Fatal accident to a crew member on board the roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel Laureline
Location: Purfleet, England.
Accident Investigation Report 7/2026
Read our marine accident investigation report, which includes what happened, subsequent actions taken and recommendations:
Summary
Shortly after 1700 on 13 July 2024, a crew member on board the Malta registered roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) cargo vessel Laureline was fatally injured when he was crushed between the rear of a moving trailer and the vessel’s structure. The accident happened while Laureline was alongside, loading and discharging trailers using tugs driven by shore workers under the direction of the ship’s crew.
Safety issues
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The deceased crew member passed behind the trailer probably assuming that it was safe to do so because it had completed manoeuvring.
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The tug driver was unaware of the crew member’s position and reversed the trailer to realign it, crushing the crew member against the vessel’s structure.
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The vessel operators had instigated a new procedure for vehicle deck safety. However, there were weaknesses in its training and implementation, and it was not well understood by the crew working on the vehicle deck who routinely entered the danger zone around moving vehicles.
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The tug driver’s knowledge of danger zones and the requirement to stop when a crew member was out of sight did not align with their actual working practices.
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Supervision on the vehicle deck was ineffective, and the vessel’s management company had not provided effective assurance to confirm that the new safety procedure had been understood or fully implemented on board.
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Industry guidance on ro-ro vehicle deck operations relied heavily on the misconception that the drivers depend on marshallers to safely position their trailers and will stop their vehicle if they lose sight of their marshaller.
Statement from the Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents
Recommendations
The MAIB previously investigated a similar accident on board Clipper Pennant (MAIB report 16/2024). This resulted in a recommendation (2024/148) to the UK Chamber of Shipping and Port Skills and Safety Limited to develop a jointly agreed and consolidated industry Code of Practice for vehicle deck safety on roll-on/roll-off vessels. Recommendation 2024/148 is superseded by an updated and amended recommendation to the UK Chamber of Shipping and Port Skills and Safety Limited for the development of an industry Code of Practice considering the additional safety lessons resulting from the Laureline investigation.