UK MAIB publish report on the sinking of prawn trawler Diamond D

On 16 August 2020, the trawler Diamond was on passage between Eyemouth, Scotland and North Shields, England. The skipper and the vessel’s owner were relocating the boat in order to carry out planned survey and maintenance work. While on route, the two crew carried out a trawl to catch fish, during which the net snagged on the seabed. The vessel took on a list as the crew attempted to recover the net. The list worsened and the vessel sank.

The crew abandoned to a liferaft and activated the boat’s emergency position indicating radio beacon. The two crew were subsequently rescued by the local lifeboat service.

The MAIB did not issue any formal recommendations, but they did raise several safety-related issues:

• hull damage caused by trawl doors hitting the hull as crew attempted to uncross towing wires
• flooding was not noticed until it was too late
• crew did not hear the bilge alarm because they left the wheelhouse unmanned and were totally focused on recovering the gear

The MAIB reminds fishing vessel crews to be prepared for flooding emergencies, to regularly check under waterline spaces and to wear PFDs at all times while working on deck.

Read the full report at Flooding, capsize and sinking of prawn trawler Diamond D – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)