Family to receive $360k after cruise ship Pinoy seafarer's death in Dunedin explosion; Global standards sought

Family to receive $360k after cruise ship worker's death in Dunedin explosion
21 Jan 2019 https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/family-receive-360k-after-cr...

A cruise ship company will pay $360,000 dollars in reparation to the family of a crew member killed on their ship in Dunedin in 2017.

Allan Navales died when the gas cylinder he was refilling exploded on the Emerald Princess on 9 February 2017 while it was docked in Port Chalmers - an accident the Transport Accident Investigation Commission said was preventable.

The commission, which released its report into the accident last Thursday, singled out a lack of training and the absence of robust inspection standards as major causes.

The ship's operator, Princess Cruise Lines, was ordered to pay $250,000 in reparation for consequential loss and $110,000 in emotional harm reparation when the case came before the Dunedin District Court today.

It has also been served a $15,000 fine.

Maritime New Zealand was originally seeking for Princess Cruise Lines to pay $812,000 in reparation to Mr Navales' family in the Philippines, who it said he was supporting because they were "living in poverty."

In the sentencing decision, Judge Kevin Phillips said he accepted that Mr Navales was primarily working on the ship as a means to support his family, including his extremely ill 63-year-old mother, and his daughter.

"He was placed in a situation where there were clear deficiencies, failures and omissions and as a result, he died."

Judge Phillips noted that Princess Cruise Lines had revised its policies and procedures as a result of the accident, and had shown high levels of regret and concern.

Princess Cruise Lines has already paid the family $100,000 of the reparation ordered, and about $15,000 to send his body home.

Emerald Princess cruise ship explosion in Dunedin 'was preventable' - TAIC
January 2019 https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/380298/emerald-princess-cruise-s...

Filipino cruise ship worker Allan Navales' death in a gas cylinder blast on a docked cruise ship was preventable, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission says.

The commission today released its final report into the events which led to the 32-year-old father's death, singling out lack of training and inspection standards.

Mr Navales was refilling a nitrogen cylinder on board Emerald Princess, which was docked in Dunedin in February 2017, when the cylinder exploded, killing him.

The commission's chief investigator, Captain Tim Burfoot, said the cylinder should not have been in use.

"The nitrogen cylinder burst at below-normal working pressure because its casing had corroded to about 30 percent of original thickness," Mr Burfoot said.

"The failed cylinder and several others in the system were not fit for purpose, despite having been surveyed recently, and should not have been in service."

The commission's investigation revealed one of the reasons the cylinders might still have been in use was a total lack of international standards for inspecting and testing pressurised gas cylinders on ships.

"The final report has now identified that actually one of the reasons for the lack of testing is there's no global standards and they would normally come from the International Maritime Organisation," Mr Burfoot said.

"So there's no global standards that can be applied to the inspection and testing of these bottles."

The commission urged Maritime New Zealand to request implementation of global standards on inspecting and testing pressurised gas cylinders on ships by the International Maritime Organisation.

The cylinders were used in the hydraulic launch system of the ship's lifeboats, and the commission recommended the manufacturer of the launch system also improve its training.

Mr Navales' death might have been prevented if the right training and standards were in place, Mr Burfoot said.

"All deaths are preventable and that's the business the commission is in," he said.

"Our aim is to take the lessons from this, which is what we've done and we've put them out urgently to prevent another [explosion] happening again."

Princess Cruise Lines, which operates Emerald Princess and a fleet of about 20 cruise ships from Bermuda, is also before the Dunedin District Court in relation to the death.

The company pleaded guilty to a charge brought under the Maritime Transport Act after an investigation by Maritime New Zealand found failings which had led to unnecessary danger or risk to people.

More than 3000 people were on board Emerald Princess when it docked in Dunedin in February 2017. Mr Navales was the only fatality in the blast.

Maritime NZ has sought $812,000 for Mr Navales' family through the court, but accepts such reparations are unlikely.

The offence also carries a maximum penalty of $100,000 fine.

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Rebecca Moore 18 Jan 2019