Al-Salam Boccaccio 98

2006

Red Sea, fire below, a thousand and thirty-one Location: Red Sea, between Duba and Safaga · Coordinates: 26.83°N 34.50°E · Casualties: 1,031 · Survivors: 388 · Depth: 960 m · Cause: fire · capsize — Fire broke out on her vehicle deck shortly after leaving Duba, Saudi Arabia, at 02:30 on 3 February 2006 en route to Safaga, Egypt. The firefighting water accumulated in the vehicle deck scuppers; the list built and she capsized. · Fate: abyssal · not recovered · Type: roll-on/roll-off ferry · El Salam Maritime · Tonnage: 11,779 tons · Crew: 104 · Flag: Panama · Launched: 1970 Egyptian passenger ferry, Duba to Safaga, carrying Egyptian workers home from Saudi Arabia. Fire broke out on the vehicle deck shortly after departure; the captain reversed course rather than stopping and the accumulated firefighting water built a list that could not be recovered. 1,031 dead of 1,419 aboard. No distress call reached shore. The corruption trial of the ship's owner Mamdouh Ismail produced a seven-year sentence in absentia. The Vessel The MV Al-Salam Boccaccio 98 was an Egyptian-flagged passenger-car ferry of the Al-Salam Maritime Transport Company, built at the Italian Italcantieri yard at Castellammare di Stabia, Italy between 1969 and 1970 and commissioned on 22 July 1970. She was 130 metres long, 11,779 gross tons, and powered by twin steam turbines producing approximately 18,000 horsepower. Her accommodation comprised approximately 1,310 passengers plus approximately 320 road vehicles in her lower-deck vehicle bay, plus a crew of approximately 100. She had originally been built as the MV Boccaccio for the Italian Tirrenia di Navigazione ferry service between Italy and Sardinia; she was subsequently sold to various operators through the 1980s and 1990s and was eventually purchased by the Egyptian Al-Salam Maritime Transport Company in 1999 and renamed Al-Salam Boccaccio 98. Her post-1999 operational role was the Red Sea ferry service between Egypt (Safaga) and Saudi Arabia (Duba), transporting predominantly Egyptian pilgrims and migrant workers. The specific operational context was the Red Sea passenger ferry industry. The specific industry carried approximately 2-3 million passengers annually between Egypt and Saudi Arabia; the specific safety standards had been substantially variable; the specific maintenance condition of the aging fleet was a continuing concern. By February 2006, the Al-Salam Boccaccio 98 had been operating on the Red Sea route for 7 years. The specific maintenance and operational c The Disaster The progressive fire in the engine room had catastrophic consequences for the ship's operational capability. The specific fire damaged the ship's fire-fighting pumps, the watertight compartment systems, and the electrical supply systems. The specific consequence was that the ship became increasingly uncontrollable in the extreme weather conditions. At approximately 02:30 on 3 February 2006, Al-Salam Boccaccio 98 was approximately 160 kilometres from Safaga; the fire was progressively uncontrolled; the ship's stability was substantially compromised. The specific evacuation procedures had not been initiated by Captain Omar. The specific catastrophic event occurred at approximately 02:50 on 3 February 2006. The combination of: (i) the extreme weather conditions; (ii) the fire-damaged ship's structural integrity; (iii) the specific cargo and passenger weight distribution; and (iv) the substantial waves produced a progressive cargo shift and list to starboard. MV Al-Salam Boccaccio 98 capsized and sank at approximately 03:00 on 3 February 2006 in approximately 250 metres of water in the central Red Sea, approximately 160 kilometres south of Safaga. The capsize was catastrophic and rapid; the ship rolled completely inverted within approximately 15 minutes of the initial loss of stability. The specific evacuation was substantially unsuccessful for the majority of those aboard. The extreme weather conditions made lifeboat launch impossible; the fire had damaged the ship's communicati