- Identified as engineer Joseph Terrado and windshield wiper Wawan Gusnawan by a maritime lawyer, the two died from an explosion aboard the ship Nieuw Amsterdam.
- Holland America issued a statement saying the tragedy unfolded “in an onboard engineering space” while the ship was anchored at Half Moon Cay.
- Maritime lawyer Jim Walker said “an explosion in the engine room caused the release of steam” that caused the deaths about 10am on Friday.
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Two workers on the Holland America cruise ship were burned to death when a steam compensator exploded in the engine room while it was docked near the Bahamas.
Identified as engineer Joseph Terrado and wiper Wawan Gusnawan by a maritime lawyer, the two died from a “catastrophic explosion” aboard the ship Nieuw Amsterdam around 9 a.m. on Friday.
Passenger Laine Doss said the captain broke the news of the deaths to passengers over the ship’s speakers.
“I was crying audibly, it was shocking to hear that,” he said. ABC News. “The whole ship became somber, asked for a moment of silence.”
The explosion released steam into the engine room, triggering an alarm. Staff reportedly closed the airtight doors and turned off ventilation in the space before evacuating, but two members were still inside.
Two workers on the Holland America cruise ship were burned to death when a steam compensator exploded in the engine room (pictured) while docked near the Bahamas.
Identified as engineer Joseph Terrado and wiper Wawan Gusnawan by a maritime lawyer, the two died in an explosion aboard the ship Nieuw Amsterdam (pictured) around 9am on Friday.
Passenger Laine Doss said the captain broke the news of the deaths to passengers over the ship’s speakers.
Terrado and Gusnawan were not equipped with breathing devices, according to Maritime lawyer Jim Walker of Walker and O’Neill maritime lawyers, and they could not manually open the hydraulic doors.
“They were trapped in space,” Walker said.
‘They apparently suffocated due to lack of oxygen and hot steam (180 degrees Celsius) overwhelming them. Their bodies were located near the closed hermetic doors.
Walker added that Terrado, from the Philippines, and Gusnawan, from Indonesia, were “installing filters when an unrelated vapor compensator exploded.”
He said the equipment that failed was the “thermal expansion joint” inside the compensator.
“The catastrophic explosion, combined with a series of errors in the response to the accident, led to the deaths of HAL employees Joseph Terrado and Wawan Gusnawan,” Walker said.
Holland America issued a statement saying the tragedy unfolded “in an onboard engineering space” while the ship was anchored at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas.
“The appropriate authorities have been notified and the cause of the incident is currently under investigation,” the Seattle-based cruise line said in a statement.
Holland America issued a statement saying the tragedy occurred “in an onboard engineering space” while the ship was anchored at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas.
A maritime lawyer said the piece of equipment that malfunctioned was the “thermal expansion joint” inside the compensator (pictured).
“All of us at Holland America are deeply saddened by this incident and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of our team members at this difficult time.”
The cruise line added that “the safety and well-being of all guests and crew” is the company’s “absolute priority” and they are offering counseling services to anyone affected by the incident.
The Nieuw Amsterdam’s home port is Fort Lauderdale in Florida and it set sail on March 16 on a seven-night voyage, according to ABC News.
DailyMail.com has contacted Holland America for more information.