Page 3: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 2003)

SS Norway Boiler Room Explosion Claims Seven Lives line, the first suit was filed on May 28 by Miami attorney William Huggett on behalf of one of the injured crewmem- bers, Ahdi Comedia, for a reported $1B. In response, NCL issued a follow- up press statement deeming the suit as "an opportunistic lawsuit,...a self-serv- ing ploy in furtherance of Huggett's own personal interests.

The line furthered that it, "denies the allegation of the lawsuit and regrets that

Huggett is more concerned with his law- suit than with allowing (our) crewmem- bers the optimal conditions to fight for (Continued on page 10)

Tragedy at dawn: A steam leak from one of the boilers onboard S/S Norway reportedly caused the deaths of seven crewmembers. Twenty-two crew were also Injured in the accident.

On the morning of Sunday, May 25, 2003, passengers onboard the

Norwegian Cruise Lines' (NCL) vessel,

S/S Norway awoke to a loud boom, as the vessel returned from seven-day

Caribbean cruise to its homeport in

Miami, Fla. The noise, which came from the vessel's engine room, is believed to be caused by a steam leak from one of the 41-year-old ship's boilers. The explosion, has, at press time, claimed the lives of seven crewmembers, the most recent being Ramon Villarais, 39, who was employed as an engine room stoker. According to a statement issued by NCL on May 28, 2003, the following six additional crewmembers perished in the tragedy: Ramil Bernal, 28, engine room stoker; Ricardo Rosal, 49, third engineer; Candido Valenzuela, 50, engine room stoker; Rene Villanueva, 28, oiler, engine department; Mari John

Bautista, 29, First Asst. Refrigeration

Engineer; and Winston Lewis, 53, sec- ond steward. Hotel Department.

According to Miami-Dade Fire

Rescue, 22 crewmembers were injured, but passengers were disembarked safely following security measures.

The vessel, which was formerly known as the SS France, was construct- ed in 1961, and has built its own follow- ing. NCL purchased the venerable ship in 1977 for $18M and refurbished it for $120M. The vessel underwent routine maintenance and a refit at Lloyd Werft

Shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany.

The job, which was completed in 1999 included work on the affected boiler.

While, according to a statement, NCL has expressed its concern and sympathy for both the deceased and injured vic- tims and their next of kin, the line, which is owned by Malaysian-based

Star Cruises, will undoubtedly find that it will remain in the headlines — not for its recent establishment of its new

Homeland Cruising brand — but for a succession of law suits that are expected to be filed by the victims and their fam- ilies.

According to a statement issued by the

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