Fatal Crew Accident on Ro-Ro Cargo Vessel Laureline at Purfleet
Summary
The MAIB published Investigation Report 7/2026 into the 13 July 2024 fatal crushing of a crew member on board the Malta-registered ro-ro cargo vessel Laureline at Purfleet, England. The accident occurred when a crew member passed behind a moving trailer believing it had finished manoeuvring, while the shore-based tug driver reversed the trailer without knowing the crew member's position. The report identifies multiple safety failures: inadequately trained new vehicle deck procedures, unclear danger-zone protocols, ineffective vehicle-deck supervision, and inadequate management assurance. The report supersedes a prior MAIB recommendation (2024/148) with an updated recommendation to the UK Chamber of Shipping and Port Skills and Safety Limited to develop a consolidated industry Code of Practice for ro-ro vehicle deck safety.
“Shortly after 1700 on 13 July 2024, a crew member on board the Malta registered roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) cargo vessel Laureline was fatally injured when he was crushed between the rear of a moving trailer and the vessel's structure.”
Operators of roll-on/roll-off vessels and their management companies should use this investigation to audit three specific risk areas: vehicle deck procedure training records (including whether new procedures introduced after prior incidents have been understood by crew), coordination protocols with shore-based tug drivers on danger-zone awareness, and management-level assurance activities that verify on-board safety compliance. The MAIB's supersession of recommendation 2024/148 signals that prior industry guidance on ro-ro vehicle deck safety was insufficient and that a more robust Code of Practice is expected.
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What changed
The MAIB published a final investigation report into the fatal crushing of a crew member on board the ro-ro cargo vessel Laureline on 13 July 2024. The accident resulted from a combination of failures: the crew member assumed it was safe to pass behind a trailer that had completed manoeuvring, the tug driver reversed the trailer without awareness of the crew member's position, and the vessel's new vehicle deck safety procedure was inadequately trained, poorly understood, and not effectively supervised. The report also found that the management company failed to provide adequate assurance that safety procedures had been implemented on board.
The primary implications for affected parties are that operators of roll-on/roll-off vessels should treat this report as a priority safety signal. The MAIB's updated recommendation to the UK Chamber of Shipping and Port Skills and Safety Limited for a consolidated industry Code of Practice represents the direction of expected regulatory or industry-standard improvements. Maritime employers operating ro-ro vessels should review their vehicle deck safety procedures, danger-zone training, crew supervision during cargo operations, and management assurance processes against the specific failures identified in this report.
Archived snapshot
Apr 16, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Fatal accident to a crew member on board the roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel Laureline
Location: Purfleet, England.
From: Marine Accident Investigation Branch Published 26 March 2026 Vessel type: Merchant vessel 100 gross tons or over Report type: Investigation report Date of occurrence: 13 July 2024
Accident Investigation Report 7/2026
Read our marine accident investigation report, which includes what happened, subsequent actions taken and recommendations:
MAIB Investigation Report 2026-7: Laureline
Summary
Shortly after 1700 on 13 July 2024, a crew member on board the Malta registered roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) cargo vessel Laureline was fatally injured when he was crushed between the rear of a moving trailer and the vessel’s structure. The accident happened while Laureline was alongside, loading and discharging trailers using tugs driven by shore workers under the direction of the ship’s crew.
Safety issues
- The deceased crew member passed behind the trailer probably assuming that it was safe to do so because it had completed manoeuvring.
- The tug driver was unaware of the crew member’s position and reversed the trailer to realign it, crushing the crew member against the vessel’s structure.
- The vessel operators had instigated a new procedure for vehicle deck safety. However, there were weaknesses in its training and implementation, and it was not well understood by the crew working on the vehicle deck who routinely entered the danger zone around moving vehicles.
- The tug driver’s knowledge of danger zones and the requirement to stop when a crew member was out of sight did not align with their actual working practices.
- Supervision on the vehicle deck was ineffective, and the vessel’s management company had not provided effective assurance to confirm that the new safety procedure had been understood or fully implemented on board.
- Industry guidance on ro-ro vehicle deck operations relied heavily on the misconception that the drivers depend on marshallers to safely position their trailers and will stop their vehicle if they lose sight of their marshaller. Statement from the Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents
Recommendations
The MAIB previously investigated a similar accident on board Clipper Pennant (MAIB report 16/2024). This resulted in a recommendation (2024/148) to the UK Chamber of Shipping and Port Skills and Safety Limited to develop a jointly agreed and consolidated industry Code of Practice for vehicle deck safety on roll-on/roll-off vessels. Recommendation 2024/148 is superseded by an updated and amended recommendation to the UK Chamber of Shipping and Port Skills and Safety Limited for the development of an industry Code of Practice considering the additional safety lessons resulting from the Laureline investigation.
Related publications
MAIB report 16/2024: Clipper Pennant
Published 26 March 2026 Contents
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