
Exactly why the Eire registered MFV Iúda Naofa suddenly flooded and sank off the Butt of Lewis is unknown, says the Marine Casualty Investigation Board, MCIB. report, but there are still lessons to be learned.
Exactly why the Eire registered MFV Iúda Naofa suddenly flooded and sank off the Butt of Lewis is unknown, says the Marine Casualty Investigation Board, MCIB. report, but there are still lessons to be learned.
Alaska Ranger
Poor maintenance and inadequate regulatory oversight sank the 58 metre, 1,577 gross tonne, fish-processing vessel Alaska Ranger, cost five lives and led to the biggest rescue effort in US Coastguard history says the newly released US Coast Guard investigation board report. Some 37 recommendations have been made.
One reason for the loss is that there is no single accepted definition of a ‘fish processing vessel’, which enables avoidance by the fishing industry of meeting safety standards. Continue reading »
Alaska Ranger
Loss of a rudder post from the fishing vessel Alaska Ranger lead to progressive flooding exacerbated by poor watertight integrity and a unexpected sternwards movement led to the loss of five of her 47 crew, and would probably have taken more if not for the rescue efforts of the US Coast Guard and the crew of a nearby ship, the Alaska Warrior, and the vessel itself. Most of those on board were asleep at the time of the accident.
The US NTSB has issued its final report on the sinking and in part is critical of conservation laws that prohibit shipowners from replacing unsafe vessels working in some of the harshest working conditions in the world.
The fishing vessel Transcend was in the process of shooting her trawl gear when, at around 2050 on 3 June 2009, the crew became aware of flooding in the engine room. Despite employing the vessel’s two bilge pumps and a portable submersible pump, the flooding continued to increase, and at 2145 the skipper issued a “Mayday”, to which a nearby emergency response and rescue vessel (ERRV), and another fishing vessel, diverted.