FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 12, 1999 SB 99-01

NTSB TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING IN MIAMI
ON FIRE ABOARD CRUISE SHIP ECSTASY

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct a public hearing in Miami in February to discuss the circumstances surrounding the fire aboard the cruise ship Ecstasy this past July.

The hearing will convene at 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, February 17 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 400 SE 2^nd Avenue, Miami. It is expected to last two days. NTSB Member John A. Hammerschmidt will chair the hearing.

At approximately 5:10 p.m. on July 20, 1998, just minutes after the Ecstasy departed for a four-day cruise, a fire alarm from the ship’s laundry room sounded on the bridge. Shortly thereafter, a fire broke out on the aft mooring deck. The vessel, operated by Carnival Cruise Lines, lost propulsion and steering as a result of the fire, which was extinguished at about 9:00 p.m. The vessel docked about 2:20 the following morning, and all passengers were safely disembarked before 6:00 a.m. There were no fatalities or serious injuries.

The major issues to be discussed at the hearing are the origin and propagation of the fire; the adequacy of shipboard fire protection; the adequacy of passenger safety procedures aboard the vessel, including shipboard emergency and contingency planning; and Carnival’s management oversight.

"Although cruise ships have an admirable safety record," Member Hammerschmidt said, "the Safety Board has long been concerned about the potential for injury and death aboard vessels that carry thousands of passengers at a time. This hearing will provide us with factual information about this accident that can lead to NTSB safety recommendations in the future concerning this major segment of the transportation industry that carries 5 million passengers a year from U.S. ports."

Member Hammerschmidt will chair the Board of Inquiry, made up of senior Safety Board staff. A technical panel of NTSB investigators will lead the questioning of witnesses, who will also be questioned by representatives of the following parties to the hearing: the United States Coast Guard, the Government of Liberia, Florida’s Division of State Fire Marshal, the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, and Carnival Cruise Lines. A witness list will be released the first day of the hearing.

Information from the hearing will be used by the Board to determine the probable cause of the fire aboard the Ecstasy and to formulate safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents. A final Board report is expected later this year.

NTSB Media Contact: Ted Lopatkiewicz
(202) 314-6100