Footage shows Bournemouth ferry on day of incident

A boat which was impounded by police following the death of two young swimmers next to Bournemouth pier has been sold by its owners. The move to sell the Dorset Belle comes after the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said that no boat was involved in the fatal incident on May 31.

Joe Abbess, 17, and Sunnah Khan, 12, drowned, and eight others were treated by paramedics after they were suspected to have been caught in a riptide next to the pier at the Dorset seaside resort.

Dorset Police impounded the pleasure cruiser Dorset Belle at its berth in Poole Harbour following the fatal incident.

Now Island Cruises, which operated the boat, said in a post on Facebook that the vessel had been handed over to its new owners yesterday.

It stated: “Unfortunately due to the circumstances currently surrounding the Dorset Belle, the only option available to Island Cruises is to sell her to avoid liquidation of the company, the bills have been mounting up and need to be paid, the lack of money due to the vessel not operating has been a major factor in this heartbreaking decision.

“We have owned her for almost five years, made it through Covid and the recession but the last few weeks have been too much financially and mentally with lots of sleepless nights.”

The post went on to say: “I have searched for a solution to keep her operating from Bournemouth but have drawn a blank.

“She was handed over to her new owners this afternoon, she will be deeply missed by us all.

“On a positive note, her new owners are already spending time on her to get her ready for the remainder of the summer, we all wish them the very best for the future.

“Fair winds and following seas old girl.”

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In a statement issued earlier today about the investigation, an MAIB spokesperson said: “Having conducted a thorough preliminary assessment of the circumstances of this tragic accident the MAIB has decided that no formal investigation will be launched.

“This was a truly tragic accident, but our understanding of the circumstances is that it did not involve a vessel and therefore is not something the branch would investigate.”

A man in his 40s, who police said was “on the water” at the time, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and later released under investigation.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council suspended boat operations from the pier.

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An inquest into the deaths of the two youngsters, which was opened at Bournemouth Town Hall earlier this month, heard that they were part of a group of people thought to have been caught up in a riptide in the sea near the pier.

Post-mortem examinations found that they both died of drowning, the inquest was told, before coroner Rachael Griffin adjourned proceedings to a further hearing in September.

Dorset Police said the beach was extremely busy at the time of the incident but that neither of the youngsters nor anyone else pulled from the sea had been involved in any collision or contact with any vessel in the water.

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