Heriot-Watt University did not ensure that the hired dive support vessel Jean Elaine was appropriately certified, a MAIB report into the grounding and loss of the vessel has stated.

The Jean Elaine had been contracted by Heriot-Watt University to support the work of Project Seagrass an initiative launched in 2022 to restore marine habitats in the Firth of Forth. The purpose of the voyage was to transport a dive team to seagrass sites in Deer Sound to design a survey for long-term monitoring of the impact of seagrass seed collection.

At approximately 3 o’clock on the afternoon of 22 July 2024 the Jean Elaine grounded on a falling tide in Saint Peter’s Pool, Deerness. The vessel developed a severe port list and suffered water ingress. Despite efforts to save the vessel, it was ultimately abandoned. There were no injuries or fatalities.

The Jean Elaine was certified as an Area Category 2 workboat, permitting it to carry up to 12 passengers a maximum of 60 nautical miles from a safe haven. The certificate was valid until 28 April 2024. On 29 April 2024 the vessel was surveyed by MECAL Ltd and was found to have sprung and rotten hull planking. The operation of the vessel was suspended and not permitted to operate commercially. Jean Elaine did not hold a valid certificate for the voyage undertaken on the day of the grounding.

The university had never formally reviewed Jean Elaine’s or the skipper’s certification; instead, these were assumed to be in place based on verbal assurances from the skipper that the vessel was appropriately certified and the previous commercial activity of the vessel. MAIB Report

CONCLUSIONS

• Jean Elaine ran aground because it entered Saint Peter’s Pool, a body of water that was too shallow for the vessel’s draught on a falling tide.
• There was no passage plan to support the safe navigation of the vessel. Consequently, the risk to Jean Elaine from its passage into Saint Peter’s Pool was not identified.
• The communication between the project team and the skipper was ineffective, resulting in a lack of coordination of the activities of the vessel and the dive team.
• Jean Elaine was not certified for operation at the time of the accident.
• The poor condition of Jean Elaine’s hull likely contributed to its failure following the grounding.
• Heriot-Watt University did not ensure that Jean Elaine was appropriately certified before the expedition.

Heriot-Watt University has revised its procedures to require positive confirmation of valid vessel and crew certification as a condition for chartering a vessel.

The full report can be downloaded here: