Msira Report Highlights Multiple Safety Failures in
The Marine Safety Investigation and Reporting Authority (MSIRA) has released its formal report into the grounding of the 46-foot catamaran Nohea Holokai off Anegada on 6 July 2025. New reporting from VINO confirms that three 13-year-old students were carrying out primary helm and navigational duties during Sail Caribbean’s "Challenge Day" exercise when the vessel struck a coral head, puncturing the starboard hull and causing rapid flooding; all 14 people aboard were evacuated without injury. The investigation cites several safety shortcomings — including lack of a dedicated lookout, divided attention while raising the mainsail, limited chart-plotter information, and inadequate onboard supervision — and recommends that Sail Caribbean review risk assessments, personnel arrangements and equipment defect procedures.
The Marine Safety Investigation and Reporting Authority (MSIRA) has published its formal report into the grounding of the 46-foot Lagoon catamaran Nohea Holokai near Anegada on 6 July 2025. The vessel ran aground in a coral-head field just outside the Anegada Channel at about 8:00 a.m. while taking part in Sail Caribbean’s "Challenge Day" exercise, MSIRA said in findings released by the Government of the Virgin Islands.
New reporting from Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) confirms a key detail in MSIRA’s account: under the Challenge Day arrangement three 13-year-old students were assigned the primary roles of skipper, navigator and mate and carried out the main vessel-handling and navigational tasks aboard Nohea Holokai.
Adult staff remained on board in supervisory roles and were expected to intervene only if operations became unsafe, according to MSIRA and VINO. MSIRA’s timeline shows that during a critical moment the captain, crew and students were heavily focused on raising the mainsail, which reduced monitoring of the vessel’s position and track.
The catamaran entered a coral-head field outside the Anegada Channel and struck a submerged rock or coral head; the impact punctured the starboard hull, causing rapid flooding and partial submersion. All 14 people aboard were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported. Chief Marine Accident Investigator Jerome Padmore described the evacuation as successful but warned the incident could have had far more serious consequences for people and the Territory’s fragile reef environment. "The incident illustrates how several simple safety issues, such as the lack of a dedicated lookout, divided attention, limited navigational information, and inadequate onboard oversight, can combine to result in serious marine accidents," Padmore told BVI Government media.
MSIRA’s investigation identified several contributing safety failures. The report recorded the absence of a dedicated lookout, divided attention among those on deck, limited navigational information from the vessel’s chart plotter, and inadequate on-board supervision. Guavaberry reporting noted that concerns about the chart plotter’s limited mapping had been identified before departure but were not resolved.
MSIRA also recorded that more experienced senior personnel were positioned aboard a separate support vessel, which limited their ability to continuously monitor and immediately intervene in the unfolding navigational situation. A separate certification issue was logged: Nohea Holokai’s certificate specified a maximum capacity of 10 persons, but 14 were aboard during the exercise.
MSIRA found no evidence of an exemption or amended endorsement and recorded the discrepancy as an additional safety concern, although it was not considered a direct cause of the grounding. MSIRA placed the incident in a wider safety context: of 16 marine accidents reported in 2025, 10 were groundings, and six groundings had already been recorded in 2026.
Padmore warned that groundings should not be viewed as routine and stressed the need for vigilant watchkeeping, accurate passage monitoring and clear supervisory oversight. MSIRA recommended that Sail Caribbean review Challenge Day risk assessments and safety-management arrangements, strengthen procedures for appointing and supporting personnel with command and supervisory responsibilities, ensure navigational-equipment defects are addressed before departure, and maintain an effective lookout during all vessel operations.
For residents and operators in the BVI, the report is a reminder that familiarity with local waters and fair weather do not replace careful seamanship and supervision.
Primary source: BVI Government