Fall from main mast ratlines on commercial sailing vessel Albatros with loss of 1 life
Location: Thames Estuary off Southend-on-Sea, England.
Accident Investigation Report 7/2005
Read our marine accident investigation report, which includes what happened, actions taken and subsequent recommendations:
(1,426.83 kb)
Summary
On 22 August 2004, a passenger was fatally injured on board the commercial sailing vessel Albatros after climbing aloft and falling from the mainmast ratlines.
Safety Issues
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the lack of a safety management procedure on board
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there was no effective maintenance procedure to ensure timely and effective repair to the ratline
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the passenger received an inadequate briefing and supervision
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casualty was wearing a restraint belt, and not an approved safety harness
Recommendations
Recommendations have been made to the owner of Albatros to ensure the vessel is always safely manned with a competent crew who would be able to respond appropriately to any future emergency on board. The MCA is recommended to ensure that foreign registered, commercial vessels carrying passengers operating out of UK ports, are subjected to the same safety management performance standards as UK registered vessels of a similar type and class.
The report was published in April 2005.