westerdam fire

[Typhoon1]

I heard this incident reported on the Late news last evening.

[PathfinderEss]

She's a nice one!

 

 

bit nicer than this one in Santa Cruz, Hualtuco, Mex

 

 

Ya think!!!!!!! She is a nice one, thanks Copper for posting the picture of her.

 

Thank you!:)

 

Your Welcome.....:)

Just catching -- again.

 

Had to rush DH to Med Express. He was bitten by a wasp yesterday that had gotten into the house. He was bitten on the finger and everything was fine when we went to bed. But this morning his fingers and hand were swollen. After breakfast' date=' where the bite is, the finger started to turn purple. Finally at 1:30 he agreed to go to Med Express for help. More prescriptions to take.[/size']

 

I don't know what kind of Meds he takes but next time you might just give him some Benadryl. I keep it handy for just those kind of circumstances. You could ask your DR. about that. Glad he is doing ok.

Edited June 29, 2014 by PathfinderEss

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

How 'lucky' that there was no Holland America ship scheduled out of Seattle today so there was port space available this morning next to the Grand Princess! I had to research, thought it was strange only one ship there today!

 

The Amsterdam would have been there today if it was on its 7-day cruise. Luckily, Amsterdam is on its two week cruise so not in Seattle. I wonder what would have happened of the Amsterdam would have arrived today - no dock.

[dmwnc1959]

Westerdam's position as of 4:45pm PDT as seen on Marine Traffic AIS. You can see her track coming up from Seattle and then heading out towards the Pacific Ocean....

 

Edited June 30, 2014 by dmwnc1959

[rkacruiser]

I am glad to know that the Westerdam is on her way to Alaska and that no one was hurt. The passengers and crew are in very capable hands of Captain Rens van Eerten. Having sailed with him twice, he is an excellent HAL ship's Master.

 

Maybe Copper 10-8 can enlighten me on this, however. Westerdam is a diesel powered ship. How can there be a problem in the boiler room? I did not know that a boiler room existed on a diesel powered vessel.

[Mytime2014]

I am glad to know that the Westerdam is on her way to Alaska and that no one was hurt. The passengers and crew are in very capable hands of Captain Rens van Eerten. Having sailed with him twice, he is an excellent HAL ship's Master.

 

Maybe Copper 10-8 can enlighten me on this, however. Westerdam is a diesel powered ship. How can there be a problem in the boiler room? I did not know that a boiler room existed on a diesel powered vessel.

 

Good question - I was thinking it generates electricity [so they don't have that long power cord!!]

[Kamloops50]

There a few things that require a boiler. It didn't have to be diesel burning. It could of been an electrical fire. Boilers are required to heat water for the whole ship.

 

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Forums mobile app

[PathfinderEss]

I am glad to know that the Westerdam is on her way to Alaska and that no one was hurt. The passengers and crew are in very capable hands of Captain Rens van Eerten. Having sailed with him twice, he is an excellent HAL ship's Master.

 

Maybe Copper 10-8 can enlighten me on this, however. Westerdam is a diesel powered ship. How can there be a problem in the boiler room? I did not know that a boiler room existed on a diesel powered vessel.

 

My DH said the same thing. Hope Copper will explain.

[CruisinEars]

We got off the Grand Princess this morning and I was surprised to see the Westie still in port. I had read about the fire last night while online. Glad to see she is on her way to Alaska. I had expected to see the Oosterdam since she was in port with us last Sunday when we boarded.

[Host Walt]

This thread has been drifting. Please stay on topic - the Westerdam fire. Thanks.

[Copper10-8]

I am glad to know that the Westerdam is on her way to Alaska and that no one was hurt. The passengers and crew are in very capable hands of Captain Rens van Eerten. Having sailed with him twice, he is an excellent HAL ship's Master.

 

Maybe Copper 10-8 can enlighten me on this, however. Westerdam is a diesel powered ship. How can there be a problem in the boiler room? I did not know that a boiler room existed on a diesel powered vessel.

 

Hi rka cruiser; WEDM, along with her sisters, has/have two boilers that serve as an "auxiliary steam system". That steam is not used for propulsion of the ship but for "services" such as heating domestic freshwater and for use in the galley, the main laundry, etc. Kamloops50 already alluded to that

[SilvertoGold]

Hi rka cruiser; WEDM, along with her sisters, has/have two boilers that serve as an "auxiliary steam system". That steam is not used for propulsion of the ship but for "services" such as heating domestic freshwater and for use in the galley, the main laundry, etc. Kamloops50 already alluded to that

 

Very good, that clears things up.

And, what actually caught fire?

 

Thanks a lot!

Edited June 30, 2014 by SilvertoGold

[PathfinderEss]

Hi rka cruiser; WEDM, along with her sisters, has/have two boilers that serve as an "auxiliary steam system". That steam is not used for propulsion of the ship but for "services" such as heating domestic freshwater and for use in the galley, the main laundry, etc. Kamloops50 already alluded to that

Thanks Copper.

[KAYEF]

Melodie: I'm confused. Ballentyne Pier is in East Vancouver. Did I miss something?:confused:

 

:rolleyes:B IS in Vancouver, BC. YOU aren't confused; the poster is.

 

This ship does Seattle/Alaska Round Trip.................never goes to Vancouver on this itinerary.

[PathfinderEss]

:rolleyes:B IS in Vancouver, BC. YOU aren't confused; the poster is.

 

This ship does Seattle/Alaska Round Trip.................never goes to Vancouver on this itinerary.

 

Yes, I made a mistake on which port that the Westerdam was going into. I really appreciate all the feed back on my ignorance. Thanks :mad:

[Susie51]

When will we know the cause of the fire?

[rkacruiser]

Copper 10-8,

 

I do appreciate your insight and answer to my question. I have learned once agian.

 

I was under the impression that the hot water needed for the ship's hotel services came from water that absorbed residue heat from the engines. That would be a very effective use of such waste heat, naturally.

 

Clearly, I need to take another "Behind the Scenes Tour" on my next HAL ship and ask some additional questions. I have found those tours extraordinarily interesting, well run, and worth the cost for those of us who are so interested!

 

Many thanks again for your input!

[serendipity1499]

When will we know the cause of the fire?

Maybe never..

 

If the Capt. feels it's in his Psgrs best interest to be told what caused the fire, he may tell them, but many times we are not privy to that info..

[Sam.Seattle]

Maybe never..

 

If the Capt. feels it's in his Psgrs best interest to be told what caused the fire, he may tell them, but many times we are not privy to that info..

I did not think your statement could possibly be true that the Captain has the authority to withhold information from a fire, but maybe you are correct? I hate the thought that they would withhold information, but that might be naive..

 

I borrowed the follow article from cruiselawnews. com.

 

Shortly after the Holland America Line (HAL)'s Westerdam caught on fire this weekend, HAL issued a press release characterizing the fire as "small" and "quickly" extinguished. It also said that it returned to port in Seattle "out of an abundance of caution."

Cruise line press statements like this rarely tell the whole story. We know that this fire was not immediately extinguished by the automatic suppression system on the ship and had to be fought by crew members with fire hoses, but the fire still re-ignited. The cruise line did not bother to explain why the fire ignited in the first place. Was it a ruptured fuel or oil line? If so, did the cruise ship have splash guards? Was it a HAL Westerdammechanical failure of some type? Why wasn't the fire suppressed by the automatic systems? Why did it re-ignite?

Carnival Corporation, HAL's parent company and the owner of the cruise ship, stated last year that it invested hundreds of millions of dollars in safety improvements throughout its fleet of ship, primarily in the engine rooms. The announcement was a major public relations strategy after the bad press following the fires aboard the Triumph and other Carnival cruise ships. Did the Westerdam receive any of the much touted safety improvements?

There are many hundreds of newspaper articles mentioning the fire. But no one is asking these basic questions. Returning to port after a fire "out of an abundance of caution," seems like a gross understatement to me. Can you imagine a major airline battling a fire and then saying that it returned to the airport voluntarily, just to be on the safe side?

A fire at sea is one of the most dangerous experiences imaginable. But most cruise fans don't seem to be particularly bothered by these issues. HAL quickly announced a $250 per cabin credit to be used during the remainder of the cruise which is now continuing. The incident will soon find itself out of the news and forgotten.

Edited July 1, 2014 by Sam.Seattle

[PathfinderEss]

I did not think your statement could possibly be true that the Captain has the authority to withhold information from a fire, but maybe you are correct? I hate the thought that they would withhold information, but that might be naive..

 

I borrowed the follow article from cruiselawnews. com.

 

Shortly after the Holland America Line (HAL)'s Westerdam caught on fire this weekend, HAL issued a press release characterizing the fire as "small" and "quickly" extinguished. It also said that it returned to port in Seattle "out of an abundance of caution."

Cruise line press statements like this rarely tell the whole story. We know that this fire was not immediately extinguished by the automatic suppression system on the ship and had to be fought by crew members with fire hoses, but the fire still re-ignited. The cruise line did not bother to explain why the fire ignited in the first place. Was it a ruptured fuel or oil line? If so, did the cruise ship have splash guards? Was it a HAL Westerdammechanical failure of some type? Why wasn't the fire suppressed by the automatic systems? Why did it re-ignite?

Carnival Corporation, HAL's parent company and the owner of the cruise ship, stated last year that it invested hundreds of millions of dollars in safety improvements throughout its fleet of ship, primarily in the engine rooms. The announcement was a major public relations strategy after the bad press following the fires aboard the Triumph and other Carnival cruise ships. Did the Westerdam receive any of the much touted safety improvements?

There are many hundreds of newspaper articles mentioning the fire. But no one is asking these basic questions. Returning to port after a fire "out of an abundance of caution," seems like a gross understatement to me. Can you imagine a major airline battling a fire and then saying that it returned to the airport voluntarily, just to be on the safe side?

A fire at sea is one of the most dangerous experiences imaginable. But most cruise fans don't seem to be particularly bothered by these issues. HAL quickly announced a $250 per cabin credit to be used during the remainder of the cruise which is now continuing. The incident will soon find itself out of the news and forgotten.

 

I was just wondering why they went back to Seattle around 7pm, then stayed there until some where around 10am. Over 12 hours just to check things out sounds a little excessive to me, if it was just cautionary. Though like you said we will probably never know everything.

Edited July 1, 2014 by PathfinderEss

[donswife]

I am guessing they had to wait for a pilot.

[Sam.Seattle]

I am guessing they had to wait for a pilot.

Why would you think the pilot had disembarked?

[Lizzie68]

Why would you think the pilot had disembarked?

 

Would the pilot have stayed onboard the ship overnight while in port? It doesn't seem likely.

[Sam.Seattle]

Would the pilot have stayed onboard the ship overnight while in port? It doesn't seem likely.

I seem to recall that the early reports were that they would depart that night and not the next day. So, I was assuming he would have stayed on board.

[Salacia]

I did not think your statement could possibly be true that the Captain has the authority to withhold information from a fire, but maybe you are correct? I hate the thought that they would withhold information, but that might be naive..

 

I borrowed the follow article from cruiselawnews. com.

 

Shortly after the Holland America Line (HAL)'s Westerdam caught on fire this weekend, HAL issued a press release characterizing the fire as "small" and "quickly" extinguished. It also said that it returned to port in Seattle "out of an abundance of caution."

Cruise line press statements like this rarely tell the whole story. We know that this fire was not immediately extinguished by the automatic suppression system on the ship and had to be fought by crew members with fire hoses, but the fire still re-ignited. The cruise line did not bother to explain why the fire ignited in the first place. Was it a ruptured fuel or oil line? If so, did the cruise ship have splash guards? Was it a HAL Westerdammechanical failure of some type? Why wasn't the fire suppressed by the automatic systems? Why did it re-ignite?

Carnival Corporation, HAL's parent company and the owner of the cruise ship, stated last year that it invested hundreds of millions of dollars in safety improvements throughout its fleet of ship, primarily in the engine rooms. The announcement was a major public relations strategy after the bad press following the fires aboard the Triumph and other Carnival cruise ships. Did the Westerdam receive any of the much touted safety improvements?

There are many hundreds of newspaper articles mentioning the fire. But no one is asking these basic questions. Returning to port after a fire "out of an abundance of caution," seems like a gross understatement to me. Can you imagine a major airline battling a fire and then saying that it returned to the airport voluntarily, just to be on the safe side?

A fire at sea is one of the most dangerous experiences imaginable. But most cruise fans don't seem to be particularly bothered by these issues. HAL quickly announced a $250 per cabin credit to be used during the remainder of the cruise which is now continuing. The incident will soon find itself out of the news and forgotten.

 

Sam, thanks for your post.

It seems to me that CCL controls any pubic statements regarding what happens on board ships in the Carnival Fleet - not the Captain of the ship. That applies to fires, crimes or any other incidents occurring board: don't look to captains for a statement of fact to be made public. And don't look to CCL to disclose anymore information than they have to release. No worries, they know, these incidents fade quickly when rates are reduced. -S.