- Author
-
U.S. General Accounting Office
- Title
- Coast Guard: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Cruise Ship Safety. United States General Accounting Office Report to the Congressional Requesters.
- Coporate
- General Accounting Office, Washington, DC
- Report
-
GAO/RCED-93-103; B-248714
March 1993
46 p.
- Keywords
-
ships
|
fire safety
|
design applications
|
accidents
|
standards
|
shipboard fires
|
fire fighting training
- Abstract
- In 1990 a fire aboard the Scandinavian Star off the coast of Norway killed 158 persons. This accident served as a catalyst to strengthen international standards for ship fire safety and design and also raised questions about the adequacy of other passenger safety standards. The accident investigation criticized the failure of international inspections to detect and correct safety deficiencies, the fire fighting response, and inadequate shipboard emergency information. The Ranking Minority Member, House Committee on Merchant marine and Fisheries, and the Chairman of its Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Navigation asked GAO to determine actions the Coast Guard is taking, or may need to take, to ensure (1) that flag nations adequately perform cruise ship safety oversight and (2) the adequacy of international standards for shipboard fire fighting training and emergency information.