The chain was inspected. It still failed, at the place where it was bent over a pin.
What happened
On 6 October 2023 the scallop dredger Honeybourne III was fishing 16 nautical miles south of Newhaven, England. A section of chain supporting the fishing gear failed, the suspended gear fell to the deck, and a deckhand working below was fatally injured. The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) published its report, Accident Investigation Report 1/2026, on 15 January 2026.
What the investigators found
The failure was in the outer chain links of the port quick-release assembly, at the point where the chain was led over a static pin. The MAIB found that high loading and bending moments in those outer links increased the stress in the links.
It also found that the strength of the chain links on the port quick-release gear was likely reduced by their material hardness, and that the vessel's on-board inspection programme had not identified defects in its lifting equipment.
The MAIB had already issued Safety Bulletin 1/2024, urging owners and operators of beam and scallop trawlers to inspect their quick-release arrangements. Its report recommends that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency use its enforcement powers to reduce the risk of a chain led over a static pin being the sole means of supporting a suspended load.
What it means beyond fishing
A chain link carries its rated load in straight tension. Bending it over a pin adds stress that the rating does not account for. In this case the material's hardness had also likely reduced the strength the links had to resist that stress.
Two lessons apply to any site with lifting equipment. First, check how chains and slings are actually loaded in service, not only their rated capacity. Second, hardness testing is quick and inexpensive; on a used or unidentified lifting component it is a first check that the steel is what it should be.
What an engineer should check
- Where does a chain or sling on your site bear on a pin, a shackle bow or an edge?
- Is any lifting component the sole support of a suspended load where people work below?
- When lifting components are replaced or sourced locally, is their material verified, or only their tag?
Source. MAIB Accident Investigation Report 1/2026, Honeybourne III (PD905), published 15 January 2026. Read the report summary. This article is based on the published summary; the full report contains the detailed technical findings. It summarises the source in our own words; see the original for full details. It is general technical information, not advice on specific equipment.
Related reading
- Fatigue or overload? Reading the fracture
- What to preserve after a component failure
- Hydrogen embrittlement
- MTIS characterisation and testing services
- Follow MTIS on LinkedIn for new failure reviews and industry briefings.
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