3 crew killed on cruise ship

Three Crew Members Killed by Toxic Gas on Cruise Ship in Los Angeles Port
AP ^ | AP-ES-09-02-05 1956EDT


Posted on 09/02/2005 8:57:33 PM EDT by TheOtherOne


Three Crew Members Killed by Toxic Gas on Cruise Ship in Los Angeles Port

By Tim Molloy Associated Press Writer
Published: Sep 2, 2005 LOS ANGELES (AP) - Three members of a cruise ship
crew were killed by toxic sewer gas Friday as they repaired a waste pipe
aboard the ship that had just returned to the Port of Los Angeles.

No passengers were injured, but 19 other crew members from Royal Caribbean's
Monarch of the Seas were examined for possible exposure to the toxic gas,
authorities said.

Passengers were leaving the ship at the time of the incident, the company
said.

Officials first identified the gas as methane but later determined it was
hydrogen sulfide, which occurs in sewage, said Barbara Yu, a supervising
hazardous-materials specialist for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.


The three crew members probably died within 30 seconds of encountering the
gas, Yu said.

"It deadens your sense of smell so you don't even smell it," she said.

The incident occurred after the ship returned from a cruise with about 2,500
passengers and 850 crew members, said city Fire Department Battalion Chief
Lou Roupoli. The ship makes regular trips down Mexico's Pacific coast.

Royal Caribbean said crew members were replacing a section of pipe connected
to the ship's sewage system. The broken line expelled about five gallons of
raw sewage and an unknown amount of gas in a propeller shaft tunnel, Roupoli
said.

Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Tony Migliorini said the repair crew could have worn
special masks but they usually are not required for such operations.

Fire officials said the repair was being done in an isolated, enclosed space
and that most of those who later reported feelings nauseated had not been in
the space but decided that they wanted to be checked out.

The ship, which has primarily Norwegian officers, has crew members from all
over the world.

Royal Caribbean said the Coast Guard and local authorities were immediately
notified and that the cruise line "will fully assist in the investigation of
the incident."

Passenger Yvonne Powers of Sacramento said she was about to disembark with
her daughter when she saw men in hazardous-materials protective gear going
downstairs.

"Nobody said anything to us," Powers said.

Later, after they had left the ship, there was a public address announcement
that there had been a mishap and that "we've got it under control," she
said.

The 14-year-old Monarch of the Seas is based in Los Angeles harbor and
registered in the Bahamas. The ship, scheduled to leave again Friday on a
cruise to the Mexican port of Ensenada, was be delayed by several hours but
still expected to leave port, Royal Caribbean spokesman Michael Sheehan
said.

AP-ES-09-02-05 1956EDT