Fishing boat crew member drowns near Wick

A crew member of a fishing vessel died near Wick due to an ‘unidentified hazard’, an investigation has concluded.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) investigated the death of a deckhand at the Kingfisher (DH110), who drowned 30 nautical miles north-east of Wick on Friday, July 12.

While the crew were engaged in manually shooting a string of creels, the deckhand became entangled in a creel’s leg rope and was pulled overboard.

His personal flotation device (PFD) inflated on immersion.

Using the hauling winch, Kingfisher’s crew retrieved the backrope and recovered the submerged deckhand on board within seven minutes.

Despite the efforts of the vessel’s crew, members of a RNLI lifeboat, a Coastguard paramedic from a rescue helicopter and crew members of an attending wind farm guard vessel, he could not be revived and was declared deceased.

Kingfisher deckhand died due to ‘unidentified’ safety issue

The MAIB’s investigation following the death of the deckhand has concluded that the lifejacket he was wearing was “not suitable”.

The safety bulletin issued states that he inadvertently threaded the creel toggle through his PFD’s safety loop while connecting the toggle to the eye of the leg rope.

It concludes that the PFD safety loop was a snagging hazard that had not been identified.

It further reveals that the vessel’s onboard risk assessment had not identified the unsuitability of the lifejacket for the work being carried out.

The deckhand was a member of the Kingfisher. Image: MAIB

Safety recommendations issued after deckhand’s death near Wick

The MAIB has issued three recommendations for owners and crews of creel fishing boats regarding deck-working risk assessments.

Hazards associated with shooting or recovering creels, such as risk of entrapment in a running backrope, should be fully mitigated.

When provided, PFDs must be of the required standard and appropriate for the work undertaken.

When new hazards are identified, the information must be shared among the crew as soon as possible and alternative PPE must be sourced as soon as possible.

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