Safety warning issued. Sixteen Red Sea liveaboard dive boats were lost in five years.
Seven of them in just 21 months.
Calling each loss a separate accident hides the useful question.
What allowed passengers to board vessels with failures across so many defensive layers?
On 24 April 2023, Carlton Queen capsized near Hurghada.
All 33 people onboard were rescued. Several were injured.
On 11 June, Hurricane caught fire near Elphinstone Reef.
Three UK passengers remain unaccounted for and are believed to have died.
Then Sea Story capsized south of Port Ghalib on 25 November 2024.
Four bodies were recovered. Seven people remain missing and are believed to have died.
The MAIB warning describes more than one defective system.
Some boats were poorly constructed.
Others had been substantially modified or extended. In some cases, stability was inadequate.
Essential lifesaving equipment was defective, overdue for service or missing.
Fire spread rapidly.
Fire detection systems and extinguishers were missing or defective.
Escape routes passed through lockable doors.
They had no emergency lighting. They were not marked.
Passenger safety briefings were poor or did not happen.
Crews appeared poorly trained and unfamiliar with their vessels.
These are different failures.
But they create the same management problem.
A control may have a name without providing protection.
There may be an escape route.
Can it be opened in darkness, smoke and heel?
There may be lifesaving equipment.
Is it onboard, serviceable and within date?
There may be a passenger briefing.
Did it happen, and can anyone verify what was covered?
There may be trained crew.
Can they locate, operate and explain the vessel's emergency systems without hesitation?
For a DPA or Fleet Manager, assurance cannot stop when the control appears on a list.
Take each defence to the vessel.
Check modifications against stability.
Open every emergency exit.
Test the lighting and detection systems.
Inspect service dates.
Ask the crew to demonstrate the response.
The question is not whether the vessel claims to have these controls.
What current evidence proves they will work before passengers sail?
#MaritimeSafety #Stability #FireSafety #EmergencyPreparedness #CrewTraining
