Larger escape hatches and illuminated exit signs were just some of the safety standards that the Conception was given special exemptions from by the U.S. Coast Guard, records show.
But federal officials probing the worst maritime disaster in modern California history immediately zeroed in about the functionality of the two exits in the area where passengers slept in stacked bunks beneath the waterline. National Transportation Safety Board investigator Jennifer Homendy told The Times in September that she wasof the emergency escape hatches, adding that she thought it would be difficult for passengers to exit during an emergency in the dark.
Kyle McAvoy, a marine safety expert at Robson Forensic and former Coast Guard chief of the Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance Policy, said the grandfathering of older vessels often happens when meeting new regulations is economically unfeasible and impractical. He said he is not surprised inspectors are already scouring vessels across the country and he noted that owners can always go beyond the minimum standards to ensure passenger safety, adding: “The Coast Guard regulations are the floor, not the ceiling.”
Among the incidents was a fire aboard a vessel on the Mississippi River that claimed three lives. The Coast Guard determined that a $200 vapor detector would have prevented the deaths. Additionally, 32% of all fires occurred on wood-hulled vessels. And during that period, 57% of all fires started in the machinery spaces aboard the boats.
Additionally, the rule stated: “The minimum clear opening of a door or passageway used as a means of escape must not be less than” 32 inches in width and “illuminated exit signs are required and must be installed.” Both boats are owned by Truth Aquatics, which operates the fleet for diving and other excursions around the Channel Islands. The U.S. Coast Guard has said the Conception had passed all recent inspections.
“It was very difficult,” Homendy said about trying to exit the escape hatch. “I was taken aback by that.” A preliminary NTSB investigation found that the Conception had violated a requirement that it have a roving watch during the night, saying the five crew members who survived awoke to discover the flames. A Santa Barbara County coroner’s review determined the 34 killed died of smoke inhalation.
Coast Guard investigators along with the FBI have served searched warrants on Truth Aquatics and its vessels as part of a criminal investigation. The evidence gathered along with dozens of interviews is being reviewed by federal prosecutors as part of the ongoing probe.
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