# The Merchant Shipping (Accident Reporting and Investigation) Regulations 2026, Regulation 9: Subsequent or reopened investigations


(1) Notwithstanding a decision not to investigate, the Chief Inspector may at any subsequent time carry out a safety investigation if satisfied that there is a good reason in the interests of the objective in regulation 5 to do so.
(2) The Chief Inspector may reopen a safety investigation if, following its completion, new and important evidence becomes available that in the Chief Inspector’s opinion could have a material effect on any safety recommendations made.
(3) Any safety investigation may be reopened either in whole or in part and a reopened investigation is subject to and must be carried out in accordance with these Regulations.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/430/regulation/9 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-accident-reporting-and-investigation-regulations-2026/regulation-9
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.