Marine Safety Investigation Report No 05/2014
The Marine Safety Investigation Unit within Transport Malta is investigating the failure of a lifeboat wire rope fall resulting in five fatalities and three injuries on board the Maltese registered passenger ship THOMSON MAJESTY while alongside in Santa Cruz de La Palma on 10 February 2013.
At about 08:30, on 10 February 2013, Thomson Majesty arrived in Santa Cruz de La Palma from Las Palmas as part of a seven-day cruise commencing in Tenerife. On board were 1498 passengers and a crew of 594, giving a total number of persons on board of 2092.
At around 10:30, the ship commenced a general emergency and lifeboat drill for all officers, staff and crew. On completion of the General Emergency Drill, three lifeboats on the outboard (starboard) side were to be lowered to the water and sent away for training purposes. At approximately 11:54, during hoisting of lifeboat no. 9 with eight crew members on board, the forward wire rope fall parted, causing the lifeboat to swivel on the aft hook. When the lifeboat reached an angle of approximately 45 to the horizontal, the aft end of the lifeboat and the hook failed and the lifeboat dropped approximately 20 m to the sea, turning upside down, either just before or as it entered the water.
One crew member was thrown out from the lifeboat as it entered the water, and two crew members managed to escape from the upturned lifeboat by their own efforts. The remaining five crew members were subsequently removed by local divers and were declared deceased at the scene.
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Source and Image Credit: Transport Malta
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