Tag Archives: Fatal Accident Inquiry

Floating device would likely not have saved fisherman, inquiry hears

A fisherman who fell overboard from a local whitefish trawler is unlikely to have survived even if he had worn his personal flotation device (PFD) correctly, an inquiry into his death heard on Tuesday. Edison Lacaste died after falling into the water while carrying out repairs to fishing gear on the twin rigger Copious in the early hours of 18 February 2021. The crew instantly responded to the incident by throwing a floating mooring rope but the 45-year-old Philippine national became unresponsive within two to three minutes. The second day of a Fatal Accident Inquiry held at Lerwick Sheriff Court also heard that the owners of the fishing vessel, 60 North Fishing (Shetland) Ltd, had complied with all necessary maritime health and safety requirements, and had held and recorded man overboard drills on a regular basis. more, >>click to read<< 16:17

Skipper recalls man overboard incident as fatal accident inquiry begins

The Skipper of a local whitefish trawler told an inquiry at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Monday how he was unable to hold on to a fellow crewman who fell overboard while carrying out repairs. The body of Edison Lacaste was recovered from the waters by the Sumburgh based search and rescue helicopter 30 miles southeast of Sumburgh in February 2021. During the first day of a Fatal Accident Inquiry into the death of the 45-year-old Philippine national, skipper of the Copious LK 985 Andrew White recalled the events that led to the tragic loss. The twin rigger was hauling its nets in the early hours of 18 February, when the crew became aware that a hammer lock on one of the wires attached to the net had failed and needed to be replaced. more, >>click to read<< 14:50

Scots fisherman died after getting caught in gear and dragged overboard

A Scots fisherman who had more than 40 years of experience died after getting caught in fishing gear and dragged overboard, a probe into his death has found. Peter Gray was alone on his creel boat, Saint Peter, catching crab and lobster when the accident occurred on May 2, 2021, near Torness Point, Dunbar. Peter, 63, was accidentally pulled overboard by his ankle when trying to free tangled creels at some point between 8.30am and 10.30am, marine investigators found. The skipper was unable to reboard his vessel and spent up to 10 hours in the water, suffering a fatal heart attack at some point. >click to read< 11:27

Lifejacket could have avoided Shetland fisherman’s death, FAI finds

The death of a fisherman working off Shetland could have been avoided if he wore a lifejacket, a Fatal Accident Inquiry has found. As a result a sheriff has called for it to be mandatory for all fishermen to wear a lifejacket while working on deck. Scott James Rennie, 31, died on June 23, 2016, at the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick. An hour before his death he was working on the fishing vessel King Challenger. >click to read<  19:55

‘Owner should have ensured fishing boat was seaworthy’

The owner of a small fishing boat, whose sinking led to the death of a father-of-three, should have ensured it was in a seaworthy condition. That was the view of Procurator Fiscal David Glancy yesterday as the final submissions were made in a Fatal Accident Inquiry into the death of 40-year-old Scott MacAlister. Mr MacAlister was the skipper and sole occupant of Speedwell, owned by Luing ferry captain John Connell, which sank off Easdale Island on April 25, 2013. The inquiry earlier heard that the boat had a leaky hatch. He stated that another precaution would have been for the owner of Speedwell to ensure there were life jackets on board the vessel. >click to read<09:54