An investigation into a ferry crash has revealed passengers’ injuries could have been avoided if the crew had warned them of the imminent impact.

The DFDS ferry hit the harbour wall at the Dover terminal at around 8am on November 9 last year, as it departed Dover for Dunkirk.

Four people were taken to hospital and more were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

A report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch released today said the sudden stop caused passengers and crew to lose their balance and fall to the deck. It also caused vehicles to move.

The report states it was fortunate that more serious injuries were not caused.

It said: “As Dover Seaways approached the South Breakwater, the bridge team were undoubtedly focused on the imminent contact.

"To some extent, it is also likely that they were in a state of shock. However, the lack of a warning broadcast to the crew and passengers was a significant omission.

"The lack of warning of the impact meant that no-one braced, sat or lay down, or moved to a safe position.”

At the time, KentOnline interviewed Keith Etherton, 54, and his wife Silvia, 51, who were on their way to visit friends in Germany when the accident happened.

They were both thrown across the deck just moments after the ferry - carrying 320 passengers - started its journey.

Mr Etherton suffered injuries to his right shoulder and his wife had bruising on her leg.

The report revealed the alarm log showed a double-beep had been heard by the quartermaster and the unexpected turn indicated a directional control of Dover Seaways was lost - but the cause of this loss of control is still unknown.

"The lack of a warning broadcast to the crew and passengers was a significant omission..." - MAIB report

This meant that although actions were taken and the starboard anchor was let go, it was “too late to be effective” and the anchor did not reach the seabed before the crash.

The report added: “The bridge team were not fully familiar with some aspects of the steering control system and did not monitor the rudder angle indicators.”

It also said recurring problems with the clog filter alarm has now been addressed, as this was not working at the time.

The report has recommended that the ship’s manager improve its vessels’ crews’ responses to emergency situations and ensure that passengers and crew are provided with a timely warning when impact is imminent, so the risk of injuries is reduced.

Carsten Jensen, senior vice president at DFDS Seaways said: “We have reviewed the MAIB report on the Dover Seaways incident on November 9, 2014. Whilst we are proud of the swift and professional way our captain and crew reacted, we are always looking to improve our training and processes wherever possible.

“Following this incident, we have introduced a number of additional training measures, including a comprehensive familiarisation programme with our steering and anchoring systems for all personnel on the bridge and bridge management resource training for all junior officers, quartermasters and lookouts.

“We have also conducted a series of large scale exercises in conjunction with the emergency services focusing on handling mass casualties and triage training.

“We would like to reassure our customers that the safety of all our passengers and crew remains the top priority for all of us at DFDS.”