- Named by a maritime lawyer as engineer Joseph Terrado and windshield wiper Wawan Gusnawan, the two were killed by an explosion on board the ship Nieuw Amsterdam
- Holland America issued a statement saying the tragedy occurred “in an onboard equipment room” while the boat was anchored off Half Moon Cay
- Maritime attorney Jim Walker said “an explosion in the engine room resulted in the release of steam,” leading to the deaths around 10 a.m. Friday
Two employees of a Holland America cruise ship were apparently boiled to death when a steam compensator exploded in the engine room while it was docked close to the Bahamas.
The two, named by a maritime lawyer as engineer Joseph Terrado and windshield wiper Wawan Gusnawan, died in an explosion on board the ship Nieuw Amsterdam around 9 a.m. on Friday.
Holland America released a statement saying the tragedy occurred “in an onboard equipment room” while the boat was anchored off 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.
“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 during this difficult time.”
Two employees of a Holland America cruise ship were apparently boiled to death when a steam compensator exploded in the engine room (pictured) while moored close to the Bahamas
The two, named by a maritime lawyer as engineer Joseph Terrado and windshield wiper Wawan Gusnawan, were killed around 9 a.m. on Friday by an explosion on board the ship Nieuw Amsterdam (photo).
The cruise line added that the “safety, security and well-being of all guests and crew” are the company’s “absolute priority” and that they are offering counseling services to anyone affected by the incident.
Maritime lawyer Jim Walker, of Walker & O’Neill Maritime lawyers said that “an explosion in the engine room resulted in the release of steam,” which led to the deaths.
“The catastrophic explosion, combined with a series of errors in the response to the accident, caused the deaths of HAL employees Joseph Terrado and Wawan Gusnawan,” he said.
Walker added that Terrado, from the Philippines, and Gusnawan, from Indonesia, “were installing filters when a steam compensator unrelated to their duties exploded.”
He said the device that malfunctioned was the “thermal expansion joint” in the compensator.
The explosion released steam into the engine room, causing an alarm. Staff reportedly closed the watertight doors and turned off ventilation to the room before evacuating, but two members were still inside.
A maritime lawyer said the device that malfunctioned was the ‘thermal expansion joint’ in the compensator (pictured)
Terrado and Gusnawan were not equipped with breathing apparatus and could not manually open the hydraulic doors, according to Walker.
“They were stuck in space,” Walker said. ‘They apparently suffocated due to the lack of oxygen and the hot steam (180 degrees Celsius) that overwhelmed them. Their bodies were close to the closed watertight doors.
The Nieuw Amsterdam’s home port is Fort Lauderdale and it departed on March 16 for a seven-night voyage, according to ABC News.
DailyMail.com has contacted Holland America for more information.