In March, eight people were trapped after a gangway collapsed as passengers boarded a Steam Packet Company ferry in Heysham, Lancashire. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) discovered that the Isle of Man ferry did not operate entirely safe procedures during the embarking and disembarking of passengers. The MAIB also identified weaknesses in the vessel’s passenger access structure.

The MAIB report concluded that the gangway collapse, which left eight people stuck on a dockside compartment, had been caused by the vessel moving forward as passengers boarded the ferry.

The report noted: “It is unfortunate that little or no effort was made to look after the access structure and the surrounding area. It is vital that harbour authorities examine their facilities regularly, especially those in use by the general public, to ensure that they are safe. The design of the passenger access structure in Heysham did not accommodate the potential for vessel movement while connected and it was not resilient to damage caused by vessel movement.”

The Steam Packet Company’s chairman, Robert Quayle, commented: “The company is committed to [a] constant review of its management of these risks and, when accidents do happen, lessons are learnt and steps taken to ensure that the chances of those situations arising again are eliminated.”

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