A skipper survived severe pain during a deck accident which could have been alleviated if he had been able to access a knife to free his leg, according to the official investigation.
The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) report into the incident on board An Portán Óir, a 9.9-metre fishing vessel, in Dingle Bay, Co Kerry, last October noted that lack of a personal locator beacon (PLB) was also a contributory factor.
However, having a designated person ashore to raise the alarm if the vessel was overdue proved “invaluable”, the MCIB report notes.
The report recounts how on Friday, October 14th, 2022, the boat was taken on a routine fishing trip to lift, bait and shoot lobster pots in Dingle Bay.
“The boat was operated by the owner (the Skipper), and he was a qualified and experienced boat operator with valid certification,” it says.
The Cygnus 33 GRP decked vessel with an inboard diesel engine is registered in Tralee, Co Kerry.
“The skipper was shooting the final string of 30 lobster pots, with ten pots in the water, when his leg became entangled in the pot ropes. The boat was in gear to stretch the string, and the rope tightened around the skipper’s leg, and he was pulled aft,” it says.
“ The skipper grabbed the rope between the pots, and tied it to the handrail to avoid being pulled overboard. He was unable to free himself as the rope around his leg was under tension, and he remained stuck in this position until he was rescued around four hours later,”it says.
It notes that the skipper normally had a knife tied to the rails aft, but this had been removed during painting and had not been replaced.
This was “a major factor in the skipper being unable to free himself”,it says.
It also notes that he was not wearing an approved personal flotation device/lifejacket and PLB on deck and if he had he would have been able to activate the PLB and get assistance as soon as the incident occurred.
Under Section 9.2.4 of the Code of Practice for the Design, Construction, Equipment and Operation of Small Fishing Vessels of less than 15 metres length, “an approved PLB capable of transmitting a distress alert on 406 MHz band, shall be provided for each person on board and shall be carried by each person on deck at all times”.
“Each PLB should be ready to be manually activated”, the code states.
“ This lack of PLB is considered a contributing factor in the extent of the injuries sustained,” it says.
The alarm was raised when the boat failed to return, and a search was initiated with the Dingle lifeboat, local vessels and Coast Guard rescue helicopters.
The skipper was treated in hospital for “severe” muscle and nerve injuries which prevented him from returning to work for some time.
“The skipper always had a designated person ashore who was aware of his voyage and his expected return time. This proved to be invaluable,” the report says.
“When the alarm was raised, and the rescue services were tasked, there was also an excellent response from the local community, and even though the skipper suffered serious injuries, without the rapid response, the outcome may have been far more serious,” it says.
Read the full report here
