Person overboard from beam trawler Vidar with loss of 1 life
Location: Off Saint Ann’s Head, Milford Haven, Wales.
Accident Investigation Report 19/2013
Investigation report into marine accident including what happened and safety lessons:
(993.52 kb)
Summary
On 28 January 2013 the Belgium registered beam trawler Vidar was off Milford Haven, Wales. The seas were very rough and when the vessel rolled heavily to starboard a deckhand was washed overboard. He was recovered from the water about 11 minutes later but could not be revived.
Safety lessons
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the environmental conditions and the vessel’s design made it hazardous for the crew to work on the open deck, but the risk was not properly assessed
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the crew had great difficulty in recovering the deceased from the water because the vessel did not carry any dedicated means of recovering a man overboard and the crew had not completed any onboard man overboard drills
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the deceased’s chances of survival were reduced by cold water shock and by not wearing a lifejacket
Recommendations
As the Belgium Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport has undertaken to improve the regulation of fishing vessels in areas relevant to this accident, no recommendations have been made.
Published: 16 August 2013