Corporate report
Marine Accident Investigation Branch: current investigations
Updated 19 May 2025
© Crown copyright 2025
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1. Current investigations
| Vessel’s name (IMO/PLN) | Accident/incident type | Date of incident | *Status of investigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacoba (BM77) | Serious injury to crew member on board a UK registered 19.7m fishing vessel in the English Channel. | 10/05/25 | Preliminary Assessment |
| Wilaya (M36) | Fatal man overboard from a UK registered 8.86m fishing vessel, approximately 1nm north of Jack Sound, Pembrokeshire, Wales. | 01/05/25 | Under Investigation |
| Solong (9322554) / Stena Immaculate (9693018) | Collision between the Portugal registered container ship Solong and the USA registered oil/chemical tanker Stena Immaculate, resulting in one fatality, 14 nautical miles north-east of the Humber Estuary. | 10/03/25 | Under Investigation. Note: an interim report (PDF, 496KB) has been issued. |
| Svitzer Avon (9788162) | Failure of towline on board the UK registered tug Svitzer Avon resulting in damage to its wheelhouse and injuries to 2 tug crew, whilst assisting the Madeira registered car carrier, Auto Eco, in the approaches to Royal Portbury dock, Avonmouth, England. | 04/02/25 | Under Investigation |
| Odyssey (FR70) | Foundering of the UK registered, 23.1m fishing vessel approximately 130 nautical miles east of Fife Ness, Scotland. The crew were rescued from the vessel’s life raft uninjured. | 29/10/24 | Under Investigation |
| Bayesian (9503392) | Foundering of the UK registered sailing vessel 0.5 nautical miles south east of the entrance to Porticello harbour on the northern coast of Sicily. Of the 22 persons on board, fifteen were able to escape from the vessel and were recovered to shore. | 19/08/24 | Under Investigation. Note: an interim report has been issued. |
| Tender to Isabell Princess of the Sea/Vega | Collision between the tender to Isabell Princess of the Sea and the RIB Vega, resulting in one fatality, in the port of Göcek, Turkey. | 27/07/24 | Under investigation on behalf of the Government of Gibraltar. |
| Argos Georgia (9812690) | Foundering of the Saint Helena registered vessel Argos Georgia in heavy seas approximately 200nm east of Port Stanley, Falkland Islands resulting in 13 fatalities. | 22/07/24 | Under investigation on behalf of the Government of Saint Helena. Note: a safety bulletin has been issued. |
| Jean Elaine | Grounding of the UK registered dive support vessel Jean Elaine in Deer Sound, Orkney. | 22/07/24 | Under investigation |
| Laureline (9823352) | Fatal injury to a crew member on a Malta registered RoRo cargo vessel while loading freight vehicles in Purfleet, England. | 13/07/24 | Under investigation |
| Kingfisher (DH110) | Fatal man overboard from a UK registered 18.35m fishing vessel approximately 30nm east north east of Wick, Scotland. | 12/07/24 | Under investigation. Note: a safety bulletin has been issued. |
| Weston Bay (GY123) | Fatal man overboard from a UK registered 11.16m fishing vessel, approximately 11nm east of Spurn Head, Humber Estuary, England. | 22/05/24 | Under investigation. Note: an interim report (PDF, 344KB) has been issued. |
| Apache (9749489) / Serinah (GH116) | Collision between the oil tanker Apache and the fishing vessel Serinah which resulted in the sinking and loss of Serinah approximately 6nm southwest of Ardrossan in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. | 25/04/24 | Under investigation. Note: an interim report (PDF, 272KB) has been issued. |
| Opportune (LK209) | Foundering of a UK registered stern trawler in the North Sea, approximately 36 miles east of Lerwick in Shetland. The crew were rescued from the vessel’s liferaft uninjured. | 24/03/24 | Under investigation. Note: an interim report (PDF, 273KB) has been issued. |
| Freedom II (CN111) | Flooding and sinking of a UK registered fishing vessel while under tow approximately 11.5nm south-west of Oban, Scotland. The crew were rescued with no major injuries. | 21/02/24 | Under investigation. Note: an interim report (PDF, 273KB) has been issued. |
| Vos Voyager (9411276) | Serious injury sustained by a crewmember onboard an Emergency Response & Rescue Vessel (ERRV) operating in the North Sea, following a fall in their cabin during heavy weather. | 19/01/24 | Under investigation |
| Nista (LK121) | Fatal man overboard from a UK registered 8.18m fishing vessel, approximately 1nm west of Luing, Scotland. | 13/12/23 | Under investigation. Note: an interim report (PDF, 243KB) has been issued. |
| Amadeus (TH7) | Man overboard, presumed deceased, from a UK registered fishing vessel in the German Bight, approximately 54nm north-west of Heligoland. | 12/12/23 | Under investigation. Note: an interim report (PDF, 228KB) has been issued. |
| Sustain (UL45) | Grounding and loss of a UK registered fishing vessel at the western entrance of Loch Broom in Ullapool, Scotland. The crew were rescued uninjured. | 16/11/23 | Under investigation. Note: an interim report (PDF, 312KB) has been issued. |
| Spirit of Discovery (9802683) | Loss of propulsion of a UK registered passenger vessel in the Bay of Biscay, resulting in multiple passenger injuries and one subsequent fatality during heavy weather. | 04/11/23 | Under investigation. Note: an interim report (PDF, 224KB) has been issued. |
| Verity (9229178) / Polesie (9488097) | Collision between the Isle of Man registered general cargo vessel Verity and the Bahamas registered bulk carrier Polesie in the German Bight traffic separation scheme, resulting in the sinking of Verity with the loss of 1 life. Two of the remaining 6 crew members were recovered from the water and 4 are missing, presumed deceased. | 24/10/23 | Under investigation on behalf of the Isle of Man Ship Registry as the lead marine safety investigation state, and in agreement with the vessel flag states and the coastal state. Note: an interim report (PDF, 360KB) has been issued. |
| Honeybourne III (PD905) | Failure of fishing gear on board a UK registered fishing vessel approximately 16nm south-west of Beachy Head, East Sussex, England, resulting in 1 fatality. | 06/10/23 | Under investigation. Note: a safety bulletin and an interim report (PDF, 222KB) have been issued. |
| Karin | A passing dive support vessel struck a recreational diver making an underwater decompression stop in Scapa Flow, the Orkney Islands, Scotland, resulting in 1 fatality. | 28/09/23 | Under investigation. Note: a safety bulletin and an interim report (PDF, 233KB have been issued. |
| Lundy Explorer | Sea Safari RIB proceeded at slow speed when the wave action caused passengers to be dislodged from their seats resulting in injuries as they departed Ilfracombe, Devon, England. | 07/06/23 | Under investigation. Note: an interim report (PDF, 250KB) has been issued. |
| Finnhawk (9207895) / Humber Saturn | Fall from height on boarding the Finland registered ro-ro cargo ship Finnhawk from the UK registered pilot vessel Humber Saturn off the Humber Estuary, England, resulting in one fatality. | 08/01/23 | Under investigation. Note: an interim report (PDF, 257KB) has been issued. |
| Finnmaster (9132014) | Auxiliary engine room fire on board a Finland registered ro-ro cargo ship while departing Hull, England. | 19/09/21 | Under investigation. Note: two safety bulletins covering separate safety issues (1/2023 and 1/2022) and an interim report (PDF, 401KB) have been issued during this investigation. |
| Cornishman (PZ 512) | Fatal accident on board a UK registered fishing vessel, 55nm SSW of the Isles of Scilly. | 06/02/21 | On consultation. Note: an interim report (PDF, 529KB) has been issued. |
2. *Status of investigation
Preliminary assessment - this means further details are being obtained to establish whether or not further investigation is warranted.
Under investigation - this means an investigation is being carried out, which will lead to a published report.
Consultation stage - when an investigation is largely complete a draft copy of the report is sent to interested parties for comment.
Go to the MAIB finder to search for published reports and bulletins.
3. Investigations led by other countries
Investigations into accidents involving foreign flagged vessels that have occurred in UK waters and that, by agreement, are being led by other administrations.
| Vessel’s name (IMO/PLN) | Accident/incident type | Date of incident | Lead State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grande Brasile (9198123) | Fire onboard a Malta flagged Ro-Ro Cargo ship 15 nautical miles south east of Ramsgate, United Kingdom, resulting in abandonment of the vessel. The United Kingdom has registered as a substantially interested state to the marine safety investigation being conducted by the Marine Safety Investigation Unit of Malta. | 18/02/25 | Malta |
| Isle of Innisfree (8908466) | Engine room fire on a Cyprus registered ro-ro passenger ferry while on passage from Dover, England to Calais, France. The ferry lost power and was later towed to Calais where all passengers and crew disembarked with no injuries reported. | 03/03/23 | France |
Investigations into accidents involving UK registered vessels and/or UK citizens that, by agreement, are being led by other administrations.
| Vessel’s name (IMO/PLN) | Accident/incident type | Date of incident | Lead State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea Story | Capsize of the Egyptian liveaboard dive vessel Sea Story, resulting in the loss of up 18 persons, including 2 UK nationals. The United Kingdom has registered as a substantially interested state to the marine safety investigations authorities in Egypt. | 25/11/24 | Egypt. Note: a safety bulletin has been issued. |
| Reggae Queen | Vessel foundered in the Andaman Sea, south of the Surin Islands and approximately 19nm west of the coast of Thailand. | 23/12/23 | Thailand |
| Titan submersible | Loss of the submersible Titan resulting in five fatalities following its deployment from the Canadian registered support vessel Polar Prince (5329566) in the North Atlantic Ocean close to the Titanic wreck site. The United Kingdom has registered as a substantially interested state to the marine safety investigations being conducted by the authorities in Canada and the United States of America. | 18/06/23 | Canada, United States of America |
| Hurricane | Fire on an Egyptian liveaboard dive vessel Hurricane, resulting in the death of 3 UK nationals. The United Kingdom has registered as a substantially interested state to the marine safety investigations authorities in Egypt. | 11/06/23 | Egypt. Note: A safety bulletin has been issued - see the link in the Sea Story entry above. |
| Carlton Queen | Capsize of the Egyptian liveaboard dive vessel Carlton Queen. The United Kingdom has registered as a substantially interested state to the marine safety investigations authorities in Egypt. | 24/04/23 | Egypt. Note: A safety bulletin has been issued - see the link in the Sea Story entry above. |
| Valaris 121 (9621481) | Missing crew member believed to have fallen overboard from the Liberian registered drill rig jack up vessel approximately 98nm off Aberdeen, Scotland, while under tow. | 22/01/23 | Liberia. Note: The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is also conducting an investigation. |
| Farfalla (9740847) | Fatal injury to a crew member on board a Maltese registered yacht off Antigua. | 08/03/22 | Malta |
| Zephyr Lumos (9864227) | Collision between the UK registered container ship and the Maltese registered bulk carrier, Galapagos, in the Straits of Malacca. | 10/07/21 | Malta |