Today, we have published our accident investigation report into the fall from a pilot ladder resulting in the death of a pilot while attempting to board the cargo vessel Finnhawk from the pilot vessel Humber Saturn in the approaches to the Humber Estuary, England, on 8 January 2023.
Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, Andrew Moll OBE, said:
Pilot transfers are challenging and potentially hazardous and fortunately most are conducted without incident. Tragically, however, on 8 January 2023 this was not the case and a respected and experienced marine pilot lost his life.
While superficially this was a simple accident, our investigation identified safety concerns across the training, equipment, medical standards and emergency response, and this report addresses all of these.
While the MAIB has been encouraged by the actions of the port and industry bodies to address these safety issues, I strongly urge all harbour authorities with a pilotage service to learn the lessons of this accident and take action.
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