The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), the British body responsible for investigating maritime accidents, once again points to an interim report of "unacceptable" failures in a hatch on the fishing vessel 'Argos Georgia' that led to the entry of a large amount of water, resulting in its subsequent sinking southeast of the Malvina Islands on July 22, 2024. Thirteen people died, four of them Galicians.
In October 2024, the maritime accident investigation body had already published preliminary conclusions pointing to failures in the hatch that allowed water to enter and seep into the rest of the vessel due to other internal doors being open, causing the ship to list and subsequently sink.
Now, in July 2025, the same agency has just published a second interim report, emphasizing that the gate "indicated an unacceptable level of tension and a possible failure of the gate drive shaft, coupling, and key during operation." "A failure of the opening/closing mechanism could have allowed the frame door to lower to the open position by gravity, rendering the normal closing method inoperable," it explains.
The investigation determined that, prior to the accident, the side hatch on the starboard side of the Argos Georgia was raised and closed. At the time of the accident, according to closed-circuit cameras, "the hatch slowly descended to a fully open position." This allowed large amounts of water to enter the vessel.
Thus, "the crew was unable to close the hatch once it had been opened." The interior doors connecting to the maneuvering compartment were open. "This allowed water to flow unhindered into other areas of the vessel, causing a significant list that progressively increased as more water entered. The crew was unable to control the passage of water into other compartments of the vessel, which further increased the list until the vessel sank," he emphasizes.
The "Argos Georgia" was a modern vessel, built in 2018 and equipped for offshore operations. It belonged to the British and Norwegian-owned company Argos Froyanes , which has more than 30 years of experience fishing for black hake in the waters of the South Atlantic. It carries out this activity under an illegal license issued by the British colony that usurps the Malvina Islands from Argentina.
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