Fishing vessel hit rocks on Blasket Islands after crewman fell asleep

The FV Dearbhla, with five crew on board, struck rocks on the north-west shore of Inish na Bró while passing through the Blasket Sound on May 14. File picture: Dan Linehan

A fishing trawler crashed onto rocks on one of the Blasket Islands off the Kerry coast earlier this year after a crew member on board fell asleep at the wheel, an investigation has revealed.

A report by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board said the accident might have been prevented if the crew did not have to leave the vessel’s wheelhouse to make a hot beverage.