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MS Norman Atlantic

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Norman Atlantic in the port of Bari, Italy, 2015
History
Name
  • Akeman Street (2009–2011)
  • Scintu (2011–2014)
  • Norman Atlantic (2014–2019)
OwnerVisemar di Navigazione S.r.l. (2009 onwards)
Operator
Port of registryItaly Bari, Italy
RouteAncona–Igoumenitsa–Corfu–Patras
Ordered1 November 2006
BuilderCantiere Navale Visentini, Porto Viro, Italy
Yard number222
Laid down19 December 2006
Launched18 June 2009
Completed2 November 2009
Acquired21 September 2009
Out of service28 December 2014
Identification
FateScrapped, 2019
NotesSister ships: Stena Livia, GNV Sealand, Stena Flavia
General characteristics
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)
Speed
  • 23.5 knots (43.5 km/h; 27.0 mph) (cruising)
  • 24.5 knots (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph) (maximum)
Capacity
  • 850 passengers
  • 200 vehicles
Crew185

MS Norman Atlantic was 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 the time of the fire there were an estimated 475 people on board the ship including 417 passengers, 55 crew and at least three illegal immigrants.[1] Of these, 452 people were rescued and the bodies of 11 were recovered.[1] It is known that 16 passengers died and it was estimated that there were 28 deaths overall, the uncertainty arising from estimates of the number of illegal immigrants on board.[1] Additionally, two crewmembers of the Albanian tug Iliria died during the salvage operations on 30 December.[2]

Description

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The ship was 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 was powered by two MAN B&W 9L48/60B diesel engines, which could propel the ship at 24 knots (44 km/h).[3]

History

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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.[3] Her sister ships are Étretat, Scottish Viking and Stena Flavia.[4][5][6] She had accommodation for 850 passengers and 2,286 lane metres of accommodation for vehicles.[4] 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.[3] 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.[7] In September 2014, she was chartered to Caronte & Tourist, followed by a charter to ANEK Lines in December 2014.[3] After the 2014 fire, the ship was docked at Bari, Italy during the investigations and legal actions. In July 2019 the ship was towed to Aliaga, Turkey and scrapped.[8]

2014 fire and evacuation

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Incident

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Norman Atlantic fire
MS Norman Atlantic 2014 fire
MS Norman Atlantic route
EventFire of Norman Atlantic
LocationPort of Igoumenitsa, Greece, Strait of Otranto
Date28 December 2014
On board
  • Vehicles: 222
  • Passengers: 417
  • Crew and personnel: 55
Losses30 people (including 2 during salvage)

At 17:50 on 27 December 2014, Norman Atlantic departed Patras on a ferry run bound for Ancona where she was scheduled to arrive at 20:30 on 28 December.[1] She made an intermediate stop at Igoumenitsa, departing there at 01:50 on 28 December 2014.[1] At this time, the ship was thought to be carrying 222 vehicles, 417 passengers and 55 crew although later investigations would uncover the presence of at least six stowaways.[1] She proceeded on her route which transited the Strait of Otranto 44 nautical miles (81 km) northwest of the island of Corfu and 33 nautical miles (61 km) northwest of the island of Othonoi in Greek territorial waters.[9] The sea conditions were rough, with a strong south westerly wind blowing at up to 55 knots (28 m/s; 63 mph).[1]

At about 05:15 a fire pre-alarm was activated on Deck 4, an open roll-on/roll-off cargo space.[1] The second mate, who was in command at the time, sent a seaman to investigate the alarm but there was no sign of a fire, just fumes being emitted from a truck refrigeration unit.[1] At 05:23 a full fire alarm was sounded by the automatic system, again on Deck 4, in an area directly below the passenger and crew accommodation on Deck 5.[1] The captain, from his position on the bridge, was able to observe flames coming from the windows on Deck 4 and ordered the fire drencher system to be activated.[1] Later investigation revealed that the drencher had been activated on Deck 3, rather than in the area of the fire perhaps due to confusing labelling on the valves.[1]

At 05:38, the Norman Atlantic made its first distress call to the Brindisi Coastguard.[1] As the vessel was in Greek waters, the Greek SAR organisation led the initial response, but at 09:00 local time the leadership of the rescue effort was handed over to the Italian Coastguard.[1][10][11][12][13][14] During the incident the ship would eventually drift into Italian waters.[1]

The first coastguard vessel tasked to the rescue left Otranto at 06:00, arriving on scene at 08:20.[1] In addition, 15 merchant ships that were in the area were requested to provide assistance.[1] One of these, the Aby Jeannette, a bulk carrier, rescued 39 people from the Norman Atlantic's life rafts and brought them to Taranto, and the tanker Genmar Argus rescued a crewmember from the sea.[15][16] The Italian ferry Cruise Europa rescued a further 69 passengers and brought them to Igoumenitsa.[17][18] Sixteen helicopters and four fixed wing aircraft also assisted the rescue.[1]

The fire rapidly destroyed the rescue boat, lifeboat, and rescue chute on the starboard side of the ship.[1] Passengers gathered on the port side and began to embark on the lifeboat and life rafts, despite the captain not ordering an evacuation at this time.[1] A group of 49 passengers escaped in the port side lifeboat.[19] After being rescued, some passengers asserted 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 stated that the crew of Norman Atlantic gave them little assistance.[20]

The heat from the fire permeated the entire ship, even starting to melt people's shoes on the reception deck. 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.[20] Those in the lifeboat were rescued by the Singapore-registered container ship Spirit of Piraeus and landed at Bari, Italy.[21][22] Several liferafts were also launched, but some of them capsized, causing the deaths by drowning or hypothermia of several occupants.[23][24] Other people in the sea or in the rafts were rescued by helicopters.

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.

The rescue effort was hampered by the Norman Atlantic's loss of power. The firefighting tugboat Marietta Barretta was able to attach a line to the ferry and turn it into the wind, enabling helicopters to begin operating. Captain Giacomazzi was the last one to leave the ship at 2.50 pm.[25]

Aftermath

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At least twelve people were killed as a direct result of the fire,[26] and an additional two Albanian tugboat crewmembers were killed during salvage operations on 30 December when a connecting cable snapped.[2][27] Officials stated that one person died after jumping from the burning ship.[28] Three of the rescued people who were on board the Norman Atlantic were Afghan illegal immigrants who stowed aboard in lorries in the hold. Among those killed was Ilia Kartozia, a Georgian Orthodox priest, who, according to an eyewitness, helped others to evacuate, but the rescuers failed to save him. His body was recovered off Lecce on 30 December 2014.[29]

Norman Atlantic was towed to the port of Brindisi, Italy, by the Marietta Barretta and two additional tugs, Tenax and Asmara, arriving there on 2 January 2015.[1][30] The ship was sequestered for the investigation.[31] On 6 January, a lifeboat from the Norman Atlantic was found on a beach near Valona, Albania.[32] The Norman Atlantic continued to burn in port for almost two weeks until 10 January 2015, when firefighters were finally able to enter the hull for inspection.[33]

On 2 February 2015, just before the boat was due to be towed to Bari, a second body was discovered in the truck parking area.[34] In the same days, the bodies of three people, presumably belonging to some of the missing, were found on the coast of Corfu and Apulia.[35][36][37][38]

The damage to the ship was extensive. The hull plating and deck had been deformed, all communication and navigation equipment was destroyed and the accommodation and common areas were gutted.[1] Additionally, the ingress of water during firefighting had wrecked the electrical equipment, including the emergency battery systems, the heating, and the ventilation systems.[1]

Investigations

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Italian authorities opened a criminal investigation into the fire. The investigation was intended to determine whether or not criminal negligence played a part in the fire.[39] 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 onboard the vessel. The owners had been served with a notice giving them fifteen days to remedy the deficiencies.[40] 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.[30]

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."[41]

A Turkish passenger reported, as a possible cause, that illegal Afghan immigrants, who had boarded the ship concealed in a lorry, had lit a fire in the ship's garage to keep themselves warm.[42] Another possible cause was sparks caused by trucks scraping the sides of the vessel.[19]

Preliminary underwater inspections of the Norman Atlantic revealed that the water intake pipes of the fire sprinkler system were clogged with mussels; additional inspections were necessary to determine if this blockage contributed to the fire's spreading.[43] Although the voyage data recorder (black box) had been recovered, still by mid-March no data have been extracted, apparently because the heat of the fire caused the plastic to melt onto the hard disk.[44][45] Recordings of the Voyage data recorder published on 7 October 2015, say that the fire sprinkler system wasn't working correctly and instead of spraying water there was smoke coming from the system.[46] The investigations also stated that there was a truck that had the engine working. Smoke was coming from the truck prior to the fire.[47]

Fate

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Following the initial recovery and investigation, the ship was relocated to the port of Bari.[1] In 2019 the ship left for Aliağa, Turkey to be scrapped.[48]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Fire on board of the ro-ro pax NORMAN ATLANTIC" (PDF). MINISTRY OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORT. Retrieved 20 July 2020. 28 December 2014 Final Report - On the site of the Hellenic Bureau for Marine Casualties Investigation
  2. ^ a b "Ferry Death Toll Rises to 13, Amid Concerns About Uncounted Stowaways". The New York Times. 30 December 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d "M/S AKEMAN STREET" (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  4. ^ a b "M/F Norman Atlantic". The Ferry Site. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  5. ^ "News Release: LD LINES TO ADD NEW SPAIN FERRY LINKS" (PDF). LD Lines. 11 December 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  6. ^ "M/F Dimonios". The Ferry Site. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  7. ^ "SPANISH LINKS: End of road for LD routes". Ships Monthly. Cudham: Kelsey Publishing. 30 September 2014. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  8. ^ "Goodbye Norman, the ship's last journey". Word Press. 13 July 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Rescuers race to save passengers from burning Italian ferry". Yahoo News UK. 28 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  10. ^ "Norman Atlantic, traghetto in fiamme: "E' alla deriva e inclinato". Un morto – Il Fatto Quotidiano". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 28 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Incendio su traghetto italiano: l'Italia invia elicotteri, motovedette e rimorchiatori". Meteo Web (in Italian). 28 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  12. ^ "Fire breaks out on ferry carrying more than 400 people from Greece to Italy". New York Daily News. Associated Press. 28 December 2014.
  13. ^ "Évacuation d'un traversier au large de la Grèce après un incendie". AFP (in French). Canoe.ca. 28 December 2014. Archived from the original on 28 December 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Survivors of Norman Atlantic: "We held the children in our arms and prayed"
  16. ^ "Miracle at Sea". Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  17. ^ "Anche il comandante lascia il Norman Atlantic. Passeggeri tutti evacuati. In salvo 427 persone, 8 le vittime" (in Italian). Europa Quotidiano. 29 December 2014. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  18. ^ "Norman Atlantic, in fiamme al largo dell'Albania, soccorsi in Adriatico" (in Italian). Il Secolo XIX. 29 December 2014. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  19. ^ a b Hancock, Paul (29 December 2014). "NORMAN ATLANTIC". Shipwrecklog. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  20. ^ a b "Norman Atlantic: Confusion over ferry fire survivors". BBC News. 30 December 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  21. ^ Hancock, Paul (30 December 2014). "NORMAN ATLANTIC UPDATE". World Maritime News. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  22. ^ "SPIRIT OF PIRAEUS". Fleetmon. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  23. ^ Norman Atlantic: Neapolitan truck drivers drowned
  24. ^ Norman Atlantic disaster: "I prayed and God helped me"
  25. ^ "Norman Atlantic: 10 morti, decine i dispersi. "Traghetto sotto sequestro"" (in Italian). Il Fatto Quotidiano. 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  26. ^ "Update: Norman Atlantic's Death Toll Rises to 12". World Maritime News. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  27. ^ "Albanian seamen die in Norman Atlantic ferry recovery". BBC News. 30 December 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  28. ^ "Italy ferry fire: Evacuation hampered by winds". BBC News. 28 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  29. ^ "Final moments of Georgian priest in the Adriatic Sea – Italian media about father Ilia Kartozia". Georgian Journal. 3 January 2015. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  30. ^ 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.
  31. ^ "Norman Atlantic – Conferenza stampa dei ministro Lupi e Pinotti" (in Italian). Ministero delle infrastrutture e dei trasporti. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  32. ^ "Esclusiva. Norman Atlantic, un passeggero: era una baraonda, sulle scialuppe la legge del più forte" (in Italian). RAI. 6 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  33. ^ "In nave molto fumo, temperatura scesa a 21 gradi" (in Italian). ANSA. 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  34. ^ "Another body found in Norman Atlantic ferry wreck". Gazzetta del Sud. 13 February 2015. Archived from the original on 24 February 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  35. ^ "Corfu: A macabre find probably linked to the Norman Atlantic wreck". Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  36. ^ Body found on Corfu coast believed to be of Norman Atlantic passenger
  37. ^ Corpo sulla spiaggia: si verificherà se appartiene a disperso di Norman Atlantic
  38. ^ Cadavere trovato in mare a largo di Lecce, forse un disperso del naufragio Norman Atlantic
  39. ^ "Italy ferry fire: Five people reported dead". BBC News. 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  40. ^ Waterfield, Bruno; Tzafalias, Menelaos. "Burning Norman Atlantic ferry had serious safety 'deficiencies'". Telegraph Media Group Ltd. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  41. ^ Rear Admiral John Lang (30 December 2014). "Letters:Ship fire rescue". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  42. ^ "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.
  43. ^ Vincenzo Damiani Vito Fatiguso (27 January 2015). "Norman, cozze nell'antincendio. L'impianto della nave era ostruito". Corriere del Mezzogiorno (in Italian). Archived from the original on 30 January 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  44. ^ "Nuovi indagati per l'incendio sul Norman Atlantic?". Trasporto Europeo (in Italian). 17 March 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  45. ^ "Norman Atlantic, il mistero della scatola nera". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 16 March 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  46. ^ "Norman Atlantic: Από το σύστημα πυρασφάλειας έβγαινε καπνός αντί για νερό". Το Βήμα. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  47. ^ "Νέες αποκαλύψεις για το Νόρμαν Ατλάντικ: "Στο γκαράζ υπήρχε φορτηγό με αναμμένη μηχανή"". Το Ποντίκι. 15 October 2015.
  48. ^ "The Norman Atlantic heading for scrap". Ship2Shore. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
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