MAIB Report: Capsize of fishing boat Goodway (FR23) resulting in one fatality near Cairnbulg, Scotland

Summary:

On the evening of 16 October 2021, the coastguard was informed that the 6.85m UK registered creel fishing boat Goodway was overdue returning to its home port. A search and rescue operation was started and Goodway’s upturned hull was located at 22:33, but its single occupant, the skipper, was not found. He is presumed to have fallen overboard and died while trying to free creels that had become fast in rocks on the seabed.

The key safety issues identified were:

• single-handed fishing is known to be high-risk and fishers are advised to follow industry guidelines to minimise the chance of being pulled overboard
• the vessel was not equipped with an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) and the personal locator beacon (PLB purchased by the skipper did not meet the regulatory requirement to transmit to satellites on 406MHz
• an inspection of Goodway by a Maritime and Coastguard Agency surveyor to verify that previously recorded deficiencies had been rectified did not identify that the PLB purchased as an alternative to an EPIRB was not of the approved type.

  Safety recommendations:

  • The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is recommended to issue an Advice Note to remind surveyors of the different types of PLBs that may be encountered and which of these are acceptable alternatives to the vessel being equipped with an EPIRB.