LIVE ANIMALS CARRIED IN B777 EMPTY CREW BUNK CAB AREA CONTRARY TO COMPANY OPS MANUAL.

Narrative

AFTER HAVING BEEN NOTIFIED TODAY OF A POSSIBLE FAA VIOLATION I AM FILING THIS ASAP REPORT. AFTER HAVING LEFT THE GATE WE WERE NOTIFIED OF HAVING CARGO CONTAINING DRY ICE IN THE AFT CARGO AREA WHERE THERE WERE ALSO TWO LIVE ANIMALS. AFTER THIS NOTIFICATION WE TOOK A LENGTHY GND DELAY WAITING ON RAMP AND LOAD CTL TO DECIDE WHETHER TO OFFLOAD EITHER DRY ICE OR ANIMALS. THE RELIEF PLT SUGGESTED PLACING THE ANIMALS IN THE EMPTY CREW BUNK AREA. I REMINDED HIM THAT THE OP MANUAL RESTRICTS USING THAT AREA FOR STORAGE AND THAT I WOULD REQUIRE SOME TYPE OF WAIVER BEFORE I WOULD CONCUR. AT THIS TIME WE HAD BEEN OFF THE GATE FOR OVER AN HOUR. THE RELIEF PLT HEN ASKED RAP CTL TO TRY AND CONTACT SOMEONE IN MGMNT THAT WOULD HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO ISSUE SUCH A WAIVER OR DIRECT US TO SOMEONE WHO COULD. WE TRIED EVERYONE FROM CAPT X DOWN. WE EVENTUALLY REACHED CAPT Y DOMICILE CHIEF PLT ON HIS CELL PHONE. WE EXPLAINED THE OM RESTRICTION AND OUR PREDICAMENT. HE THEN VERBALLY APPROVED PUTTING THE ANIMALS IN THE CREW BUNK AREA AND ADDED HE WOULD FURNISH WRITTEN APPROVAL IF NEEDED WHEN HE RTNED TO THE FLT OFFICE. BASED ON WHAT I CONSIDERED TO BE APPROVAL FROM AN AUTHORIZED MGMNT PLT. WE TAXIED BACK TO THE RAMP AND HAD THE DOG AND CAT MOVED. TODAY I WAS NOTIFIED BY THE FLEET TRAINING MANAGER THAT THE CAPT Y DOES NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO ALLOW THE DESCRIBED DEVIATION FROM THE OM; THUS THE LATE FILING OF THIS RPT. UNDERSTAND THAT I DO NOT FEEL THAT WE COMPROMISED SAFETY NOR WERE WE TRYING TO BLATANTLY DISREGARD PROC.