Rene Villanueva News

SS Norway Boiler Room Explosion Claims Seven Lives

On the morning of Sunday, May 25, 2003, passengers onboard the Norwegian Cruise Lines' (NCL) vessel, S/S Norway awoke to a loud boom, as the vessel returned from seven-day Caribbean cruise to its homeport in Miami, Fla. The noise, which came from the vessel's engine room, is believed to be caused by a steam leak from one of the 41-year-old ship's boilers. The explosion, has, at press time, claimed the lives of seven crewmembers, the most recent being Ramon Villarais, 39, who was employed as an engine room stoker. According to a statement issued by NCL on May 28, 2003, the following six additional crewmembers perished in the tragedy: Ramil Bernal…