An unattended wheelhouse led to a collision between two fishing vessels off the Scottish coast, an investigation has found.
Britain’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch has called on the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to review its flooding prevention guidance in light of the report published this week.
The incident occurred on October 6th, 2022, when the pair of trawlers, Guiding Light and Guiding Star, collided during a routine fish transfer.
The pair had been working on their last haul of an intensive six-day fishing trip on grounds south-east of Fair Isle.
Guiding Star’s stern was breached, and water flooded the aft compartment. The crew attempted to pump out the floodwater but were unsuccessful, and the vessel foundered about an hour later, the report says.
The eight crew on board were evacuated to a liferaft, with five recovered to Guiding Light and the remaining three winched to safety by a British coastguard rescue helicopter.
The investigation found that the skipper on board Guiding Light had left the wheelhouse unattended while the two vessels were transferring the cod end and did not perceive the risk of leaving the wheelhouse while in close proximity to the partner vessel.
The operation had not been risk assessed, and its success relied on the skippers of both vessels keeping the vessels apart, the report said.
The investigation also established that the crew were unaware of the potential consequences of flooding and had not been fully prepared for a flooding emergency, such as having essential survival equipment in an accessible location.
In addition to the recommendation to the MCA, the report also recommends that the manager of the vessels should evaluate the impact of fishing operations on watchkeeping and make sure that its crews are prepared for flooding emergencies.
The full report is here