Spirit of Norfolk passed inspection weeks before fire, wasn’t required to have fire alarm, officials say

The Spirit of Norfolk underwent a safety inspection four weeks before it went up in flames and no deficiencies were found, according to a Coast Guard official.

The most recent inspection of the ship was conducted May 10, said Captain Jennifer Stockwell, commander of Coast Guard Sector Virginia. The inspection included an evaluation of the fire pump on board and a fire drill, review of the crew’s certificates and the keeping of logs, navigation systems, the anchor system, structural integrity and lifesaving procedures.

“The vessel passed, there were no deficiencies that were noted,” she said.

The documentation on this inspection has not been made public due to remaining steps before it is finalized, which Stockwell said should be in the next few weeks.

The Spirit of Norfolk caught fire around noon June 7 while more than 100 people were on board — including 89 children — and burned for nearly five days, leaving the iconic ship a blackened skeleton of its former self.

In videos shared with The Virginian-Pilot showing the early moments of those on board becoming aware of the fire, there is a distinct lack of an alarm. A passenger also confirmed in an interview he did not hear an alarm.

Officials said that’s because the ship didn’t have one. It was built in 1992 — before vessels in passenger service were required to have smoke detectors or fixed fire extinguishing equipment, Stockwell said.

“It’s sort of like a house or a car,” Stockwell said. “When the new standards evolve and they come out, you’re not required to then go back and install this new system — anti-lock brakes or an airbag into an older car — it’s the newer cars that need to comply.”

The standard for ships built today is for fire alarms to be installed in spaces containing propulsion machinery, in a space containing an internal combustion engine of more than 37.3 kW, and spaces containing an oil-fired boiler.

The Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the fire — a process they typically aim to complete within 45 days, meaning it would be done sometime in late July, Stockwell said.

Stockwell, whose office conducted inspections and oversight of the Spirit of Norfolk, said the investigation is “extremely general” and will look at what caused the fire and if there was anything that could have been done to prevent it or to have a better response.

The investigation will also consider the possibility the fire was intentionally set, but Stockwell said early indications make it appear that was not the case.

“I mean, the amount of passion I saw from that crew,” she said, referring to the swift action to get the passengers off the ship safely. “Honestly they’re going to look at everything, that’s the intention of the investigation ... I do not see (the fire being intentional) as a concern at present.”

The ship is considered a loss, according to Scott Smith, senior vice president of the Hornblower Group, the parent company of the ship.

All of the booked guests who were impacted by the fire have been contacted directly to either rebook their events or to cancel and receive a full refund for bookings made through July 3, according to City Experiences. Another ship, Freedom Elite, is being used in the place of the Spirit of Norfolk to accommodate some cruises.

A spokesperson for City Experiences, a subsidiary of Hornblower, did not provide a specific date for when they would resume operations, nor state how many refunds, cancellations and reschedulings have been made.

“We are looking at getting to sailing again as quickly as possible and are moving another one of our vessels to Norfolk to accommodate our summer bookings,” the company said, adding that “we are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support we have received from the community.”

The company affirmed their commitment to safety.

“At City Cruises, the safety of our guests, crew members and partners has been and will always remain our top priority as we are committed to delivering the most memorable experiences,” the spokesperson said. “All our vessels are put through a rigorous safety and training processes and protocols to ensure we are meeting the mandated safety standards.”

Gavin Stone, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com