The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has today issued a safety bulletin to highlight an urgent safety lesson that has arisen following a fatal man overboard incident.

The MAIB is carrying out a full investigation into the tragic accident on board the commercial sailing yacht CV30 in the Indian Ocean on 18 November 2017, which took place during the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

The safety issue raised in this safety bulletin highlights just one of potentially several factors that contributed to the tragic accident.

'MAIB Safety Bulletin 1/2018' contains details on the background and events leading up to the accident, initial findings and the following safety lesson:

To prevent the strength of a safety harness tether becoming compromised in-service due to lateral loading on the tether hook, the method used to anchor the end of the tether to the vessel should be arranged to ensure that the tether hook cannot become entangled with deck fittings or other equipment.

You can read the safety bulletin in full on the MAIB website.

The MAIB will publish a full report, including all identified contributing factors, on completion of its investigation.

Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Simon Speirs and all those who sailed with him.