Fishing boat wreck donated to help investigators

The wreck of a fishing vessel that sank off the Welsh coast in 2021 has been donated to a university to help future maritime accident investigators.

Three men lost their lives when the Nicola Faith went down off the Conwy coast on 27 January 2021.

The vessel was raised from the seabed by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) in May that year, and an investigation was carried out.

MAIB has now donated the wreck of the Nicola Faith to Cranfield University in Bedfordshire, for use when training students in accident investigation.

Three men lost their lives when the Nicola Faith sank.

Having completed the investigation, MAIB has now donated the wreck to create a "beneficial educational opportunity", the organisation said.

Factual evidence gathered as part of the investigation has also been given, "to enable Cranfield to create a realistic scenario of a fishing vessel capsize".

The scenario will enable trainee accident investigators to apply and test their knowledge by conducting a simulated accident investigation.

Nicola Faith will be renamed Pisces II and will replace the vessel Pisces, which has been used at Cranfield for many years.

Rob Loder, chief inspector of marine accidents, said: "Recovering Nicola Faith enabled the MAIB to conduct a detailed inspection of the vessel and a full investigation into the circumstances that led to its loss.

"The report made recommendations to improve safety and prevent a similar accident from occurring.

"While the circumstances that lead to the MAIB possessing Nicola Faith are deeply tragic, we are pleased to be able to donate it to Cranfield. I hope that it can now be put to further use enhancing future safety by becoming a tool for learning."

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