Incident on Board Rotterdam

[erewhon]

It was reported on a NZ national radio station today, that a correspondent who was onboard the Rotterdam this past week heard the Fire alarm sound one day after sundown.

The duty Officer reported that there was a possible fire in the engine room. Unfortunately, after making the announcement, he forgot to turn off the microphone and what followed was a string of expletives!:o

By the time that the Captain had "put out the fire" so to speak, about 100 passengers had already made their way to lifeboat stations wearing life jackets. One female passenger was heard to be screaming that "the ship is sinking"! All ended well fortunately, and no the ship did not sink.

[TiogaCruiser]

It was reported on a NZ national radio station today, that a correspondent who was onboard the Rotterdam this past week heard the Fire alarm sound one day after sundown.

The duty Officer reported that there was a possible fire in the engine room. Unfortunately, after making the announcement, he forgot to turn off the microphone and what followed was a string of expletives!:o.

 

In English or Dutch?

[pris993]

Had the emergency signal go off at 1am, on the Queen Victoria on a TA a few years back... I can tell you that alarm will wake the dead... I sat up straight in bed, shortly after wards the Captain announced they were investigating a fire in the funnel... with in minutes, everything was under control. At sea in the middle of the night.. it was nice to hear from the captain in a calm and assuring tone.

[Skorpora]

We had a small fire on our February 17 - 28 Noordam cruise. It was in the Lido late at night. The alarm sound comes out of the speaker mounted in the headboard. Ours wasn't working very well and we couldn't tell if the alarm was the 6 short and 1 long to get out to your lifeboat station. The sound kept breaking up. We stayed in our cabin to await further instructions per the captain. I was ready to go to my lifeboat if necessary!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Topsham]

Let me try to remember how the story goes....

 

This is back in the OLD days... like in the 1930s... smaller ship on the North Atlantic.

 

 

There was a priest on board. A whole gale and the ship was pitching and rolling... horrible weather. The priest was scared for his life. He went to the captain and was terrifed that the ship would sink.

 

The captain took the priest and took him down to the foc's'le.... where the crew lived. They were just there swearing. The captain said, "Vicar, do you think the sailors were worried? If they were worried they would be down on their knees and praying!"

 

Hours later the weather was worse. The captain asked the priest if was still OK. The priest said to the captain, "Thank God they are still swearing!"

[MsVeggieGal]

I was on the ship during the small fire and indeed we all heard the captain use the F word after his announcement. I guess he forgot to turn off the speaker. He did sound very nervous too...his voice was all shaky. Not something you really want to hear from the man in charge. The cruise director later came on and said it was a false alarm. Liar! We could smell it really bad throughout the ship. They also fixed it while in port in Singapore so hardly a false alarm. They just say stuff like that to keep you calm. I would sooner know the truth.

Edited March 29, 2014 by MsVeggieGal

[KirkNC]

It can be very scary when the alarm goes off!

[MsVeggieGal]

Sure can and I took it seriously even though many other passengers continued doing their own thing. We were told to stay in our cabins after the announcement by a crew member in person in the hall way. I don't think so! We saw at least 8 fire fighters dressed in their fire fighting gear. Why would we stay in our cabin when we could smell the smoke and the captain announced FIRE! No wonder things go awfully wrong at times like this.

[CruiserBruce]

Sure can and I took it seriously even though many other passengers continued doing their own thing. We were told to stay in our cabins after the announcement by a crew member in person in the hall way. I don't think so! We saw at least 8 fire fighters dressed in their fire fighting gear. Why would we stay in our cabin when we could smell the smoke and the captain announced FIRE! No wonder things go awfully wrong at times like this.

 

If you remember the life boat drill, the directions were, when the alarm sounds, to report to your cabin, await further directions, and prepare for a possible abandon ship. Not to wonder around supervising. And you wonder why things go awfully wrong, when people don't follow the directions!! You are only to respond to your lifeboat when directed.

 

After 35 years in the fire service, I know smelling "fire" (fire doesn't have a smell) and having actual fire are not one and the same thing. The "smell" of fire can be many things, and not be life threatening. Things like ballast in lights failing, hot oil on a hot site, and literally hundreds of other things. The fact that you "smelled" fire absolutely doesn't mean there was actually a fire. Additionally, having to replace something at the next port is not confirmation there was a fire.

Edited March 29, 2014 by CruiserBruce

[cougaraz]

Sure can and I took it seriously even though many other passengers continued doing their own thing. We were told to stay in our cabins after the announcement by a crew member in person in the hall way. I don't think so! We saw at least 8 fire fighters dressed in their fire fighting gear. Why would we stay in our cabin when we could smell the smoke and the captain announced FIRE! No wonder things go awfully wrong at times like this.

 

You should stay in your cabin because the last thing fire fighters need is passengers in their way as they try to combat the casualty.

 

As for the profanity, in my time in the Navy I've unfortunately had to deal with several fires and despite my refined outward appearance while attending formal night am quite certain that there was plenty of swearing. To be frank, a fire at sea merits the finest swearing that a salty sailor can provide!

[MsVeggieGal]

Bruce, it was the captain that announced fire not I. It was the captain who had the quivering voice not I. It was the captain who yelled the F word over the ships speaker not I. When I opened my cabin door and saw around 8 men in fire fighter uniforms I certainly wasn't going to wait in my cabin until further instructed. That's what many folks did in Concordia and I don't have to remind anyone about how that ended.

[iuki]

Let me try to remember how the story goes....

 

This is back in the OLD days... like in the 1930s... smaller ship on the North Atlantic.

 

 

There was a priest on board. A whole gale and the ship was pitching and rolling... horrible weather. The priest was scared for his life. He went to the captain and was terrifed that the ship would sink.

 

The captain took the priest and took him down to the foc's'le.... where the crew lived. They were just there swearing. The captain said, "Vicar, do you think the sailors were worried? If they were worried they would be down on their knees and praying!"

 

Hours later the weather was worse. The captain asked the priest if was still OK. The priest said to the captain, "Thank God they are still swearing!"

 

I've got to remember that one. So funny. Thanks for sharing.

[Boytjie]

We had a small fire on our February 17 - 28 Noordam cruise. It was in the Lido late at night. The alarm sound comes out of the speaker mounted in the headboard. Ours wasn't working very well and we couldn't tell if the alarm was the 6 short and 1 long to get out to your lifeboat station. The sound kept breaking up. We stayed in our cabin to await further instructions per the captain. I was ready to go to my lifeboat if necessary!

 

What would you have done if you heard 7 short and one long blasts?! :confused: :D

[CruiserBruce]

Bruce, it was the captain that announced fire not I. It was the captain who had the quivering voice not I. It was the captain who yelled the F word over the ships speaker not I. When I opened my cabin door and saw around 8 men in fire fighter uniforms I certainly wasn't going to wait in my cabin until further instructed. That's what many folks did in Concordia and I don't have to remind anyone about how that ended.

 

I am not aware we know that the people who died on Concordia died due to following instructions. From my experience it would be far more logical to find that people didn't follow directions or logical behaviors. In summary, they panicked.

 

From other sources, the announcement was of a possible fire in the Engine Room, by the Duty Officer (not the Captain). The standard procedure is to announce a fire in a certain area, have staff respond to their emergency stations and pax to retrun to their cabin and await instructions. Are you saying this didn't happen? The Captain just came on and yelled fire? Really?

 

No argument, the PA system being left on was unprofessional. Stuff happens in an emergency.

Edited March 29, 2014 by CruiserBruce

[Lizzie68]

I am not aware we know that the people who died on Concordia died due to following instructions. From my experience it would be far more logical to find that people didn't follow directions or logical behaviors. In summary, they panicked.

 

From other sources, the announcement was of a possible fire in the Engine Room, by the Duty Officer (not the Captain). The standard procedure is to announce a fire in a certain area, have staff respond to their emergency stations and pax to retrun to their cabin and await instructions. Are you saying this didn't happen? The Captain just came on and yelled fire? Really?

 

No argument, the PA system being left on was unprofessional. Stuff happens in an emergency.

 

There were lots of survivors from the Concordia who only lived due to not following instructions - there have been many interviews with them. And they were in a situation of chaos, thanks to no guidance from officers.

 

Having said that, I am an instruction-follower, and if the procedure is to go back to your cabin and await further instruction, then I would do that. But I guess at some point the survival instinct must kick in and it might be a case of doing whatever is necessary - it would depend on the particular circumstance.

[RJ2002]

Sure can and I took it seriously even though many other passengers continued doing their own thing. We were told to stay in our cabins after the announcement by a crew member in person in the hall way. I don't think so! We saw at least 8 fire fighters dressed in their fire fighting gear. Why would we stay in our cabin when we could smell the smoke and the captain announced FIRE! No wonder things go awfully wrong at times like this.

 

In an emergency, we all should be following crew member instructions. I would have stayed in the cabin as instructed. This is precisely the reason why the crew are having drills all the time. They are the ones trained to respond in these situations, and guide the passengers accordingly. You could have wandered into a very dangerous situation.

[Globaliser]

When I opened my cabin door and saw around 8 men in fire fighter uniforms I certainly wasn't going to wait in my cabin until further instructed.

"I know better and I refuse to do as I'm told."

[cougaraz]

"I know better and I refuse to do as I'm told."

 

Makes for a good epitaph on your gravestone.

[serendipity1499]

There have many disasters because people do not know how to follow directions! The Psgr admitting that she left the cabin & did not follow directions put others at risk!

 

Betty

 

P.S. My DH was a volunteer fireman..

[mamaofami]

On my last cruise on Maasdam I was sitting on promenade deck when there was an announcement from the Captain that there was a fire on board and when he got the details he would come back and tell us. I immediately went inside my cabin and started thinking about what I had to wear that was warm and where my meds were. My DH was several decks up at the pool. He took the stairs back to the cabin and by the time he got there the captain came back on to see the fire was in the kitchen and had been contained.

 

I would imagine that there are often small fires in the kitchen or engine room. Just imagining here since I don't really know. Fire at sea is serious and people should follow directions.

[chengkp75]

The reason the Captain was upset (and swearing), was probably that there had not been a "code" call prior to the announcement of a fire, or the ringing of the general alarm signal. Very often, the last thing wanted is several thousand passengers heading to their muster stations, for a trash can fire in someone's cabin. Standard procedure is to call a code (whatever it is on that company's ships), and the assigned emergency crews report to the scene to determine the extent of the problem and deal with it. There will be one senior officer assigned as "On Scene Commander", normally either the Chief Officer or Staff Chief Engineer, who directs the emergency response, and will advise the Captain when he feels that it requires mustering the passengers. The signal for muster (the true definition is "more than six short blasts followed by one long blast) is used to get the passengers mustered for accountability purposes, so we know that everyone is accounted for. At the actual scene, should it be a fire, security is designated to secure a perimeter and not allow anyone into the zone, and to start evacuating cabins in the immediately affected area. If they don't come and get you from your cabin, you are not in immediate danger, and can only cause confusion if you start moving around. If you were to go to your muster location without instruction, you may either find yourself travelling through the danger zone, or into a danger zone if your muster station is where the fire is. Once the code is called, crew are trained to know the best way from one point to another, going around blocked areas, and how best to guide passengers.

 

Discounting his actions up to the grounding, people died on the Concordia because of one reason: Schettino did not call for the passengers to be mustered the instant the ship blacked out. Had he done this, and the crew had time to get the passengers organized and counted, the embarkation of the boats, even if not ordered from the bridge, would have been accomplished much quicker, and most likely the port side boats would have been able to be launched prior to her rolling over.

 

40 years at sea, 24 years as Chief Engineer, and 4 years as Staff Chief Engineer on cruise ships (that On Scene Commander).

Edited March 29, 2014 by chengkp75

[erewhon]

I was on the ship during the small fire and indeed we all heard the captain use the F word after his announcement. I guess he forgot to turn off the speaker. He did sound very nervous too...his voice was all shaky. Not something you really want to hear from the man in charge. The cruise director later came on and said it was a false alarm. Liar! We could smell it really bad throughout the ship. They also fixed it while in port in Singapore so hardly a false alarm. They just say stuff like that to keep you calm. I would sooner know the truth.

Thanks for true record. As you know reporters don't always get story correct.

[CowPrincess]

chengkp75, thank you for your contributions. I find your posts informative. And I appreciate that you never take a condescending tone with we "land-lubbers" :D

[Robin7]

We were on the Volendam in line to disembark in Burnie, Tasmania, in 2008 when we heard the blasts on the horn. We thought it must be a drill until the security staff came pounding up the stairs and told us to just get off the ship as quickly as possible. There was a fire in the engine room. The only thing I regretted was leaving our full camera memory cards in the safe in our room. 12-days of memories! But we just continued and got on the bus for our excursion. What else was there to do?

 

The fire was contained quickly IIRC because we were not worried any longer on our tour.

 

Since we weren't scanned off the ship, I always wondered how they knew who was on the ship or not when we sailed. Shrug.

 

Robin

[mariner]

We were aboard NOORDAM, at the bar before dinner, when the fire alarm sounded. I looked at the bartender and said, "Fire alarm?" He shrugged. "No, that was nothing," he said.

 

A minute later, bing-bong-bong. "This is the captain. There is a fire."

 

First, it was a few cabins away from ours.

 

We sat and had our drinks while I plotted how to get to cabin and safe. Mrs. M plotted how to save her stuffed bear.

 

Bing-bong-bong. Fire out.

 

Scary.