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ELLIOTT: Lighten up! 3 reasons the travel industry should end its war on smokers  

It’s more than a little ironic that the persecution of smokers is a legitimate issue in 2009. Just two short decades ago, the travel industry was more than accommodating to visitors who wanted to have a cigarette. You could puff away in rental cars, hotel rooms, restaurants — even on flights. . . .

Should the travel industry try to turn back the clock, pushing for laws that permit smoking in hotels, planes and restaurants?

No. The dangers of secondhand smoke are indisputable. But shouldn’t smokers be allowed to enjoy a cigarette, cigar or pipe when they aren’t exposing anyone else to the dangerous carcinogens to which they’re addicted? As long as smoking is legal in America, the answer to that question ought to be: “yes.”

Even ardent nonsmokers like Bill Armstrong, a consultant based in Calgary, concede that smokers should have a place in this world. “In my opinion, a smoking area in a hotel should be away from where guests normally go,” he says. “The smoke from the smoking area should not blow into the hotel, pool or rooms.”

I agree. I think just as we used to allow smokers to indiscriminately consume tobacco products anywhere, we’ve now gone too far in the other direction. Maybe it’s time for a little balance.

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Isle of Man | Ferry firm introduces smoking ban 

Smokers can no longer light up on fast craft trips between the Isle of Man and Liverpool, a ferry boss has revealed.

The Steam Packet Company is banning smoking on its Snaefell craft when it resumes service on 27 March.

Chief Executive Mark Woodward said it was important for the comfort of non-smokers, given the relatively limited outside deck area.

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Smoking suspected in fatal boat fire 

A 73-old-old man who died in a fire on his live-aboard vessel in New Westminster had received an eviction notice and his electrical power had been cut off only days ago, a resident of the same small marina said Friday.

Investigators suspect smoking as the cause of the blaze

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Jadrolinija ferry company bans smoking in indoor areas 

Croatian national ferry firm Jadrolinija has announced a ban on smoking in indoor areas on all their ferries, four months before the new law restricting smoking enters into force.

"We have imposed a ban on smoking in all Jadrolinija offices and on all our ferries", firm official Ante Mrvica told daily newspaper 'Slobodna Dalmacija.' Passengers have accepted our decision without question", he added.

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BURNETT: Grand Theft Nautical  

TO the horror of many and the fascination of most, the Sirius Star, an enormous tanker transporting two million barrels of crude oil to the United States, was captured by pirates far off the African coast on Nov. 15. . . .

The Sirius was just a target of opportunity. Pirates had no idea that they were about to capture a potential floating bomb. It is not the crude oil that is volatile. You can douse a cigarette in the stuff. It is the vapor from the cargo that is vented into the air that is explosive. For this reason, no one is allowed on deck with a camera, flashlight, cellphone or a plastic cigarette lighter in his pocket. One can imagine the captain of the Sirius Star pleading with his captors not to shoot their guns on deck.

No one wants to contemplate the effects of an exploding tanker laden with 300,000 tons of crude oil. To place this ship in some perspective, the Exxon Valdez, which ran aground in the Gulf of Alaska in 1989, carried 53 million gallons of crude oil. The Sirius is carrying nearly 84 million gallons. If that amount of crude were to escape, the environmental damage to the Indian Ocean and the East African coast, upon which millions earn their living, would be catastrophic.

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Cigarette smoke could have triggered submarine mishap: Expert  

Unauthorised smoking could have triggered on the fire-extinguishing system that led to 20 people losing their lives on the Russian nuclear submarine, to be leased to India next year, a naval expert said on Tuesday.

The new theory on what led to the worst accident in Russian navy's history came as top former naval commander Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov, described the massive death toll on board a brand new submarine "gross unprofessionalism and negligence". . . .

Pressing at the possibility of cigarette smoke triggering the mishap, Chairman of St Petersburg club of submariners, Capt (rtd) Igor Kudrin said a person might have lighted a cigarette near a safety gauge switching on the fire-extinguishing system.

"After its modification the fire-extinguishing system (inclusion of automatic Freon release system) began reacting to smoke and temperature above 70 degrees C. In principle it could have been activated by cigarette smoke," Kudrin was quoted as saying by 'Moskovsky Komsomolets' daily.

"Since it is very difficult to control civilians, may be one of them, instead of waiting for his turn to go to smoking room, lighted cigarette near a safety gauge," he said.

While older generations of submarines had fire safety systems that were activated on the captain's command, new submarines have systems that switch on automatically

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Poor Preparation Blamed for Deaths on Sub 

Civilians are supposed to undergo training on safety procedures, but "it is usually limited to some formal instructions," Igor Kudrin, a former submarine captain, told Kommersant. He speculated that someone lighting a cigarette near a safety gauge might have triggered the fire system.

While older generations of submarines had fire safety systems that were activated on the captain's command, new submarines have systems that switch on automatically, said another former submarine captain, Nikolai Markovtsev, Kommersant reported.

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• Russian Sub Accident Kills 20  

A manufacturing flaw, a misplaced cable, even a cigarette.

Those are some of the scenarios put forward by navy veterans and experts as investigators try to determine what activated a firefighting system aboard a new Russian nuclear submarine beneath the Sea of Japan, and why 20 people were killed.

The Akula-class submarine was undergoing sea trials Saturday with 208 people aboard when its fire-extinguishing system activated in error, spewing Freon gas that suffocated the victims and injured 21 others, Russian officials said.

With little official information emerging yet about the precise cause, experts said overcrowding and human errors may have contributed to the accident and the casualty toll aboard the Nerpa - the worst on a Russian sub since the Kursk disaster killed 118 seamen in 2000. . . .

Igor Kurdin, a former captain who heads an association of submarine veterans, told the Russian newspaper Kommersant that the fire-suppression system could have been triggered by something as simple as someone smoking a cigarette near a safety gauge.

"Civilians should have undergone training. But it usually is a mere formality," Kurdin was quoted as saying.

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• Smokers make a last stand on the high seas 

Cruise ships, one of the last bastions of freedom for smokers, are joining the rest of the travel industry in introducing draconian measures to restrict use of the “evil weed”. Ships on the high seas are not subject to the same smoking laws as hotels, restaurants bars and other public places are on land. Nevertheless the winds of change are blowing in favour of non-smokers.

The Cruise line P&O recently changed its policy, designating only one indoor public area for smokers to light up and making the rest of their ships off limits. Another UK based cruise line, Fred Olsen, announced last month that it is kicking the habit in the New Year and will introduce a totally smoke-free environment - at least indoors - on all five of its vessels in early 2009. . . .

Cruise smokers however are refusing to give up quietly and have been mounting what could be the last stand for tobacco and travel. Much of the battle is being fought in the virtual world of travel blogs, forums and reviews. Said editor in chief of cruise news and reviews site, Carolyn Spencer Brown, “This is probably the most hotly debated cruise topic ever – it makes fuel surcharges seem likely a minor irritant.

“Cruisecritic.co.uk has been inundated with e-mails and postings from both the pro and anti groups. Tempers are running high the tone is often passionate if not strident and vicious.

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• Smoking ban in British waters 

Ships travelling in British waters face a complete smoking ban in 2009 as P&O cuts back on lighting up

SHIPS travelling in British waters face a complete smoking ban next year. The Department for Transport is considering banning smoking inside vessels within 12 miles (19km) of the British coast. The move would mean that smokers could light up for only 17 of the 29 miles between Dover and Calais.

William Gibbons, director of the Passenger Shipping Association, said that annoucements would be made to let passengers know when smoking was permitted. "The rules will apply to all ships, whatever the flag," he said.

P&O Cruises is the latest cruise line to ban smoking inside three of its ships - the Oceana, Ventura and Artemis. Passengers will be allowed to light up only in designated outside areas or on private balconies.

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Two top Navy officers fired over $70 million carrier blaze  

The Navy's Pacific commander fired the top two officers on the aircraft carrier George Washington on Wednesday after investigators concluded that a $70 million fire that damaged the ship in May probably was triggered by crew members sneaking a smoke.

Capt. David C. Dykhoff, skipper of the carrier, was relieved "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command and his failure to meet mission requirements and readiness standards," the service said. His executive officer, Capt. David M. Dober, was sacked "for substandard performance."

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Navy dismisses ship's top two officers 

Navy officials dismissed the top two officers aboard the aircraft carrier George Washington yesterday after investigators linked a massive fire May 22 to one or more sailors who carelessly smoked around flammable materials.

The blaze, which burned for 12 hours as the ship cruised off the western coast of South America, damaged 80 of 3,800 rooms aboard the carrier and will cost about $70 million to repair, said Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Brown, a Naval Air Forces spokesman.

The ship's commander, Capt. David Dykhoff, was relieved because of his superiors' “loss of confidence in his ability to command,” Brown said, while Capt. David Dober, the executive officer, was replaced for “substandard performance.”

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USS George Washington Investigation Complete, Senior Leadership Relieved 

Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Adm. Robert F. Willard, issued a final endorsement to the investigation of a fire that occurred aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73) on May 22. As directed by Adm. Willard, Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific, Vice Adm. Thomas J. Kilcline, Jr., relieved the Commanding Officer of USS George Washington (CVN 73), Capt. David C. Dykhoff, today due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command and his failure to meet mission requirements and readiness standards. . . .

The Chief of Naval Operations directed the Manual of Judge Advocate General investigation headed by the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. The investigation determined that the likely cause of the fire was unauthorized smoking that ignited flammable liquids and other combustible material improperly stored in an adjacent space. The fire and the subsequent magnitude of the fire were the result of a series of human acts that could have been prevented. . . .

The estimated cost of repairs to George Washington as a direct result of the shipboard fire is approximately $70 million.

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• Navy cites smoking as likely cause of carrier fire 

Smoking appears to have sparked a fire that caused $70 million in damage to the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, Naval officials said Wednesday.

The announcement by the Navy came as Adm. Robert F. Willard, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, relieved the carrier's commanding officer, Capt. David C. Dykhoff, and the executive officer of duty, Capt. David M. Dober.

Willard cited lost confidence in the commanding officer and his failure to meet mission standards after the investigation found unauthorized smoking by a crew member appeared to have ignited flammable liquids and other combustible material that were improperly stored. The other officer was relieved of duty for substandard performance.

"The fire and the subsequent magnitude of the fire were the result of a series of human acts that could have been prevented," according to a statement released by the Naval Air Forces in San Diego.

The Norfolk, Va.-based carrier was en route from Chile to San Diego when the fire began on May 22. . . .

Naval officials now say it took about 12 hours to put out the fire because of the location and size. Fire and heat damaged electrical cabling and components running through 80 of the 3,800 compartments across several decks of the carrier.

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Navy: Cigarette cause of aircraft carrier fire in May 

A cigarette was the cause of a May fire aboard the US aircraft carrier USS George Washington that injured 37 sailors, the US Navy reported Wednesday. Investigators believe the fire was started when a cigarette ignited "combustible material improperly stored" in an engineering room, according to a US Navy press release.

The Navy Wednesday relieved the commanding officer of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Captain David Dykhoff, of duty due to a "loss of confidence in his ability to command" as well as his executive officer, Captain David Dober.

The fire, which lasted more than 12 hours before being extinguished, caused an estimated 70 million dollars in damage to the George Washington.

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