Crew unprepared for man overboard emergency

The crew of a fishing vessel involved in a fatal incident were unprepared for a man overboard emergency, an investigation found.

Two deckhands from Weston Bay went overboard while deploying pots approximately 12 nautical miles south east of Spurn Head on 22 May 2024, with the second deckhand, who could not be resuscitated, being recovered by another vessel.

The Marine Accident Investigation Board (MAIB) report also highlighted safety issues on board.

The vessel's operator, Grimsby-based Fastline Shellfish Ltd, has been contacted for a comment.

Investigators found the crew were unprepared for the emergency as they had not practised emergency man overboard drills.

Equipment on board was not effective for the recovery of an unconscious person from the water, the report said.

There was also no separation from the pots for the crew working the stack when deploying the gear, which put them at risk of entanglement, harm and injury.

The MAIB has made a number of safety recommendations.

Rob Loder, chief inspector of marine accidents, said the incident was a "tragic example of how quickly things can go wrong, and how challenging it can be to recover a crew member from the water.

"If things go wrong and someone ends up in the water, crew must know how to respond to recover them quickly and safely," he said.

"It is crucial that crew have a physical separation from running fishing gear," he added.

"The safety benefits of self-shooting systems are undermined and crew are placed at risk if they need to interact with shooting pots, as was sadly demonstrated in this accident."

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