At 1149 on 6 October 2022, the pair trawlers Guiding Light and Guiding Star collided during a routine fish transfer. Guiding Star’s stern was breached, and flooded. The crew unsuccessfully attempted to pump out the floodwater, and the vessel foundered about an hour later. The eight crew evacuated to a liferaft, which capsized during the accident; five were recovered to Guiding Light and the remaining three were winched to a coastguard rescue helicopter. All crew survived unharmed. You can read the full report here: MAIB Accident Report
The collision occurred during a fish transfer, an operation that required Guiding Light and Guiding Star to be physically connected and close to one another. As the cod end moved between the vessels, the effect of the veering and hauling on the dog rope drew them closer until they were less than a boat’s length apart. When the dog rope was disconnected, the weight of the net combined with strong winds and rough seas caused the vessels to continue to be pulled together. Without any intervention by the skippers, the distance between the pair trawlers continued to close until they collided. MAIB Report
The key safety issues identified were:
- The fish transfer had not been risk assessed and, during the operation, Guiding Light’s wheelhouse was left unattended, which meant the skipper was not at the navigational controls to prevent the collision.
- As a fishing vessel less than 24m in length, Guiding Star was not required to meet any damage stability criteria. Consequently, when floodwater entered the hull it caused a rapid reduction in buoyancy and loss of stability. The accident has highlighted the importance for fishermen to be prepared for such emergencies and to know when to abandon ship. The Fishermen’s Safety Guide, published by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) provided guidance to help crews develop flood action plans, and Marine Guidance Notice (MGN) 570 Amendment No.1 (F): Fishing Vessels: Emergency Drills provided drill scenarios to practice such plans.
- The lifejackets and immersion suits on board Guiding Star were stored in crew cabins that had flooded, rendering them inaccessible before abandonment. MGN 570 (F) advised fishermen to consider suitable storage locations for lifejackets.
Safety recommendations:
- The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has been recommended (2024/134) to, on the next review of MGN 165 (F), ensure that the consequences of flooding on fishing vessels are highlighted appropriately and update the guidance to surveyors to ensure that crew preparedness for a flooding emergency is checked and that the crew are aware of the actions to take.
- Guiding Light’s manager has been recommended (2024/135, 2024/136) to: ensure the best practice guidance in MGN 313 (F) is followed, in particular that the wheelhouse is not left unattended and the impact of fishing operations on the navigational watch is evaluated; ensure skippers are familiar with their vessel’s survivability and understand and practise the actions to take in the event of flooding during regular flooding drill, which should include reviewing the survival equipment’s location to ensure it is readily accessible in case of an emergency.
You can download a copy of the Safety Flyer here: