15 NACE INTERNATIONAL: VOL. 56, NO. 8 MATERIALS PERFORMANCE AUGUST 2017
The steel storage frame holding the
corroded nitrogen cylinder was damaged
during the explosion. Image courtesy of
TAIC.
The typical four-cylinder installation on the launching system for each lifeboat attached to the
Emerald Princess cruise ship is shown here. Image courtesy of TAIC.
Continued on page 16
nitrogen bottles "were reported aged " on
its inspection immediately preceding the
blast, adding that a replacement was
recommended.
"The circumstances of this accident
raise the question of whether the current
inspection requirements for a competent
person are adequate for a pressure vessel
stored in a harsh marine environment,"
TAIC investigators write. The commis-
sion is concerned that there might be
other pressure vessels, which are part of
the same system or similar systems, that
could pose a signif icant danger to seafar-
ers and passengers.
The Navalimpianti Tecnimpianti
Group (Ceranesi, Italy), which manufac-
tured the lifeboat alternative launching
system, responded by saying it would con-
tact all customers with the same or similar
equipment and utilize its service networks
to support customers with inspections.
In its interim report, the TAIC also
issued recommendations to the Interna-
tional Association of Classif ication Soci-
eties (London, United K ingdom), the
Cruise Line International Association
(Washington, DC), and Maritime New
Zealand (Wellington, New Zealand),
which serves as the country's state mari-
time safety authority.
Specif ically, the TAIC is calling on
leadership in those organizations to
inform members, safety off icials, and
surveyors on the circumstances of the
Emerald Princess accident while advising
them to pay special attention to any
Information on corrosion
control and prevention