The report surrounding a fatal incident in a fibreglass Currach at Claddaghduff was published this afternoon by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board and is now available to download below. The report found that on the morning of 21st April 2009, whilst attending to fishing pots off Aughris Point, Claddaghduff, Co. Galway, two men, Mr. Fechin Mulkerrins and Mr. Anthony Coohill got into difficulties. Their currach capsized and as a result both men drowned. Neither man was wearing a Personal Flotation Device/Approved Life Jacket.The report found that the most significant factor in establishing the cause of the incident is the fact that when the vessel was found, a line of pots were tied off to the thwart (seat) between pots number 4 and 5. This indicates that of the string of 10 pots, (each pot weighing approximately 10 kg when dry and empty), 4 were onboard and the remaining 6 were hanging over the side and along the seabed in an approximate depth of 8 to 10 metres, the reprot concluded. This would at best restrict the vessel's vertical motion in a seaway and at worst snag the seabed thus compromising the stability/survivability of the vessel. Eventually the rolling accelerations would result in the vessel capsizing, the report said.
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