A MAN died after falling from an 'unsafe' ship gangway in Sharpness, a report has found. 

Volunteer cook Mark Glover, aged 64, fell from the boat's gangway as he was returning to the Pelican of London moored in Sharpness Docks on October 2 last year.

In its report, The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch said Mr Glover was above the 
legal alcohol limit for duty on board a ship when he fell and drowned.

He drank at least nine double whiskies and ice at a local bar before returning to the boat, according to the report.

Mr Glover, a professional seafarer, lost his balance at 11.08pm as he went to step down from the inboard end of the gangway onto the top step of a ladder.

His fall was neither prevented by the guard rope or by the gangway net, according to the report. 

“Under the influence of alcohol and probably suffering from cold water shock Mr Glover was unable to climb out of the water and rapidly succumbed to drowning”, the report says. 

The report also said how his absence was not noted until the following morning, with a search later taking place.

His body was recovered by police divers on the afternoon of October 3.

According to the report, the post-mortem recommended that drowning was recorded as the cause of death.

The report also says Mr Glover was 3.8 times over the legal limit when he died.

The ship - the Pelican of London - was used as a training vessel by the charity Seas Your Future, which takes young people from disadvantaged backgrounds on tall ship voyages.

No trainees were on board at the time of the incident.

The government’s UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch investigates all maritime accidents in UK waters and accidents involving UK registered ships worldwide. 

The key safety issues identified by the branch were: 

  • The gangway did not provide a safe means of access to Pelican of London
  • On board training and risk assessments did not mitigate the risk of a fall from the gangway
  • The charity’s drug and alcohol policy did not specify parameters for crew returning on board from recreational time ashore

Following the incident, Seas Your Future has made a number of changes to its operations.

This includes:

  • Introducing an approval process for rigging and making the gangway safe
  • Fitted bulwark stanchions to provide secure handholds when joining and departing the ship
  • Revised the charity’s drug and alcohol policy 
  • Made amendments to the charity’s SMS to reflect internal lessons from this case, including for missing persons

You can read the full investigation report here - tinyurl.com/bdju22m8