MAIB urges immediate action to prevent another Star Princess fire

The lead British agency investigating the March 2006 ?Star Princess? blaze has urged cruise lines to take “immediate action” to prevent catastrophic fires from starting on balconies of cruse ships. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) on 26 April said the fire erupted on the balcony of a cabin on deck 10 and “spread rapidly along adjacent balconies.” It said that within 10 minutes, the fire had spread to three decks, ultimately damaging more than 280 cabins.

The agency identified the polycarbonate dividers between the balconies as the mystery accelerant that fuelled the surprisingly intense fire. Polycarbonate is a lightweight form of plastic often used as a shatter-resistant substitute for glass.

“Following the accident, it has been determined by practical tests that … the polycarbonate balcony divisions generated intense heat and copious amounts of dense black smoke as they burned,” the agency said.

MAIB pointed out that current safety regulations do not take into account the enormous increase in balconies on cruise ships built over the past decade.

“Balcony areas on cruise ships are not required to have fixed fire detection or suppression systems, as would be the case in internal areas,” the agency said. “‘This accident clearly demonstrates the risk of a serious fire starting and quickly spreading in areas not covered by regulation.”

The agency, noting that sprinklers are not required at present on balconies, warned of “‘serious shortcomings” in the ability of cruise ships to prevent balcony fires and that “Immediate action is therefore required internationally, to address the risk of fire in external areas such as balconies, and to stop the potentially catastrophic spread of any such fire.” MAIB recommended that the IMO extend fire-prevention regulations covering the interior of cruise ships to balconies and other exterior areas.

While the fire was put out after an hour and a half, the agency reported that 79 cabins were destroyed by the blaze, and 204 additional cabins sustained water or smoke damage. The agency’s preliminary report did not pinpoint the cause of the blaze, which has been widely speculated to be started by a smouldering cigarette.

“The cause of the fire spread is unknown at this time, but the presence of combustible material in the balcony areas is considered to have been a major factor,” the report said.