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MS Norman Atlantic

Coordinates: 40°12′21″N 19°10′49″E / 40.20592°N 19.18022°E / 40.20592; 19.18022
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40°12′21″N 19°10′49″E / 40.20592°N 19.18022°E / 40.20592; 19.18022

Scintu, later Norman Atlantic, photographed in 2013
History
Namelist error: <br /> list (help)
Akeman Street (2009–2011)
Scintu (2011–2014)
Norman Atlantic (since 2014)
OwnerVisemar di Navigazione S.r.l. (2009 onwards)
Operatorlist error: <br /> list (help)
Saremar (2011–2012)
Grandi Navi Veloci (2013)
Moby Lines (2013)
LD Lines (2013–2014)
Caronte and Tourist (October–December 2014)
ANEK Lines (since December 2014)
Port of registryItaly Bari, Italy
RouteAncona–Igoumenitsa–Corfu–Patras
Ordered1 November 2006
BuilderCantiere Navale Visentini, Porto Viro, Italy
Yard number222
Laid down19 December 2006
Completed2 November 2009
Acquired21 September 2009
Out of service28 December 2014
Identificationlist error: <br /> list (help)
Call sign: IBUM
IMO number: 9435466
MMSI number: 247277400
FateFire with loss of life
StatusIn Brindisi for investigation
NotesSister ships: Étretat, Scottish Viking, Stena Flavia
General characteristics
Class and typenone
TypeRoll-on/Roll-off passenger (ROPAX) ferry
Tonnage26,904 GT
Length186.00 m (610 ft 3 in)
Beam25.60 m (84 ft 0 in)
Draught6.71 m (22 ft 0 in)
Depth15.00 m (49 ft 3 in)
Installed powerTwo MAN B&W 9L48/60B diesel engines, 21,600 kW (29,000 hp)
Speedlist error: <br /> list (help)
23.5 knots (43.5 km/h; 27.0 mph) (cruising)
24.5 knots (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph) (maximum)
Capacitylist error: <br /> list (help)
850 passengers
200 vehicles
Crew185

MS Norman Atlantic is a roll-on/roll-off passenger (ROPAX) ferry owned by the Italian ferry company Visemar di Navigazione. The ferry was chartered by ANEK Lines from December 2014. On 28 December 2014, she caught fire in the Strait of Otranto, in the Adriatic Sea. At least 13 people were killed, including two workers participating in salvage operations.[1] According to ANEK Lines, the total number of passengers and crew, based on the ship's manifest, was 475.[2] As of 31 December, reports indicate that 499 people were on board the ferry, including 487 passengers and 12 crew members (to be verify, other reports indicated 55 crew members which make more sense);[3][4] this figure excludes possible stowaways who were on board. A total of 98 people remain unaccounted for following the disaster.[5][6][7] On 29 November 2014 another of ANEK Lines ferries, the Ierapetra L, caught fire shortly after leaving the port of Brindisi, Italy; there were no passengers on board when the fire broke out and there were no casualties.[8][9]

Description

The ship is 186 metres (610 ft 3 in) long, with a beam of 25.6 metres (84 ft 0 in) and a draught of 6.71 metres (22 ft 0 in). She is powered by two MAN B&W 9L48/60B diesel engines, which can propel the ship at 24 knots (44 km/h).[10]

History

The ship was built in 2009 by Cantiere Navale Visentini, Porto Viro, Italy as Akeman Street for Ermine Street Shipping Co Ltd, London, United Kingdom.[10] Her sister ships are Étretat, Scottish Viking and Stena Flavia. She has accommodation for 850 passengers and 2,286 lane metres of accommodation for vehicles.[11] Between February and April 2010, she was chartered to T-Link. Following a refit in May 2011 at Valletta, Malta, she was chartered to Saremar and renamed Scintu in June 2011. In January 2013, she was chartered to Grande Navi Veloci, followed by a charter to Moby Lines in April 2013. In October 2013, Scintu was chartered to LD Lines. She was renamed Norman Atlantic in January 2014.[10] On 29 August 2014, she made her final voyage with LD Lines, from Rosslare, County Wexford, Ireland to Saint-Nazaire, Loire-Atlantique, France and Gijón, Asturias, Spain.[12] In September 2014, she was chartered to Caronte & Tourist, followed by a charter to ANEK Lines in December 2014.[10]

2014 fire and evacuation

Norman Atlantic fire
MS Norman Atlantic 2014 fire(interactive map)
MS Norman Atlantic route (interactive map)
EventFire of Norman Atlantic
LocationPort of Igoumenitsa, Greece, Strait of Otranto
Date28 December 2014
On board
  • Vehicles: 222
  • Passengers: 487
  • Crew and personnel: 12
Losses13 people (including 2 during salvage)

On 28 December 2014, Norman Atlantic caught fire in the Strait of Otranto, on a ferry run from Patras to Ancona.[13] A fire broke out on the car deck just before 6:00 am local time, half an hour after leaving port of Igoumenitsa, Greece, an intermediate stop, when she was 44 nautical miles (81 km) northwest of the island of Corfu, 33 nautical miles (61 km) northwest of the island of Othonoi.[13] At the time she was carrying 222 vehicles, 487 passengers, and 12 crew (to be verify, as other reports indicated 55 crew members, which make more senseKeeptalkingGreece). The heat from the fire permeated the entire ship, even starting to melt people's shoes on the reception deck. The incident happened in Greek territorial waters but with night closing in, the ship started drifting towards Albania.[13] There were gale-force winds and lashing rain.[14]

Passengers assert that the order to abandon ship was not given until four hours after the fire had started. Despite their cabins filling with smoke, no alarm had sounded. They also state that the crew of Norman Atlantic gave them little assistance.[15] One group of 49 managed to escape in a lifeboat,[16] but others were prevented from doing so as two of the four lifeboats were destroyed by the fire. The lifeboats had a capacity of 160 people each.[17] Survivors described "scenes from hell" on board the burning ship, with the ship's crew overwhelmed by the crisis and jungle law prevailing rather than an orderly evacuation.[15] Those in the lifeboat were rescued by the Singapore-registered container ship Spirit of Piraeus and landed at Bari, Italy.[18][19]

Norman Atlantic on fire, with rescue efforts underway. Photo from the Italian Navy.
Spirit of Piraeus, which rescued the 49 people from the lifeboat, was previously named AS Andalucia, as seen in this 2011 photograph.

An international rescue effort, led and coordinated by the Italian Coast Guard,[20][21] was started to evacuate the 466 passengers and crew on board.[22][23][24] Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias stated that Italian authorities had responded to a Greek request for assistance and that the Italian Coast Guard had assumed control of the rescue operation. The rescue operation was being coordinated from the Italian ship Cruise Europa.[25] Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said that first passengers were rescued by a helicopter and that his government was working with the Greek government.[26] As darkness fell on 28 December, the Italian Navy said that a tugboat, Marietta Barretta, had finally been able to attach a line to the ferry. Greek Marine Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis confirmed the towing operation but said he did not know the destination of the tugboat; although Albania was "much closer", he said the final decision rested with the Italian rescuers who "know the situation better".[13] Prime Minister Renzi informed reporters that the ferry was evacuated and that Captain Giacomazzi was the last one to leave the ship at 2.50pm.[27]

At least eleven people were killed as a direct result of the fire, and an additional two Albanian tugboat crewmembers were killed during salvage operations on 30 December when a connecting cable snapped.[28][1] Eight people were injured in the original incident.[16] Officials stated that one person died after jumping from the burning ship.[29] A 62-year-old Greek man was the first of the fatalities to be recovered. On 30 December the number of people on board the ferry was revised to 499; 487 passengers and 12 crew.[3][4] The number of people unaccounted for was revised to 179 by Italian authorities.[6][7] On 1 January 2015 the number of people not accounted for were 98 according to the Italian prosecutor Giuseppe Volpe, but according to the Greek merchant marine ministry 18 people were still missing.[30] On 3 January 2015 Mr. Volpe said that the number of unaccounted persons from the fire was 10 to 15, while Greek authorities said the number was up to 19,[31] including nine Greek men.[32] Three of the rescued people who were on board the Norman Atlantic were Afghan illegal immigrants who stowed aboard in lorries in the hold. Judge Volpe said that he expected that more bodies were to be found on the ferry.[3] Among those killed was Ilia Kartozia, a Georgian Orthodox priest, who, according to an eyewitness, helped other to evacuate, but the rescuers failed to save him. His body was recovered off Lecce on 30 December 2014.[33]

Norman Atlantic was towed to the port of Brindisi, Italy, arriving there on 2 January 2015.[34] The ship will be sequestered for the investigation.[35]

Investigations

Italian authorities opened a criminal investigation into the fire. The investigation would determine whether or not criminal negligence played a part in the fire.[36] Judge Giuseppe Volpe is in charge of the investigation, which could bring charges of culpable shipwreck. The ship had been inspected at Patras, Greece on 19 December; six serious deficiencies had been found, relating to emergency lighting, fire doors and lifesaving capacity on board the vessel. The owners had been served with a notice giving them fifteen days to remedy the deficiencies.[37] On 2 January 2015 the prosecutor’s office in Bari widened the investigation, and put two other crew members and two representatives of the Greek ferry line ANEK Lines, which chartered the Norman Atlantic, under investigation.[34]

Greek authorities have also started a preliminary investigation. Possible charges include "disruption of shipping which could lead to endangerment of persons", and arson.[38]

Rear Admiral John Lang, formerly Chief Inspector at Britain's Marine Accident Investigation Branch, said the emergency, under freezing stormy conditions at night “challenges many of the established conventions and wisdom on how a mass rescue should be conducted.” He said that, in the course of the investigation, the right rather than the convenient conclusions should be drawn, adding "Rarely has the outcome of a comprehensive and thorough investigation been more important for improving safety at sea."[39]

A Turkish passenger reported having seen illegal Afghan immigrants, who had boarded the ship concealed in a lorry, having lit a fire at the ship's garage to keep themselves warm, as the probable cause of the disaster.[40]

References

  1. ^ a b "Ferry Death Toll Rises to 13, Amid Concerns About Uncounted Stowaways". The New York Times. 30 December 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  2. ^ ANEK Lines. "Press release 29-12-2014" (PDF). ANEK Lines. ANEK Lines. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "Italian ferry officials investigated as death toll rises". The Telegraph. 30 December 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Italian ferry captain investigated as number of killed or missing rises". Independent.IE. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  5. ^ "98 missing from fire-stricken Norman Atlantic, prosecutor - General news - ANSAMed.it". Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Fear of Stowaways as Ferry Death Toll Off Coast of Greece Rises to 13". The New York Times. 30 December 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Unprecedented muddle – The Italian Authorities now claim 499 passengers originally on board". Chaniapost. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  8. ^ Hancock, Paul (1 December 2014). "Fire - IERAPETRA L". Shipwreck Log. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  9. ^ "Fire damaged Greek ferry "Ierapetra L" off Brindisi". Sea News Turkey. 2 December 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  10. ^ a b c d "M/S AKEMAN STREET" (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  11. ^ "M/F Norman Atlantic". The Ferry Site. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  12. ^ "SPANISH LINKS: End of road for LD routes". Ships Monthly. Cudham: Kelsey Publishing. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  13. ^ a b c d "Rescuers race to save passengers from burning Italian ferry". Yahoo News UK. 28 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  14. ^ Renee Maltezou (28 December 2014). "Norman Atlantic ablaze: Major rescue under way as Greece-Italy ferry evacuated in high winds". Reuters. The Independent (London).
  15. ^ a b "Norman Atlantic: Confusion over ferry fire survivors". BBC News Online. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  16. ^ a b Hancock, Paul. "NORMAN ATLANTIC". Shipwrecklog. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  17. ^ "Veerboot rookt in Brindisi" (in Dutch). De Telegraaf. Retrieved 2 January 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Hancock, Paul. "NORMAN ATLANTIC UPDATE". World Maritime News. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  19. ^ "SPIRIT OF PIRAEUS". Fleetmon. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  20. ^ "Norman Atlantic, traghetto in fiamme: "E' alla deriva e inclinato". Un morto - Il Fatto Quotidiano". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  21. ^ "Incendio su traghetto italiano: l'Italia invia elicotteri, motovedette e rimorchiatori". Meteo Web (in Italian). Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  22. ^ "Fire breaks out on ferry carrying more than 400 people from Greece to Italy". Associated Press. New York Daily News. 28 December 2014.
  23. ^ "Évacuation d'un traversier au large de la Grèce après un incendie". AFP (in French). Canoe.ca. 28 December 2014.
  24. ^ Marco Benedetto, Mino Fuccillo, Antonio Buttazzo, Carlo Callieri, Alessandro Camilli (28 December 2014). "Corfù, traghetto Norman Atlantic Igoumenitsa-Ancona in fiamme: 466 da salvare e mare mosso" (in Italian). Blitz Quotidiano.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ "An Italian ferry is on fire in Greek waters". AAP. news.com.au. 28 December 2014.
  26. ^ "Renzi: "Seguiamo vicenda traghetto, massimo coinvolgimento della nostra Marina"". Adnkronos (in Italian). Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  27. ^ "Norman Atlantic: 10 morti, decine i dispersi. "Traghetto sotto sequestro"" (in Italian). Il Fatto Quotidiano. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  28. ^ "Albanian seamen die in Norman Atlantic ferry recovery". BBC News Online. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  29. ^ "Italy ferry fire: Evacuation hampered by winds". BBC News. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  30. ^ "Widely different estimates of those still missing after Adriatic Sea ferry fire". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  31. ^ "Norman Atlantic ferry: Fire hampers search for victims". BBC News Online. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  32. ^ Yallourous, Letteris (2 January 2015). balcaneu.com "Confusion over survivors of Norman Atlantic ferry fire continues". Independent Balkan News Agency. Retrieved 3 January 2015. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  33. ^ "Final moments of Georgian priest in the Adriatic Sea - Italian media about father Ilia Kartozia". Georgian Journal. 3 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  34. ^ a b "Turkish passenger aboard Norman Atlantic called family from lifeboat, not heard from since". Hurriyet Daily News. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  35. ^ "Il relitto del Norman Atlantic verso Valona. Procura Bari: non si hanno notizie di 98 naufraghi" (in Italian). Il Sole 24 Ore. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  36. ^ "Italy ferry fire: Five people reported dead". BBC News Online. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  37. ^ Waterfield, Bruno; Tzafalias, Menelaos. "Burning Norman Atlantic ferry had serious safety 'deficiencies'". Telegraph Media Group Ltd. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  38. ^ "ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ: Κατεπείγουσα προκαταρκτική εξέταση, για το «Norman Atlantic» από την Εισαγγελία Πειραιά" (in Greek). Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  39. ^ Rear Admiral John Lang (30 December 2014). "Letters:Ship fire rescue". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  40. ^ "Μαρτυρία σοκ διασωθέντα: Λαθρομετανάστες ειχαν ανάψει φωτιά στο γκαράζ του πλοίου για να ζεσταθούν!". iefimerida.gr (in Greek). 5 January 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
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