Shell Door Failure Led to Sinking of Fishing Vessel Argos Georgia with 13 Lives Lost

A failed shell door that opened while at sea was the primary cause of the sinking of the fishing vessel Argos Georgia that claimed 13 lives last year, according to an interim report recently released by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB).

The St Helena-registered longline fishing vessel capsized and sank on July 22, 2024, approximately 190 nautical miles east of Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, while en route to fishing grounds near South Georgia. Of the 27 people on board, 13 perished while 14 were recovered during search and rescue operations.

Investigators found that “the shell door in the hauling compartment on the starboard side of Argos Georgia was raised in the closed position. At the time of the accident the door was observed on closed-circuit television to descend slowly into the fully open position,” allowing significant water ingress.

The report, which was released in July, highlights that internal doors leading from the hauling compartment were open, which “allowed water to flow unhindered into other areas of the vessel, causing a significant list that progressively increased as more water entered.”

Crew members were unable to close the shell door once it had opened or control the progressive flooding, which ultimately led to the vessel’s foundering. Some crew members were lost during the abandonment while others perished in liferafts during the long-range search and rescue mission.

In response to the accident, the MAIB issued a safety bulletin in October 2024 with recommendations for all owners, operators, and skippers of fishing vessels fitted with side shell doors to assess and mitigate the risk of shell door failures and consequential flooding between compartments.

A subsequent technical investigation completed in July 2025 revealed “an unacceptable level of stress and potential failure of the shell door drive shaft, coupling and key while in operation,” which could enable the shell door to lower to the open position under gravity and disable the normal closing method.

The MAIB has recommended that vessel operators and shell door designers appraise the design of door operating mechanisms and modify as appropriate, with any design changes to be shared with other vessel operators using similar shell door designs.

The full investigation is now complete, and a draft report is being prepared for stakeholder consultation.

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