Marine Accident Investigation Branch
Accident Investigation Report 3/2023
Read our marine accident investigation report, which includes what happened, actions taken and a recommendation:
Summary
At about 0300 on 18 February 2021, a deckhand fell overboard from the twin rig stern trawler Copious (LK 985) approximately 30 nautical miles south-east of the Shetland Islands. The deckhand was conscious, wearing a lifejacket and was quickly brought alongside the vessel. However, the crews attempts to recover the casualty back on board were unsuccessful. He was unresponsive when recovered from the water by a coastguard helicopter and pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
Safety Issues
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The deckhand fell overboard while attempting a repair to the trawl gear. There was no attempt to stop and consider the repair and the activity was not effectively risk assessed or mitigated.
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When he lost consciousness in the water, the incorrectly worn lifejacket did not hold his airways clear and he drowned due to complications of immersion.
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The available man overboard recovery equipment was not supplemented by the training and equipment necessary for the recovery of an unconscious person.
Recommendations
A recommendation (2023/102) has been made to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to amend regulations to require fishing vessels to have an efficient means to recover an unconscious person from the water that is demonstrable during surveys and inspections.
Related publications
A safety flyer to the fishing industry summarising several safety lessons was produced for this report.
The SafetyFolder website is a free service for fishing vessel owners to manage health and safety needs.
Photograph credit
Vessel photo above taken by David Meek, sourced via www.marinetraffic.com