Trawler towed at high speed through Irish Sea after British submarine snagged its nets

The skipper of a trawler towed at high speed through the Irish Sea after a British submarine snagged its nets has called on the authorities to tell all about what happened.

The lives of the crew were endangered after the Karen was trailed backwards at seven knots in April 2015, 15 miles from Ardglass — one of Northern Ireland’s main fishing ports, inspectors said. They nearly capsized but were saved because the nets released after 30 seconds. Royal Navy submarine commanders were unaware of the collision until three hours later after they failed to realise they were passing beneath a fishing vessel with nets rather than a merchant cargo or passenger ship, a Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report said yesterday.

Ship’s captain Paul Murphy said: “The Navy have said that they have put in place 12 new recommendations for the (avoidance) protocol and changes but we are not privy to that so the Navy has to meet with us, explain their decisions on it and I think give us some more information on the actual incident. Give the fishing industry a bit more confidence back in them.