I came across this article on the Monarch of the Seas, at the Port of LA, about a terrible accident with loss of life. As you are probably wondering how the heck this exactly happen. I am not sure myself, but it sounds like the article is not completely accurate. Although it seemed to be the most accurate from the half dozen or so I read. If it was indeed methane, I guess they are lucky it did not ignite.
3 crew members killed by gas leak on cruise ship in LA harbor
Associated Press
Sept. 2, 2005 11:44 AM
LOS ANGELES - Three crew members were killed by an apparent methane gas leak aboard a cruise ship in the Port of Los Angeles on Friday, a fire spokeswoman said. There were three fatalities and seven other people injured, Fire Department spokeswoman Melissa Kelley said.
No passengers were involved, she said. Two of the injured were ship's physicians who had gone to aid the others. Two of the injured were being taken to hospitals. The other five were "walking," she said. The incident aboard Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas was reported at 9:15 a.m.
Crew members were performing routine maintenance in the starboard propeller shaft when they came in contact with the gas, Kelley said. Firefighters discovered a five-gallon container of raw sewage that was the apparent source of the methane leak, she said. Passengers were allowed to remain aboard the ship.
The 14-year-old Monarch of the Seas is based in Los Angeles harbor and normally cruises to Baja California, according to the line's Web site. Registered in the Bahamas, it and can carry up to 2,744 passengers and 856 crew.
The ship is 880 feet long, 106 feet wide, cruises at 21 knots, has 14 passenger decks.