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Fatal accident to a crew member on board the Bermuda registered passenger vessel Arvia

Location: on passage from Southampton, England, to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.

From:
Marine Accident Investigation Branch
Published:
8 October 2026
Vessel type:
Merchant vessel 100 gross tons or over
Report type:
Investigation report on behalf of Red Ensign Group
Date of occurrence:
26 October 2025

Accident Investigation Report 20/2026

Read our marine accident investigation report, which includes what happened, subsequent actions taken and recommendations.

MAIB investigation report 20-2026: Arvia

Arvia

Summary

At about 0552 on 26 October 2025, a crew member on board the Bermuda registered passenger vessel Arvia was fatally injured while inspecting a passenger lift. The vessel was on passage from Southampton, England, to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.

Safety issues 

  • Communication and planning for the inspection were ineffective. 

  • Control of the lift had not been established before the crew member entered the lift shaft. 

  • Self-resetting door interlocks were relied on as a safety barrier against lift movement. 

  • Permit to work arrangements did not identify that the task had moved beyond the authorised scope of work. 

  • Lift maintenance training and competence assurance were inconsistent.

Recommendations

Carnival UK Ltd has been recommended to review the use of self-resetting lift door interlocks as a safety barrier to prevent activation of lifts during maintenance or inspection.

Contents