'Unseamanlike' working practices led to a ferry disaster which killed a Swanley teenager, it's been revealed.

A report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) recorded a number of errors which led to the young man's death.

It comes after deckhand Ben Woollacott, 19, drowned when he was dragged overboard by a mooring rope on the Woolwich ferry Ernest Bevin on August 3 last year.

Although he was wearing a lifejacket and was recovered within minutes, paramedics were unable to save Ben, who had severe head injuries.

The investigation found out members of the crew were needed to work on the morring deck above the vessel's propellers when unmooring.

As the final mooring rope was being recovered onto the mooring deck, it became caught in the rotating propeller blades.

It's likely, as the mooring rope tightened, Ben was pulled hard against the ship's bulwark, and then went overboard, the report concluded.

In the findings, it was revealed crews employed by Serco Limited Marine Services, which ran the ferry, had each developed their own systems for mooring.

It said: "There was a lack of recognition by the master and the deck crew of the dangers associated with unmooring without supervision."

Without this supervision this unmooring process was "inherently unsafe".

Communications would have been improved by the use of hand-held radios, but a number of "unseamanlike" working practices were evident - including the incorrect wearing of lifejackets by senior crew.

The report confirmed a number of actions had been taken by the ferry operator as a result of the accident.

These included enhanced checking procedures and increased risk assessments.