Chef fell from ship's gangway and wasn't found until the following day

Pelican of London
-Credit: (Image: Marine Accident Investigation Branch)


A chef tragically lost his life after falling from the top of a ship's gangway. An investigation revealed that the gangway failed to provide safe access to the boat, as the guard ropes and safety net did not prevent the chef from plunging into the water on October 2, 2023.

The Pelican of London, a sail training vessel, docked at Sharpness shipyard in Gloucesterhshire on the morning of September 27. The following day, a volunteer came aboard the ship as a relief cook while the regular chef was absent.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) reported that on the nights of September 30 and October 1, the stand-in cook visited a local bar ashore. Fellow crew members observed him consuming several double whiskies with ice.

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On October 2, at about 8pm, he once again joined his colleagues at a local bar. Over the next two-and-three-quarter hours, the chef consumed at least nine double whiskies with ice.

He left the bar just before 11pm and walked back to the ship alone. He reached the Pelican of London around 11.05pm and began to ascend the gangway, reports Gloucestershire Live.

Tragically, he fell from the side of the top of the gangway and landed in the dock. The ship's chief engineer heard the noise and rushed from their cabin.

However, they didn't notice anything unusual and returned to bed. The next morning, when the crew realised the chef was missing, a search was initiated. Sadly, his body was found on the jetty around 1pm on October 3. He was declared dead at the scene.

Investigation Findings

The probe into the chef's tragic demise revealed that the gangway did not offer a safe means of access to the Pelican of London. Onboard training and risk assessments also failed to mitigate the risk of a fall from the gangway.

It was also discovered that the chef had exceeded the legal alcohol limit for duty aboard the ship. The Pelican of London's drug and alcohol policy lacked clear guidelines for crew members returning on board after recreational time ashore.

Seas Your Future, the owners of the vessel, have been advised to reassess and modify their policy and training regarding the rigging and approval of the gangway. They have also been urged to review their procedure for handling drugs and alcohol.