Collision between motor yachts Minx and Vision with loss of 1 life
Location: Île Sainte-Marguerite, near Cannes, France.
Accident Investigation Report 1/2021
Read our marine accident investigation report, which includes what happened, actions taken, and recommendations:
Summary
In the evening on 25 May 2019, the Gibraltar registered motor yacht Vision collided with the UK registered motor yacht Minx, which was anchored at Île Sainte-Marguerite, near Cannes, France. Minx’s crewman was on the foredeck and there was nothing he could have done to prevent being fatally struck by Vision’s bow. The accident happened because Vision’s skipper underestimated the risk associated with attempting a fast, close pass by the anchored Minx, a manoeuvre intended to provide an opportunity for the guests to wave goodbye, as the charterer had asked. Vision’s skipper had also consumed cannabis, which is likely to have impaired his judgement.
Safety Issues
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it is vital for the safe operation of a commercial motor yacht, that the skipper prioritised the safety of the crew, passengers and the vessel
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Vision’s surface-drive propulsion system was complex to operate and there were insufficient margins for error in the skipper’s plan to allow for any misjudgement, loss of control or failure
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the use of recreational drugs, even in a ‘tolerant’ individual can impair decision-making and responses, which are vital for the safe operation of vessels
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the accident took place in an anchorage with a 5-knot speed limit applicable to all vessels; however, Vision was proceeding at over six times that limit. Speed limits exist for a reason and it was unsafe to proceed at high speed in the anchorage
Recommendation
A safety recommendation (2021/101) has been made to the Royal Yachting Association and the Professional Yachting Association to promulgate the safety lessons from this accident to owners and operators of commercial motor yachts.