The UK government’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has warned there is ’cause for serious concern’ about the safety of tourist boats in the Egyptian Red Sea.
In a statement issued on 16 December, three weeks after the Dive Pro Liveaboard Sea Story capsized with the loss of four lives and seven people still missing, MAIB says it has been notified of three accidents within the last 20 months affecting UK citizens on Egyptian dive boats operating in the Red Sea.
The three liveaboards identified in the statement are the Carlton Queen, which capsized on 24 April 2023 with all passengers and crew safely rescued; Hurricane, which was destroyed by fire on 11 June 2023 resulting in the deaths of three UK nationals; and the most recent sinking of Sea Story on 25 November, in which two UK nationals – who have subsequently been named as Jenny Cawson, 36, and Tariq Sinada, 49, from Devon – are still missing, presumed dead.
(The MAIB statement mistakenly cites the number of fatalities/people missing from the Sea Story sinking as 18, based on early reports that did not include details of passengers who were later rescued, or the four bodies that are known to have been recovered from the wreck.)
The MAIB says that, as a result of these incidents, it has ‘formally registered the UK as a Substantially Interested State in the Egyptian safety investigations into these accidents.’
Under the terms of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Casualty Investigation Code, a ‘Substantially Interested State’ is defined, in part, as one in which nationals of that State have lost their lives or received serious injuries in a maritime incident.
‘From the evidence the MAIB has obtained so far there is cause for serious concern about the safety of some of the Egyptian dive boats operating in the Red Sea,’ continues the statement.
‘The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents has written to the Egyptian Authority for Maritime Safety (EAMS) setting out his concerns and seeking full participation in the EAMS investigations.
‘In the meantime, the MAIB is preparing a safety bulletin for publication setting out the areas of concern that individuals intending an afloat-based diving holiday in the region should take into account before booking.’
Sea Story capsized in strong winds on 25 November with 31 tourists ‘of varying nationality’ on board, plus an Egyptian crew of 13.
A total of 33 people were eventually rescued during a massive search operation involving the Egyptian military, including five people who were rescued after spending nearly 30 hours trapped underwater in their cabins breathing from tiny air pockets to survive.
Four British divers are thought to have been on board. Colin Sharratt, 65, and Sally Jones, 58, from London were rescued, however, Ms Cawson and Mr Sinada are among the seven people still unaccounted for.
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