The next meeting of the investigators, in the context of their investigation for the causes and circumstances of the fire onboard NORMAN ATLANTIC, is on the 2^nd July 2015. They will meet in Genoa, Italy, in order to examine the alarm panel of the ship i.e. the panel where the fire alarms during the incident have (or should have been) recorded. The examination will take place at the specialist laboratory Ship System Srl. The main aim is to extract the data from the data recorder and create digital copies. Experts appointed by our office will attend. During this meeting it is expected that the experts will also determine the schedule for the next actions of the investigation, both onboard the ship as well as for the examination of equipment and crucial machinery of the vessel. It is also expected that at the same above meeting it will be determined when and how the vehicles in the lower garages of the ship, which have not sustained total destruction by the fire, will be removed and their condition will be examined.

Yesterday, 12 June 2015, the technical experts appointed by the Italian authorities, Visemar and ANEK, but also the experts appointed by us on behalf of our clients- victims of the maritime tragedy, went onboard the vessel, accompanied by one of the Italian lawyers of our group. The survey on this first day was mainly restricted to the bridge and upper decks of the vessel; there has been no entrance into the lower decks of the vessel yet. The ship is in an impressively bad condition (see photos below), and it appears to be a total loss.

The experts are expected to continue during the coming period of time their investigations and finalize the survey of the vessel, so as to identify the causes of the fire as well as the reasons why it was not been possible to timely restrict and extinguish it, but also to ascertain whether there was a violation of safety regulations and procedures related to the maritime tragedy.

After completion of the surveys and other investigation procedures, always in the presence and with participation of our own appointed technical experts, the technical reports will start to be drafted.