20 December 2023

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch have released the final report into the accident in August 2020 on Southampton Water in which 15-year-old Emily Lewis died and all other passengers sustained injuries, many of which were serious. 

It is essential for all members who build or operate vessels which undertake high speed passenger vessel trips to read the report in full to understand how such a tragic accident may occur and to ensure they are doing all that is necessary to implement the correct policies and procedures to ensure this type of accident cannot happen again. 

British Marine have previously worked with the Passenger Boat Association and the RYA to create the High-Speed Passenger Vessel Code of Practice, the code of practice which whilst is legally voluntary, fills the gaps in the current SCV code when applying to high-speed operations and is mandatory for all British Marine members who operate in this sector. 

It is strongly recommended that all operators take on board the recommendations set out in the report and implement them as soon as is reasonably possible in preparation for the new legislation which will be coming into force in the near future. 

British Marine will be engaging with the relevant stakeholders to understand the changes that will be coming following this report's publication, and should any manufacturers or operators have any questions, we are on hand and are available to advise and assist. 

All builders or operators within the high-speed passenger vessel sector should read the report.

Watch the summary and findings on YouTube here - https://youtu.be/B-PIAIEY_DM