By Laura Parnaby For Dailymail.Com
Published: 09:13 EDT, 25 March 2024 | Updated: 10:54 EDT, 25 March 2024 Neoprene Rubber Bellows
Two Holland America cruise ship workers were boiled to death when a steam compensator exploded in the engine room while it was docked close to the Bahamas.
Named as engineer Joseph Terrado and wiper Wawan Gusnawan by a maritime lawyer, the two were killed by a 'catastrophic explosion' on board the Nieuw Amsterdam ship around 9am Friday.
Passenger Laine Doss said the captain broke the news of the deaths to passengers over the ship's announcement speakers.
‘He was audibly crying, it was shocking to hear that,’ she told ABC News. ‘The entire ship turned somber, he asked for a moment of silence.’
The explosion released steam into the engine room, triggering an alarm. Staff reportedly closed the water-tight doors and shut down the ventilation to the space before evacuating - but two members were still inside.
Two Holland America cruise ship workers were boiled to death when a steam compensator exploded in the engine room (pictured) while it was docked close to the Bahamas
Named as engineer Joseph Terrado and wiper Wawan Gusnawan by a maritime lawyer, the two were killed by an explosion on board the Nieuw Amsterdam ship (pictured) at around 9am Friday
Passenger Laine Doss said the captain broke the news of the deaths to passengers over the ship's announcement speakers
'They were trapped in the space,' Walker said.
'They apparently suffocated due to the lack of oxygen and hot steam (180 degrees Celsius) which overwhelmed them. Their bodies were located near the closed water tight doors.
Walker added Terrado, from the Philippines, and Gusnawan, from Indonesia, were 'installing filters when a steam compensator unrelated to their duties exploded.'
He said the piece of equipment which malfunctioned was the 'thermal expansion joint' within the compensator.
'The catastrophic explosion, combined with a series of mistakes in responding to the accident, caused the deaths of HAL employees Joseph Terrado and Wawan Gusnawan,' Walker said.
Holland America issued a statement saying the tragedy unfolded 'in an engineering space on board' while the boat was anchored at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas.
'The appropriate authorities were notified, and the cause of the incident is currently being investigated,' the Seattle-based cruise line said in a statement.
Holland America issued a statement saying the tragedy unfolded 'in an engineering space on board' while the boat was anchored at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas
A maritime attorney said the piece of equipment which malfunctioned was the 'thermal expansion joint' within the compensator (pictured)
'All of us at Holland America are deeply saddened by this incident and our thoughts and prayers are with our team members' families at this difficult time.'
The cruise line added the 'safety, security and welfare of all guests and crew' are the company's 'absolute priority', and they are offering counseling services to anyone affected by the incident.
The Nieuw Amsterdam’s homeport is Fort Lauderdale in Florida, and it set sail on March 16 on a seven-night voyage, according to ABC News.
Flexible Bellow Pipe DailyMail.com has contacted Holland America for more information.