THERE will be no prosecution into safety failings after a seaman was crushed to death by a lift on a cargo ship.

Gerome Reyes, 26, died at sea aboard the Moonray, pictured, which just had left Southampton docks bound for Lithuania.

Winchester Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Reyes, who lived in Batangas in the Philippines, was found crushed between the top of a goods lift and the underside of a deck on May 22 last year.

Fellow crew member Alvin Baraloso had previously told the court he knew that Mr Reyes had been using the lift to carry soft drinks.

After the accident the ship’s skipper set a course back to the Solent and moored off the Isle of Wight.

A police investigation was launched but no action was taken against the ship’s owners.

An inquest into Mr Reyes’ death in November was dramatically halted to see whether the Crown Prosecution Service could investigate whether there was corporate manslaughter case.

At the inquest, evidence was given to say there was no limit switch on the lift, no training records and no inspection records.

The CPS said they had no jurisdiction to bring a court case forward, given the location of the ship.

Counsel to the Phillipines embassy Dr Anton van Dellen had also submitted an argument for unlawful killing by gross negligence.

After the inquest resumed, Coroner Grahame Short said there was no basis to support the argument that there was a case, and that there was no one person who breached their duty of care to Mr Reyes.

Mr Short said: “This was an accidental death, albeit a tragic accident. Mr Reyes either forgot or more likely inadvertently touched the green start button as he reached for the contents of the lift, and was dragged into it.”

Mr Short said that he intended to submit a prevention of further deaths report, and said: “It is important that the matter is highlighted to ship operators.”

He recorded a verdict of accidental death.