UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) issued an investigation report on the fatal man overboard from the potting fishing vessel Pauline Mary, east of Hartlepool on 2 September 2016, including what happened and safety lessons to prevent similar incidents of occurring again.
The incident
At about 1831, on 2 September 2016, the crewman on board the fishing vessel “Pauline Mary” was dragged overboard after becoming entangled in the gear, while shooting pots at fshing grounds east of Hartlepool. When the crewman was recovered back on board about 20 minutes later, he was not breathing and, despite the efforts of Pauline Mary’s skipper and the emergency services, could not be resuscitated.
The skipper had been working Pauline Mary for only 2 days and was laying his pots for the frst time when the accident happened. The skipper’s 7-year-old son and a female family friend were also on board at the time.
The investigation identified that a safe method of shooting pots had not been developed on board Pauline Mary. The crewman was also not carrying a knife or wearing a personal fotation device, both of which could have improved his chances of survival. It was also not appropriate for the passengers, in particular a child, to be on board during this fishing operation.
Conclusions
- Lee Renney became fatally entangled when shooting pots because a safe method of working on deck was not being followed on board Pauline Mary. Safer pot shooting methods, specifcally where the crew and ropes are physically separated, could have been developed.
- Had Lee been carrying a knife, or if one had been readily available on deck, he might have had an opportunity to cut himself free before going overboard.
- Not wearing PFDs on an open deck is contrary to industry guidance and, had Lee been wearing one, it could have increased his prospect of survival.
- The owner’s risk assessment had identifed the hazards of entanglement and being dragged overboard, but it had not been passed to the skipper, who had not undertaken a risk assessment of his own.
- The skipper was not observing Lee’s work on the deck and did not witness the accident, possibly because he was distracted by the presence of the passengers. Had the skipper been monitoring Lee more carefully, he might have foreseen the danger or at least reacted earlier to the emergency.
- It was inappropriate to have passengers on board during this fshing operation, and would have been straightforward to separate the commercial and leisure use of the vessel.
- Had the DSC distress alert button been pressed, the confusion over Pauline Mary’s position would have been avoided.
Safety Issues Recommendations A safety recommendation (2017/111) has been made to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to update guidance for fishermen on the carriage of passengers or guests. Further details may be found by reading the full report:
