next »

[jdap]

Looks like a bad season for harbour tour vessels.

Catamaran 'Boramar' was completely destroyed during a tour near O Grove (Ria de Arousa, Galicia, Spain) when a heavy fire broke out after the vessel collided with a mussel breeding floating platform in broad daylight, and close to port. There were 48 passengers on board, plus 3 crew members, all rescued in time. Two of the passengers were in serious condition (burns), and were taken by helo to a hospital at A Coruña.

The incident was picked up by the Spanish media. Unfortunately no report in English was found.

https://www.lavanguardia.com/sucesos/20180724/451089791445/heridos-incendio-catamaran-pontevedra.html

https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/arousa/o-grove/2018/07/24/dos-heridos-graves-arder-catamaran-frente-isla-toxa/00031532444669807289546.htm

The vessel was named 'Boramar', and has photos on the site, for example here:

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1603770

The implication of these recent incidents with harbour tour boats is that maybe passenger safety on board needs to be increased, and maybe hosting some sort of light vessel evacuation simulation exercise (a drill) before each tour, or playing a detailed safety video before departure, could be introduced as mandatory pre-requisites for harbour tour vessel operators to comply with.

IMHO, the principle of 'SAFETY FIRST' should also apply to these types of vessels. Are we doing enough?

Jose
(jdap)

[davidships]

From what is reported it doesn't seem to me that any of those suggestions would have made any difference to this particular incident.  The crew and the passengers seem to have done the right things in the circumstances, first gathering on the bow area (furthest from the flames), and when that became untenable, jumping in the sea, with the crew assisting older passengers and children.  Five have received very serious burns

No doubt an enquiry will determine the actual cause of the fire - galley explosion or collision with the mussel platform are the two rumoured - and there may well turn out to be operational failures, but I doubt that they will turn on anything to do with passenger information.

[victor radio74]

In my opinion the most relevant aspect of this type of accident is the hull material that is a  major danger itself in case of fire

[jdap]

In my opinion the most relevant aspect of this type of accident is the hull material that is a  major danger itself in case of fire

Not to mention the potential toxicity of the fumes released by those materials during a blaze...

Highly cost effective construction materials, no doubt, which nevertheless increase the risk of a total loss in case a fire breaks out. It is a gamble. We all know that the risk of a fire breaking out on board is minimal nowadays, so we just hope that it will never happen...

Bad luck this time, it did happen and the 'Boramar' was quickly and irremediably doomed.

So, I couldn't agree more with the quoted statement...even if Rodman probably will totally disagree!

For more info on the composite materials used by the shipbuilder, please see below:

https://rodman.es/en/cms/3/advanced-composites-experiencia.html

Jose
(jdap)

[jdap]

For the record, I just found a news item on this casualty in English. For those interested, please see below:

https://safety4sea.com/five-injured-after-fire-erupts-on-tourist-boat-in-spain/

Jump to: Please select a destination: ----------------------------- Shipspotters all over the world ----------------------------- => Shipping News and information => Trip reports => Scale Models => Site related news, functions and modules => Help and Advice => Consultations and review of site standards