus a well-deserved reputation for fire prevention.

Holland America and the Royal Viking Line ships are good examples. The Rotterdam, a Holland America ship, is not new but has the latest gear--automatic sprinkler systems, electrically controlled water-tight doors and trained eight-man fire squads. The crew boasts of being able to load and lower each lifeboat in six minutes.

From the bridge the captain can seal off the ship into 15 separate compartments. The Rotterdam crew tests all these systems every day. Royal Viking ships are built to fulfill Det Norske Veritas Class 11A1 specifications, and the impact of safety certification from Norway is considerable.

Examination Too Fast

Still, despite some countries’ strict rules, the NTSB has never been impressed with ship inspection practices. In a report discussing the Angelina Lauro accident the NTSB stated that the Coast Guard “conducts a cursory examination of the vessel but relies mostly on certification by the government of the ship’s registry to assure compliance.

“Because of the wide discretion allowed . . . the Coast Guard generally does little more than verify that the ship is constructed according to the fire protection plans already approved by the government of (the ship’s) registry.”

The report added that the “adequacy of fire protection provisions appear not to be questioned. . . .”

In its conclusion, the report stated that “The Coast Guard’s control verification and examination program does not provide adequate assurance that the fire protection safeguards of foreign passenger vessels which embark U.S. citizens at U.S. ports are reasonably comparable to those of U.S. vessels.”

And, when the NTSB investigated the Scandinavian Star fire, it found serious gaps in safety enforcement and crew emergency training. The NTSB was able to investigate the fire because the accident occurred within U.S. territorial waters.

Not so with the case of the Celebration.

Law Too Narrow

“The cruise line was probably within its rights to challenge the NTSB’s authority,” said Przelomski, “because that’s the way the law reads. But that doesn’t mean the law is right. Clearly, the NTSB isn’t satisfied, and we are not satisfied about the intensity of safety inspections we’re allowed to perform, but our mandate for inspection has been quite narrowly defined.

“Under SOLAS, the Coast Guard can only stop a vessel from sailing if its safety equipment or crew emergency proficiency ‘does not correspond substantially’ to regulations in effect for that vessel when it was first certified.

“What that means is that everything is open to interpretation, and that interpretation usually falls on the side of the cruise ship operator.”

Other problems exist. When a ship is sold, few regulations require new owners to bring the ship up to current fire and safety standards.

There have been a few exceptions. Przelomski’s inspectors successfully prevented the Tropicana from sailing for 21 days because of fire safety violations and poor crew training.

Enforcement Limited

“Still,” Przelomski said, “our inspection and enforcement is limited. Our own statutes only allow us to investigate accidents that occur in U.S. waters.”

The NTSB has issued an unusually provocative statement in the Celebration case: “We are especially concerned with any American-based company using U.S. ports and carrying thousands of U.S. citizens each year, refusing to cooperate,” one NTSB official said. “We will pursue this investigation vigorously.”

In the meantime, the NTSB is seeking Congressional legislation that would give it--and the Coast Guard--increased jurisdiction in these cases.

“That jurisdiction is needed,” said another Coast Guard marine inspector. “We’ve got some ships that we see that are in official compliance with all regulations. They may have nice new paint, but they are potentially floating fireballs. Either their crews are poorly trained in fire prevention and firefighting techniques, or the ships are so old that they are accidents waiting to happen.

“These cruise lines should not be able to hide behind a weakened international agreement like SOLAS. SOLAS is a good step, but only the beginning.

Tighter Inspection

“In fact, SOLAS is not nearly the type of examination we would do on a U.S. vessel. If we inspected the foreign-flagged cruise ships under U.S.-flagged inspection rules, most would be forbidden to leave the harbor.”

What can you do as a cruise ship passenger to learn as much as possible about the ship you’ll be taking?

To begin with, ask your travel agent about the ship’s safety record. Other questions to ask:

--Does the ship call at U.S. ports? If it does, at least it will be put through a Coast Guard inspection. If it does not, your potential safety risk is greater.

--How old is the ship? Tracing a vessel’s genealogy can often be a depressing--but revealing--experience. Some ships have changed hands so many times that the crew has trouble keeping up with the real owners (this is particularly true overseas).

--How often does the crew muster for fire drills? After all, in case of fire, they have the primary responsibility to ensure the safety of passengers.

Souvenirs or Drill?

--How thorough is the mandatory lifeboat drill for passengers? On some cruise ships this drill is often little more than an excuse for the ship’s photographer to take some extra souvenir pictures. And, which ships actively monitor passenger compliance with these drills by taking attendance?

--Finally, does the crew speak the same language? Not long ago I read a brochure for a cruise ship that boasted that its crew came from 43 countries. “A virtual United Nations!” it proclaimed. That should worry you. Not only can most of the crew not communicate with passengers but, in an emergency, they might have trouble communicating with each other.