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COPYRIGHT 2001 The Miami Herald
May 29--Coast Guard officials again refused to let the SS Norway leave the Port of Miami-Dade on Monday after the aging cruise vessel failed an impromptu stem-to-stern safety inspection, ordered after a leaky sprinkler system raised questions about its seaworthiness.
Lt. Cmdr. Ron LaBrec, a Coast Guard spokesman, told reporters that emergency repairs to the ship's sprinkler system were not enough to ensure passenger safety. He said 26 leaks on the main pipeline feeding the sprinkler system were still "unacceptably patched," posing a fire-safety hazard.
"The ship will not be sailing with passengers this evening," he told reporters.
The decision left more than 2,000 passengers stranded on board for a second night. The Norway was originally scheduled to leave at 4 p.m. Sunday for a seven-day Caribbean cruise, but the Coast Guard ordered it to remain in port when a spot inspection turned up more than 100 poorly repaired leaks on the sprinkler line.
Hoping to stave off a costly cancellation, Norwegian Cruise Line -- the ship's...
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