MARINE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT AFTER MAN FELL OVERBOARD

Summary:  At about 0300 on 18 February 2021, a deckhand fell overboard from the twin rig stern trawler Copious approximately 30 nautical miles south-east of the Shetland Islands. The deckhand was conscious, wearing a life-jacket and was quickly brought alongside the vessel. However, the crew’s attempts to recover the casualty back on board were unsuccessful. He was unresponsive when recovered from the water by a coastguard helicopter and pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.  The key safety issues identified were: The deckhand fell overboard while attempting a repair to the trawl gear. There was no attempt to stop and consider the repair and the activity was not effectively risk assessed or mitigated.  When he lost consciousness in the water, his incorrectly worn life-jacket did not hold his airways clear of the water and he drowned due to complications of immersion in water.  The man overboard recovery equipment on board Copious was not supplemented by the training and equipment necessary for the recovery of an unconscious person.  Safety recommendations: A recommendation has been made to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to amend regulations to require fishing vessels to have an efficient means to recover an unconscious person from the water that is demonstrable during surveys and inspections.