A preliminary report from the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has revealed that the fishing vessel Argos Georgia's sinking off the Falkland Islands on July 22 was due to the failure of a starboard side door, Faro de Vigo reported.

The accident occurred 190 miles from Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, during a severe storm with 10-meter waves and winds over 50 knots. The door, designed to close upwards like a shutter, gradually opened, allowing water to flood the ship uncontrollably.

"The ongoing investigation has found that the shell door in the starboard side of Argos Georgia descended slowly into the fully open position. This allowed significant quantities of water to enter the vessel," the UK government said in its report.

The crew could not stop the flooding as internal doors were left open, facilitating water spread to various compartments. Despite the crew's desperate attempts, the vessel's flooding intensified, ultimately leading to its sinking. The disaster claimed the lives of 13 crew members, including four Spaniards, while 14 others survived.

The ship's emergency distress signal was recorded at 14:11 local time, and the main engine stopped around 14:45. By 16:00, some crew members began evacuating the vessel in lifeboats. However, the official abandonment order wasn't given until 16:23.

The report stressed the urgent need to evaluate side doors on ships and the importance of keeping internal doors closed during potential flooding. Survivors, corroborated by the second officer and three Indonesian crew members, have attributed the tragedy to the starboard door failure.

"All owners, operators and skippers of fishing vessels fitted with side shell doors are recommended to urgently ensure that a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk of water entering the vessel through the side shell door has been undertaken and documented," the UK government said.