The Astounding Rate of Liveaboard Deaths

A recent bachelor thesis by Jussus Schiszler, a student at the Institute of Shipbuilding and Maritime Technology in Kiel, Germany, catalogs and analyzes more than 30 diving liveaboard losses between September 2006 and November 2023, most of which have been previously reported in Undercurrent. It makes grim reading.

The thesis emphasizes that none of these liveaboards conformed to SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) regulations developed by the International Maritime Organization, which regulates international maritime shipping worldwide. Most diving liveaboards avoid these regulations because they are licensed to operate only within a limited range in their home country, where regulation is often lax, at best.

Schiszler identified four leading causes of liveaboard loss: fire and contact with the reef or grounding were the more common, with lack of stability and water ingress less likely.

Putting aside the Conception disaster (statistically an outlier), Schiszler found that 3.39 people are likely to die or be seriously injured each year on liveaboard vessels.

There is only one fatality in every 37.8 accidents in shipping, which has to be SOLAS-compliant, yet there are 1.2 fatalities in every liveaboard accident - a vast difference.

With no compliance with international safety standards, how can you be confident a vessel is safely run? One way is that the owner is habitually onboard, keeping an eye on everything. Resident owners invest their money in their vessels and are very proactive in protecting their investments.

For example, during the late 1990s, the liveaboard MY. Coral Queen stood out among other Egyptian vessels because it was superbly operated. I asked its resident owner, Guido Sherriff, why that was. He simply answered it was because he was sitting there. Shortly after Guido retired due to ill health, the new crew ran it onto a reef, and it was lost.

Between 2014 and 2023, liveaboard disasters increased. Of course, liveaboards have increased in number, but that is only one explanation for the statistics. Two regions have the most accidents: the Egyptian Red Sea and the Southeast Asian island states. Undercurrent could identify only two SOLAS-compliant diving liveaboards in either geographical area (MY Royal Evolution and MY Infiniti), although there may be more.

The thesis is available for you to read, and we would draw your attention to the section marked SOLAS:
https://tinyurl.com/3b7zdsk3

- John Bantin