Today, we have published our accident investigation report into the double man overboard from the potting vessel Weston Bay (GY123) on 22 May 2024, during which one deckhand lost his life.
Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, Rob Loder, said:
This accident is a tragic example of how quickly things can go wrong during fishing operations and how challenging it can be to recover a crew member from the water.
It is crucial that crew have a physical separation from running fishing gear. 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.
If things go wrong and someone ends up in the water, crew must know how to respond to recover them quickly and safely. Recovery equipment must be well maintained and fit for its intended purpose.
A safety flyer to the fishing industry has also been produced with this report.
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