Fire on dive boat Conception in CA

[markmud]

46 CFR § 177.500 - Means of escape.

A++++ post. Thanks Bro!

m

 

[mrpat]

I know all our hearts go out to the victims of this terrible tragedy on the Conception this weekend. I don’t think our community has experienced this level of fatalities on a US based liveaboard since the Wave Dancer. I only hope that a reasonable explanation for the cause of the fire and its rapid spread is forthcoming so that some kind of acceptance and closure can be found by the diver’s next of kin and other loved ones. Let’s all not jump to conclusions based on early news reports and rumors.

 

[KevinNM]

Hey DD,

How fast do you think an accidental fire on a vessel such as Conception can spread? Too fast for a person performing an anchor watch/fire watch to alert other crew members and passengers?

This is the question that bothers me.

markm

The description from the the crew of the grape escape says the boat was fully involved, end-to-end, by the time they had been awoken by the incident vessel crew. I don’t know how long it took to get the 200 yards to the boat to raise the alarm, but the events suggest that the crew on watch had no idea it was on fire until a very large and hot fire was already burning out of control.

 

[Diving Dubai]

And what do you have to compare it to - overseas liveaboards?

I've seen low budget Thai boats which have better accommodations.

Who would want to be in those bottom bunks tryign to get out in an emergency/

And if that hatch in the picture was indeed the emergency escape route, well words fail me.

You'd have to be very supple to bend your way up through that bunk and out, even if it were light and you were calm. At night, in a panic somewhat unfit, older and carry a bit too much bioprene..

Even our scrappy Arabic dhows are better

 

[Joneill]

This vessel is not subject to SOLAS. It is a national vessel with a coastwise endorsement. SOLAS only applied to international voyages over 12 passengers.

It sure feels that boats carrying a large # of passengers like this should be subject to more stringent requirements like SOLAS moving forward? Really sad that they appear to have been trapped in a tight space without a reasonably large and obvious secondary escape path?

 

[HKGuns]

People are reacting with emotions throughout this thread and that is understandable, up to a point. It seems these boats were quite capable of operating for many years without horrific incidents such as this one.

I think it best to not pass judgment or lay blame until the facts are known. Same goes for proposing solutions to a problem that isn't yet known.

 

[Joneill]

The description from the the crew of the grape escape says the boat was fully involved, end-to-end, by the time they had been awoken by the incident vessel crew. I don’t know how long it took to get the 200 yards to the boat to raise the alarm, but the events suggest that the crew on watch had no idea it was on fire until a very large and hot fire was already burning out of control.

Seems, then, like a lack of fire/smoke detection systems in order for a fire to get that large before any detection system was triggered (if it ever was)? Hopefully that will be addressed as part of the investigation.

Truly tragic loss of life here - hopefully, the industry will learn from it and take action to prevent this kind of situation from existing on other live-aboards!

 

[Marie13]

I've seen low budget Thai boats which have better accommodations.

Who would want to be in those bottom bunks tryign to get out in an emergency/

And if that hatch in the picture was indeed the emergency escape route, well words fail me.

You'd have to be very supple to bend your way up through that bunk and out, even if it were light and you were calm. At night, in a panic somewhat unfit, older and carry a bit too much bioprene..

Even our scrappy Arabic dhows are better

I wasn’t referring to boat layout, but the comment the boat wasn’t well maintained.

 

[Louisville Diver]

Hi Loisville Diver,

Now, a vessel such as the Conception is required to have two licensed captains, one is the captain and the other is the mate.

Do you think upping that requirement to three licensed crew members is a logical next step? You would have one on duty mate or captain 24 hours per day while the vessel is u/w or has passengers aboard.

Next, should the industry require mandatory egress drills within the first six hours of departure? Including donning a type 1 PFD. Including instruction on how to use a life raft or life float? How to use an EPIRB? A discussion on fire hazards?

I am just asking as you seem to be thinking ahead in order to prevent another disaster.

To iterate, I believe the vessel did have an egress route through the shower room that led up to the foredeck. The shower room is directly ahead of the berthing compartment.

markm

I've been on mixed dive/pleasure sails with two, and that worked fine. I agree that drills on egress with PFD in 6 hours is a must, pain in the ass though they may be - and that includes a discussion on fire hazards, identification of points of egress, and an abundance of emergency lighting, horns and markers that activate with smoke.

It looked like the shower room wasn't directly connected to the bunks, and was accessed by separate stairs. Am I mistaken?

 

[Louisville Diver]

I respectfully disagree. Basic safety must be strictly regulated, not governed by free market and bottom lines. Once safety standards are enforced by regulation, things like convenience, comfort, customer service, quality of food etc. could be left to markets. So yes, prices may (and likely will) increase if operators are forced to comply with stricter code, make expensive upgrades, and potentially reduce passenger capacity, but it must be driven by regulation, not by customers' stopping bargain hunting. There is nothing wrong with bargain hunting.

EDIT: thanks for posting a picture of that hatch. It reinforced my assessment that it was a grossly inadequate means of egress.

I'm good with that.