LA DOLCE VITA

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NTSB report: Lack of fire dampers may have hindered response to yacht fire

The fire aboard the 'La Dolce Vita' on March 16, 2021, off Key West last year was likely caused by an electrical fire in the engine room, according to the NTSB. Once started,it could not be extinguished - in part because the space had no fire dampers or provisions for remote shutdown of the ventilation fans. In the evening, the chief mate aboard the yacht smelled something burning and discovered smoke in the engine room, emating from the enclosure on the starboard generator set. He shut the hatch and went to get the captain. They returned together, and when they opened the door, they saw flames and smoke billowing from the generator. The captain secured both generators and attempted to use fire extinguishers to put out the blaze. Seeing that they had no effect, he shut the hatch again and - without taking further preparatory steps - activated the fixed-firefighting system, releasing FM-200 fire suppression gas into the space. He then proceeded to make a distress call to the U.S. Coast Guard over VHF, and he ordered the passengers to get ready to evacuate. After making one last attempt to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, he abandoned ship in the yacht tender with the passengers and other crewmembers. A Coast Guard fast response boat out of Key West arrived shortly after and safely rescued all survivors. The 'La Dolce Vita' burned to the waterline, and then sank to the bottom in a designated National Marine Sanctuary. The vessel was declared a total loss at a cost of about $3.9 million. The wreck was salvaged and carried to shore for inspection, but due to the extent of the damage, it was not possible to determine the root cause of the fire with certainty. However, investigators were able to determine that the crew had little chance of securing ventilation to the engine room. The space was fitted with two intake fans and two exhaust fans, which could only be switched on and off at the main switchboard at the forward end of the engine room. Even if these were shut off, the space had no fire dampers, as they were not required by the applicable yacht standards at the time of the vessel's construction and had not been retrofitted later. Report with photos: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/ntsb-lack-of-fire-dampers-may-have-hindered-response-to-yacht-fire

Yacht gutted by fire

The US Coast Guard was alerted on March 16, 2021, after a fire broke out on the ‘La Dolce Vita‘ not far from Marquesas in Florida. The captain made an emergency call to the Key West station after the starboard generator had caught fire. All six people on board left the yacht in a lifeboat and were escorted to shore by a crew from Key West station. The yacht burned out completely and sank on shallow water. Only the upper parts of the melted wreck still loomed above the surface. Some diesel amounts leaked. Commercial salvors took action against a light film of oil on the water and laid out an oil barrier around the wreck. The ‘La Dolce Vita had a capacity of just under 4,500 gallons of diesel. How much was on board or left was unknown. An investigation has been initiated into the cause of the fire. Report with photo: https://coastguardnews.com/coast-guard-oversees-diesel-spill-clean-up-near-marquesas-after-yacht-fire/2021/03/18/