The coroner investigating the death of British diver Steven Hill in the Hurricane liveaboard fire in 2023 said she has been frustrated by the ‘limited information’ she has received from the Egyptian authorities about the cause of the blaze.
Hill, 73, from Ashford in Kent, an experienced diver of more than 30 years, was one of three Britons who died when the 38-metre vessel caught fire near Marsa Alam on 11 June 2023, on the final day of a week-long trip.
At an inquest held on Thursday, 30 October, at Kent and Medway Coroner’s Court, area coroner Katrina Hepburn said that despite repeated requests, her office had been unable to obtain official documents or technical reports from Egypt regarding the incident.
‘It has not been possible to obtain any documentation from Egypt over the months and years since this tragic accident,’ Hepburn told the court. ‘There is limited information and evidence in this case.’
Twelve passengers and fourteen crew were forced to abandon ship when fire tore through Hurricane during a morning dive briefing. They were picked up by RIBs from a nearby liveaboard and transported back to shore to receive medical attention.
Hill and fellow Britons Paul Darling and Christina Quinn had opted out of the first dive and are believed to have been asleep in their cabins when flames took hold, although this has never been confirmed.
Egyptian investigators said shortly after the tragedy that the cause of the fire was suspected to be an electrical fault in the engine room, although no full accident report has been released by Egyptian authorities.
A post-mortem examination in the UK was unable to determine a precise medical cause of death due to the extent of the damage and complications in repatriating the remains. However, the coroner concluded that Hill’s death was ‘likely the result of prolonged exposure to heat and the effects of fire fumes.’
The Hurricane fire was just one in a number of serious liveaboard incidents in the Red Sea in recent years. Safety standards aboard dive vessels operating in the region have since come under scrutiny, particularly regarding fire suppression, emergency exits and electrical maintenance.
The UK government’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) included the Hurricane fire in a safety bulletin issued in the wake of the Sea Story disaster of November 2024, in which 11 people died. MAIB maintains an ongoing investigation into the fire.
Hurricane‘s owner, Tornado Marine Fleet, a long-standing and well-respected operator, has since had its four remaining vessels, Mistral, Monsoon, Typhoon, and Whirlwind, thoroughly surveyed by a team from Maritime Survey International (MSI).
A representative from the company told DIVE that Tornado Marine has ‘completed all points raised during the audit that can be done outside of the dry dock,’ including the addition of fixed firefighting systems throughout the boats, and the remainder will be completed when the vessels are next sent to dry dock.
