A day in the life of...


Capt. Andy Moll OBE


Captain Andrew Moll OBE, Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) in discussion with Mike Schwarz, IIMS CEO.


Q1. What drew you to a sea- going career in the Royal Navy?


I grew up in Norfolk, close to the sea, and I learned to sail on the Broads. I think I had decided by the age of 14 that I wanted to join the Royal Navy. It was definitely a matter of ‘heart’ not ‘head’; I wanted a life of adventure at sea and was not thinking about the pension plan when I signed up.


The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), as the name suggests, investigates marine accidents involving UK vessels worldwide and all vessels in UK territorial waters. The MAIB's job is to help prevent further avoidable accidents from occurring, not to establish blame or liability. The role of the MAIB is to contribute to safety at sea by determining the causes and circumstances of marine accidents and working with others to reduce the likelihood of such accidents recurring in the future. Accident investigations are conducted solely in the interest of future safety. The MAIB does not enforce laws or carry out prosecutions.


Q2. I understand you saw action in the Falklands War on board HMS Coventry. What are your lasting memories of that conflict?


In 1982, the Royal Navy was training for World War three against the Soviet Union. Two or Three times a year, we would form large task groups that would head into the North Atlantic to practice holding the line against the might of the Soviet


Naval Airforce and Submarine Service so that resupply and reinforcement shipping from the USA could reach Europe. To put it bluntly, none of us expected such a war to end well, but we trained in the hope it would never happen. So, while we were good at forming task groups, to find ourselves heading to the southern hemisphere to fight a war against a former ally, who was using western weaponry, came as a bit of a shock.


THE REPORT | MAR 2025 | ISSUE 111 | 143


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