Britain’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch, or MAIB, is calling for alcohol limits to be imposed on all boaters, after completing an investigation into a boating accident thought to be caused by the crew’s excessive alcohol consumption.
The MAIB was investigating the events of a collision between a privately owned vessel, the Morfil, and the Sun Clipper passenger ferry that occurred in June of last year in London. The collision took place near Blackfriars Bridge on the Thames River, and the coxswain of the Morfil was found to be under the influence of alcohol.
This is not the first time that the issue of an alcohol limit for those in charge of recreational vessels has been proposed – the Hayes Report completed by the MAIB almost twenty years ago recommended it and stated that alcohol use may lead to deadly boating accidents. Although the Railways and Transport Safety Act of 2003 made provisions for an alcohol limit, the subsections of the Act are yet to be implemented, and current methods used by harbor authorities to discourage alcohol use on recreational vessels have been widely ineffective.
There were no injuries caused in the Morfil and Sun Clipper collision, but it is thought that at least 45 fatalities have occurred in recreational boating accidents over the last few years in which alcohol has played a direct contributory factor.
The MAIB’s investigation into the incident identified a number of factors that contributed to the collision, such as:
– The coxswain of the Morfil was under the influence of alcohol and took no action to avoid the Sun Clipper before the collision occurred
– The Sun Clipper’s master was unable to avoid the collision due to the proximity of mooring buoys and the road bridge
– Morfil was travelling at a speed greater than the 12 knot speed limit
– Morfil’s coxswain had limited navigation experience on the River Thames and did not comply to local regulations and advice
The MAIB has recommended to the Department of Transport that the enforcement of a national alcohol limit for those in charge of recreational vessels be expedited as a result of these findings. In the recommendation, the MAIB states that such a limit could prevent potentially fatal accidents in the future. A further recommendation has been made to the Port of London Authority for measures to improve the ease and safety of navigation on the River Thames for all water users.
