Scuba Scene – Another Liveaboard Burns

Fire aboard a vessel at sea is a terrifying experience, as Ahmed Fadel, former manager of MY Suzanna (also known as a Red Sea Aggressor), knows only too well. He remembers the tragic circumstances in 2020 when that vessel went down in a nighttime blaze. One passenger failed to escape and died during the ensuing chaos of evacuation (Undercurrent January 2020).

Fadel is one of the most knowledgeable Red Sea dive guides and has written guide books, and he learned from the experience of the fire. When he teamed up with Dr. Elke Bojanowski, an expert on oceanic white-tip sharks, to manage a liveaboard venture, fire prevention and emergency drills were uppermost in his mind.

The steel-hulled MY Scuba Scene had been rebuilt and refitted. It was like a brand-new vessel, promising the utmost luxury for its passengers. The team of Fadel and Bojanowski promised the best Red Sea diving, so the trips were fully booked right from the beginning. Fadel instigated fire safety and emergency evacuation drills as soon as the vessel left port. He wasn't going to have a repeat of the tragedy he had witnessed on MY Suzanna.

On the morning of April 19, 2022, Scuba Scene departed Hurghada with a full complement of passengers. As was usual, all passengers were required to take part in an emergency fire safety drill before breakfast.

Passenger Bob Latif (London, UK) was among them. He wrote to Undercurrent, "I noticed some smoke coming from the engine room, below decks. Initially, I was not worried. Many a boat spews diesel from cold engines, and it was a windy day, so I thought the wind was blowing back the exhaust. During the practice fire drill, we jokingly commented how the crew had made it extra-realistic with the smoke."

But an engine room fire had actually broken out during that fire drill. There was some confusion about whether it was still a drill or for real.

Latif continued, "When the muster bell rang, I headed down to my cabin to get life vests for myself and my cabin buddy. There was already a lot of smoke in the passageways and cabin. Choking, I quickly grabbed the vest and headed back up to muster on the bow as previously instructed."

He noted that none of the smoke detectors had been activated. (Anyone who has had any experience with Egyptian maintenance might not have been surprised.)

Robert Offenhartz, who was leading a group from Planet Scuba (Castle Rock, CO), pointed out in an email to Undercurrent, "It is important to note that not a single smoke detector on the ship worked. Some might tell you they heard a bell, but it was a crew member ringing a handheld bell. We have 11 statements that were given [later] to the police regarding the smoke detectors. Had this incident happened at night, we would be dealing with condolences rather than congratulations for safely evacuating the ship."

Fire spreads fast on a burning ship, and evidently, not all the passengers had been successfully alerted, and some may not have even taken part in the fire drill.

Another passenger, Darrell Ratliff (Nashville, TN), told Undercurrent, "When I opened the door [of our cabin] the entire hallway was filled with heavy smoke. I told [my cabin mate] to grab his life vest immediately as this was not a drill. We exited into the smoky hallway and worked our way up the stairs. Everyone else had already been evacuated to the front of the vessel, but neither of us had heard an alarm or bell or a smoke detector at any time. And no one came looking for us. It was just by chance I decided to see why [the vessel] had stopped."

"Smoke was coming in all around us from every vent and area on top. Yet still, no alarms of any kind were going off."

Latif confirmed this. "Not a single smoke detector went off even though the boat was full of noxious fumes, and most of the passengers struggled to put on those life jackets by themselves. Passing the gangway on the starboard side, I had to pass through an open bay door spewing out thick black smoke. I held my breath and went through the smoke to meet everyone on the bow. I have done lots of interesting things in my life, but jumping off of a burning boat had thankfully evaded me until now."

The passengers were instructed to evacuate the boat. They hurried down the gangway to the stern, where they quickly boarded the dive dinghies. There was an element of panic. In her haste, one passenger missed her step and almost went into the water.

As is usual for the Red Sea, a desert wind was blowing and fanning the flames. The fire had firmly taken hold, and flames were fully visible with black smoke billowing out on the vessel's starboard side.

Ratcliff and his buddy were less lucky. "We had to slide down the front of the boat to board Zodiacs as the aft stairs were no longer accessible. The entire thing all happened so fast - it seemed like a dream."

"Soon the fire engulfed the entire boat. The dive tanks started exploding, sounding like bombs blasting across the bay. Thank God we were not further out to sea or asleep. It could have been far more tragic. We all got off alive."

The crew had decided that fighting the fire was a lost cause and abandoned ship. The Scuba Scene was a total loss.

The Aftermath of the Disaster

Brought safely back to land, most passengers had little more than the clothes they wore. Fadel's previous experience with emergency evacuations had taught him to take all the passengers' passports for safekeeping before departure, and they were not lost.

Johann and Ingrid Wessels (Saskatchewan, Canada) told Undercurrent, "It was a daunting experience and will not easily be forgotten. It was an eerie, unreal feeling seeing the once majestic boat with all our belongings burn before our eyes.

"The dive company did well trying to identify the people needing the most support and help them get flights changed, transport, etc. We were very well treated by All Star, the managers and crew, and the Egyptian people in general. We salute Elke, Ahmed [Fadel], Hamu, and every member of the crew, for going above and beyond for us while they all lost a lot as well.

"They assured us that there was insurance and everybody would be looked after if their own insurance did not pay or if they did not have insurance.

"Unfortunately, some of the group were very aggressive and tried to get commitments from the company regarding compensation for dive gear, and so on. This took up so much time and attention from those who needed more assistance."

When Undercurrent interviewed Fadel, he alleged that one passenger demanded an immediate compensation payment of $25,000. Of course, that was not forthcoming.

The rescued passengers then had to deal with Egyptian officials who retained their passports while conducting an impromptu inquiry. This is inevitably time-consuming and frustrating, even in First-World countries.

Passenger Darrell Ratliff was not happy. He told Undercurrent, "They held our passports while doing an investigation and questioned each one of us individually. It took them several hours. And then they wanted us all to sign [what looked like] a liability release written in Arabic. After we all refused, someone called the U.S. embassy, and they released our passports to us. They gave us approximately $270 and were going to put us in a local hotel. After much negotiation with Ahmed Fadel, we were sent to the Marriott where we had stayed the night before.

"I didn't get as much as an apology. I was coughing uncontrollably and left after sitting in a hotel doing nothing and having to share a room with someone. I had to buy my tickets back home, where I saw a doctor who told me I was likely suffering from smoke inhalation and was given medication for 21 days."

Dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic event can be as challenging as the event itself. There will always be recriminations from some who suffered a ruined vacation and lost valuables.

Jeremy Smith (Cambridge, UK), who was on a repeat trip on Scuba Scene, was supportive of the crew and said Ahmed Fadel was a fantastic boat manager. "All guests were allowed to make international phone calls from the hotel's telephone room, and the telephone receptionist assisted with connection (phones are not great in Egypt). Emergency toiletries were provided by the hotel, like shaving kits, toothbrushes, etc.

"The boat management (who had also just suffered a great loss) were there at all times, although it was difficult to get to speak to them due to a couple of constant aggressive guests who seemed intent on making matters worse than they already were. I don't think there was anything more the staff and management of Scuba Scene could have done to make the aftermath of the disaster any more comfortable."

Smith lost almost $20,000 worth of dive gear, camera, and computer equipment.

Previous Problems with the Scuba Scene

Richard Kovach (Scottsdale, AZ) told Undercurrent that he had the harrowing experience of a similar fire in 2017 on the Scuba Scene. The Egyptian Navy took 24 hours to tow the hulk back to port while the passengers huddled on the top deck. That fire was caused by a leaking fuel line above a hot exhaust, continually feeding the blaze and making it impossible to control.

He told Undercurrent, "As the captain was radioing the SOS to the Egyptian Navy, our group was mentally preparing to jump from the 35-feet-high top deck into the dark ocean. The crew was focused and very professional, as one can be in such a panic situation, but you could eventually see the fear in their eyes.

"The fire burned for a least two hours before the crew could stop it. I suspect we were very close to having the vessel totally engulfed and burned to the water as it did in last April's disaster."

That fire five years ago was caused by a design and construction fault in the engine room. Undercurrent asked Ahmed Fadel and Dr. Elke Bojanowski if they thought the second fire could have had the same root cause? They said that the boat had a different owner and had been completely rebuilt, and the engine room had an entirely different layout. The steel hull had been refitted and refurbished.

Nevertheless, the engine room's inert gas fire-fighting system had failed to contain or control the fire and its destructive nature. A thorough investigation is almost impossible because the vessel is now lying inverted on the 130-feet deep sea bed.

All of us who travel on liveaboard dive boats presume that the owner and crew have done everything possible to preserve our safety. What other liveaboards have hidden yet fatal flaws that threaten our well-being?

- John Bantin