Fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations in the UK. This hazardous job is made difficult by the 100,000 kilometres of cables and pipelines and 4,000 surface and subsea structures that lie off the coast of the UK and northern Europe.
These obstacles are dangerous for fishing vessels, as they compromise fishing gear or cause collisions. Damaging this infrastructure can cost offshore operators millions of pounds.
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Kingfisher Information, run by Seafish, cooperates with offshore industries to map the locations of surface and subsea structures to show potential fishing dangers. For the first time this information is now being taught in fishermen’s training courses using animations to make the dangers of subsea hazards clear.
The animations show the size of the oil and gas wellheads, cables, renewable energy infrastructure and other hazards and present how easy it is for these to become an issue for fishing vessels.
Scottish Fisherman’s Federation (SFF) Marine Safety & Training Officer Derek Cardno stated:
Information is vital for a safe and successful fishing trip. For many years the UK fleet has benefitted from the safety information provided by Kingfisher, which has avoided the tragic fishing incidents that we have seen in the past. The UK fleet relies on this safety information. The SFF has fishing safety and training at its heart. The new training material that Kingfisher has developed will certainly help fishermen appreciate the risks presented by offshore structures and will improve offshore awareness. Our hope for this new training method is that fishermen will understand the dangers of offshore structures and will use that information to stay safe whilst at sea.
