On May 3, 2022, at about 19:45 local time, the inspected passenger vessel Natchez, with one crewmember on board standing a security watch, was moored in the Industrial Canal in New Orleans, Louisiana, undergoing renovations when a fire broke out.1 Local firefighters extinguished the fire at 2139. No pollution or injuries were reported. Damage to the vessel was estimated at $1.5 million.
SPECIAL NOTE:
- The investigation determined Hot work to remove the electrical panel in the generator space within the engine room was completed at 15:45.
- The diesel engine technician, working in a different area of the space, was the last to leave when he stopped working in the generator space at about 18:00. He did not notice any sign of a fire or smoke before departing the area, and neither he nor the deckhand on vessel security watch noticed any indication of a fire when the technician departed the vessel about 18:30.
- The first indication that there was a fire was about 1 hour and 15 minutes later, at 19:45, when the deckhand saw smoke, went to investigate, and saw the fire within the engine room.
