NTSB Releases Report on Passenger Vessel Fire

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a Marine Accident Brief on the engineroom fire on the small passenger vessel Massachusetts on June 12, 2006. It determined that the fire was most likely caused by the ignition of diesel fuel that came into contact with a hot engine surface. The damage was exacerbated by the absence of a fire detection system in the engineroom. The NTSB recommends that the Coast Guard require all small passenger vessels certificated to carry more than 49 passengers, regardless of date of build or hull material, be fitted with an approved fire detection system and a fixed fire suppression system in their enginerooms.