'Carnival Triumph': Coast Guard, NTSB, Launch Investigation

The U.S. Coast Guard & the National Transportation Safety Board begin investigation into the circumstances of the fire.

According to information given to  Reuters by the Coast Guard the fire on board the Carnival Corp cruise ship that drifted for days in the Gulf of Mexico awash in raw sewage started from fuel from a leaking diesel engine fuel line that ignited.

The Coast Guard explains that because the Carnival Triumph is a Bahamian flagged vessel, the Bahamas Maritime Authority is the primary investigative agency. In accordance with international guidelines, the U.S. will participate in this investigation as a Marine Safety Investigative State.

Coast Guard members from both the Investigations and Cruise Ship Centers of Expertise, along with a representative from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center will lead the U.S. investigation joined by a team of five investigators from the NTSB Office of Marine Safety and the Office of Research and Engineering. The purpose of the investigation is to identify causal and contributing factors that led to the incident. Additionally both the crew response and effectiveness of fire fighting systems will be evaluated to help prevent future incidents.

Results of the investigation will be released to the public once the investigation by the Bahamas Maritime Authority is complete.