In 1970, Rep. Edward Garmatz, (D-Md.) gave
fellow members of Congress three reasons the Delta Queen steamboat
should not be permitted to continue operations as in inland river
overnight passenger boat: "(a) The boat is a fire trap, (b) it is
made largely of wood, (c) wood burns."
Garmatz was
eventually outvoted, and the Delta Queen continued operating,
exempted from a 1966 law that banned wooden vessels from carrying
50 or more passengers on overnight trips. The Delta Queen, built in
1926, has a steel hull but a wooden superstructure.
The ship has
obtained six Congressional exemptions since 1970, based partly on
being a river-going vessel and never being far from land, and
because its various owners have invested in a comprehensive
sprinkler system, fire-retardant paint and advanced fire-detection
systems to make it as compliant as possible with the
law.
But history may
repeat itself this year, as the current owners of the Delta Queen
lobby Congress for an extension of its current exemption, which
expires in November.
This time, the
opposition comes from the Seafarers International Union, which
Ambassadors International, parent of Majestic America Line (which
operates the Delta Queen), said has voiced concerns about training
and safety on the ship.
"For 40 years the
Delta Queen has proven that safety and historical integrity are not
incompatible," said Joe Ueberroth, CEO of Ambassadors. "We've had a
stellar record." (See "In the Hot Seat: Joe Ueberroth.")
The SIU did not
return requests for comment.
Ueberroth said
that getting the exemption had always been "fairly routine." As
recently as last year, he said, a 10-year exemption was passed by
the House, but due to midterm elections, the exemption never made
it to the Senate.
The operator is
circulating a letter asking people to petition Rep. James Oberstar
(D-Minn.), chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee, or Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), chair of the Commerce,
Science and Transportation Committee, to keep the steamboat
sailing.
Jim Berard,
communications director for the House Transportation Committee,
said he did not know where the committee stood but would look into
whether there were sufficient safeguards for passengers in the
event of a fire onboard.
"The Delta Queen
is the only wooden riverboat left," Berard said. "It is operating
on waivers of Coast Guard regulations regarding wooden structure
boats. ... The boat is getting older, and so we have to be assured
that it can continue to operate safely."
Nori Muster,
daughter of Bill Muster, president of Greene Line Steamers, the
ship's owner back in 1970, said, "The main reason for keeping the
boat as an overnight passenger vessel is that it is pure Americana.
Steamboats are an important symbol for America, and it deserves to
continue."
To contact
reporter Johanna Jainchill, send e-mail to [email protected].