Forensic Engineering Investigation Of A Cruise Ship Fire

Abstract

Each Year There Are Approximately 50 Major Fires Aboard Ships, Which Result In Financial Loss, Personal Injury And Death. Financial Loss At Sea Instigated The Formation Of Insurance Companies Such As Lloyds Of London, Which Now Provide Fire Insurance For Most Assets. Over A Nine-Year Period From 1977 To 1986, The Liverpool Underwriters Association Reported That 33 Percent Of The Fires Originated In Machinery Spaces, 3.6 Percent Originated In Electrical Installations And 0.5 Percent Originated In Stores. Between 1991 And 1993, 54 Percent Of The Fires Originated In Engine Rooms. The Engine Room Fires Were Often Initiated By An Explosion Or The Result From An Uncontrolled Release Of Flammable Vapors Or Fuel Into The Engine Room. 40 Percent Of All Fires In Engine Rooms Are Extinguished Using Portable Appliances While 18 Percent Are Extinguished By Fixed Carbon Dioxide Systems. Portable Appliances Are Most Effective In The First 15 Minutes And Carbon Dioxide In The First 30 Minutes...A Case Study Of The Investigation Of A Fatal Passenger Cruise Ship Fire Will Be Utilized To Show How The Burn Patterns Differ, How To Determine A Fires Area Of Origin And Possible Causes Of The Fire.