Ferrari Mailing List: Re: NFC: Italian electronics being blamed for Cuise Ship Disaster

[E M (pokiebaron]

Ok, who put the penny behind the blown fuse in the big panel??  Hmmm

Ed
911SC

On 13 November 2010 11:25, Rick <Forza355 [at] verizon.net> wrote:

I thought it was only the British that had reputations for horrible electronics?

Rick

 

 

Cruise ship predicament baffling

Carnival Splendor's design among issues investigated

By Gary Stoller
USA TODAY 

Marine experts are questioning whether there was a design flaw in the Carnival Splendor cruise ship, which lost power after an engine fire and was towed to San Diego on Thursday with nearly 4,500 people aboard.

A generator for an engine caught fire in the aft engine room 6 a.m. Monday, damaging a switchboard and "preventing the transmission of electricity to other machinery, including the propulsion motors," said Carnival spokeswoman Joyce Oliva.

The cause of the fire, which was put out by the crew and the ship's automatic fire-suppression system, is unknown.

Because the majority of passengers aboard the Panama-flagged cruise ship were U.S. citizens, the investigation into the cause of the fire will be conducted by the Coast Guard, the National Transportation Safety Board and Panama, the NTSB said late Thursday.

The 952-foot-long Carnival Splendor has six engines — three in the aft engine room and three in a forward engine room. Electric cables connect each engine's generator to two switchboards, Oliva said.

Clark Dodge, former chief engineer for Washington State Ferries, said large passenger vessels are designed to ensure that such a fire doesn't cause a loss of all power. An engine-room fire and damage to a generator and a switchboard shouldn't shut down other generators and engines, he said.

"What happened makes no sense to me," said Dodge, a consultant. "If things were designed properly, all the power shouldn't have gone out."

Dodge said he's confident that Coast Guard and NTSB investigators will pinpoint what went wrong.

David Ballard, a consultant who taught marine mechanics for more than a dozen years, said it is "really odd" to lose all power. Ships are designed with independent systems to maintain electricity and air conditioning, and keep other engines operating, when an engine fails, he said.

Nearly everything requiring electricity was inoperable after the fire. There was no air conditioning, hot water, cooking stoves or refrigeration. Interior rooms were pitch-black, and the pool, casino and some bars were closed. Ship's engineers started backup generators to provide limited power.

The Carnival Splendor was designed and built to standards that would prevent a total loss of power from a single generator catching fire, said Mike Crye, executive vice president of the Cruise Lines International Association. The group represents Carnival and 24 other cruise lines.

The ship was built by "reputable builders" in Italy, and its design was approved by the Coast Guard and other maritime regulators, Crye said. It has been regularly inspected by the Coast Guard since its first cruise in July 2008.

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20101112/cruiseinside12_st.art.htm?loc=interstitialskip

 

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