Grounding and sinking of stern trawler Faithful Friend II
Location: Rocks off Bayble Island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
Completed PE Summary: Faithful Friend II
A short summary of the accident and action taken:
| Fishing Vessel/Accident Details | |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Faithful Friend II |
| Vessel Owner | Privately owned |
| Port of Registry | Fraserburgh |
| Flag | UK |
| Type | Stern trawler |
| Built | 1970 |
| Construction | Wood |
| Length Overall | 17.92m |
| Gross Tonnage | 54 |
| Date/Time | 06/11/2008, 0643 (UTC) |
| Location of Incident | Off Bayble Island, 58º 11.2 N 006º 12.27 W |
| Incident Type | Grounding and sinking |
| Persons Onboard | 3 |
| Injuries/Fatalities | None |
| Damage/Pollution | Vessel lost/Minor pollution |
Synopsis
Faithful Friend II was on passage to her fishing grounds when the skipper left the wheelhouse to make a cup of coffee. The vessel was on a north-easterly course with the autopilot engaged; it was dark and the vessel was within 0.5 mile of the shore. A few minutes later, the vessel struck charted rocks off Bayble Island and started to take water rapidly. The skipper immediately alerted the vessel’s two deckhands, who were asleep below. A “Mayday” was transmitted on VHF radio before the skipper and his crew abandoned the vessel into a liferaft. The “Mayday” was received by the local coastguard station, and by a nearby fishing vessel, which recovered the men from the liferaft within 15 minutes. Faithful Friend II sank shortly afterwards.
Action taken
The Deputy Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents has written to the vessel’s owners strongly advising them to ensure the wheelhouse watchkeeping practices adopted on any fishing vessels they own or skipper in the future are in accordance with the guidance provided by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Published: December 2008