Unsuitable harness nearly results in fall from yard arm of sail training vessel Lord Nelson

Location: Foreign coastal waters.

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

• Vessel type: Merchant vessel 100 gross tons or over, Recreational craft - sail
• Report type: Completed preliminary assessment
• Date of occurrence: 14 July 2003

Completed PE Summary: Lord Nelson

A short summary of the accident and action taken.

	Merchant Vessel/Accident Details
Vessel Name	Lord Nelson
Registered Owner/Manager	Jubilee Sailing Trust
Port of Registry	Southampton
Flag	UK
Type	Small commercial sailing vessel
Built	1986
Construction	Steel
Length Overall	52.02m
Gross Tonnage	368
Date/Time	14/07/03, 1600
Location of Incident	Foreign coastal waters
Incident Type	Hazardous incident
Injuries/Fatalities	None
Damage/Pollution	None

Synopsis

The near fall of a female passenger out of a harness while on the yard arm of a sail training vessel.

Action taken

The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents wrote to:

• The harness manufacturer and its UK distributor noting that the style of harness used by the female passenger did not provide suitable protection when working aloft and that this limitation should be brought to the attention of the customers

• The owners of the vessel to advise that they should ensure equipment supplied to their vessel should be suitable and fit for purpose

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Published 23 January 2015