MAIB: Planning Failures Led to Crew Member's Death in Arvia Elevator

The UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) released its final report on October 8 into the death of a crew member aboard the P&O Cruises vessel Arvia, owned by Carnival. The investigation concluded that ineffective planning and communication, together with the lack of positive isolation of the elevator, led to the crew member's death.

The victim was a 35-year-old electrical technician, who was crushed to death at around 05:52 on October 26, 2025, while inspecting passenger elevator number 14. The vessel, 344.5 metres in length overall and flying the Bermuda flag, was sailing about 75 nautical miles northwest of Cape Finisterre, Spain, on a voyage from Southampton to Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The inspection was being carried out following overnight repairs; unable to open the landing doors on deck 12 due to a faulty release mechanism, the technician entered the elevator shaft from deck 14, and the unit was activated by a stored call.

According to the report, Arvia was carrying 5,299 passengers and 1,681 crew members at the time of the incident. The ship's doctor certified death at 6:07, and the vessel diverted course to A Coruña, Spain, where the body was disembarked. The investigation was conducted by the MAIB on behalf of the Bermuda Shipping Registry.

The MAIB identified five factors that directly contributed to the accident, including that the technician and the supervising officer did not share a common understanding of the task, that positive isolation of the elevator had not been established before the worker entered the shaft, and that the system relied on self-resetting door interlocks which, once the doors closed, did not provide an effective safety barrier. It was also found that the permit to work was not reviewed when the scope of the task changed, and that the officer who issued it had not received formal training in elevator safety within Carnival UK.

The British body issued recommendation 2026/159, calling on Carnival UK to assess whether self-resetting door interlocks provide adequate protection during maintenance tasks. According to the report, the company has already instructed electrotechnical officers across the fleet to reinforce elevator maintenance and rescue requirements, banned the use of the fixed shaft ladder to access the top of the car, and introduced an interim requirement for manufacturer or third-party safety training within the preceding six months, along with a competency verification process.