Flooding and capsize of ro-ro passenger ferry Herald of Free Enterprise with loss of 193 lives

Location: Off the Port of Zeebrugge, Belgium.

• From: Marine Accident Investigation Branch
• Published: 23 January 2015

• Vessel type: Merchant vessel 100 gross tons or over
• Report type: Investigation report
• Date of occurrence: 6 March 1987

Formal Investigation Report: Herald of Free Enterprise

Ordered by the Secretary of State for Transport, this Formal Investigation was carried out by the Hon. Mr Justice Sheen, Wreck Commissioner:

FormalInvestigation_HeraldofFreeEnterprise-MSA1894

Summary

The flooding and subsequent capsize of the roll on/roll off passenger ferry Herald of Free Enterprise, on 6 March 1987, resulted in the loss of 193 lives.

The formal investigation report was published in September the same year and details 188 confirmed fatalities.

One of the outcomes of the investigation of this accident was the formation of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) in 1989.

Published 23 January 2015