Skipper was rescued from sinking tourist boat 'at the last minute', report finds

The harbour at  Portmagee, Co Keery, where many tourist boats head to Skellig island. Picture: Neil Michael

A passenger boat bringing tourists to the Great Skellig island off the coast of Kerry sank 30 minutes after disembarking its passengers and a crew member in July.

The skipper on the MV Sea Breeze 111 was rescued with only minutes to spare, a report into the incident by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board has found. 

It has recommended that all sightseeing vessels going to sea should notify the Coast Guard before setting out; and that CCTV be installed to monitor the landing dock on the Great Skellig.

“The skipper was rescued at the last minute by the owner’s arrival at a point midway back to Portmagee. Had the water ingress started earlier while all were onboard, there may have been a very serious outcome,” the report said.

The vessel left Portmagee at 07.45 on July 7 last year and weather conditions were favourable with a light breeze, a low swell, and good visibility.

The vessel went directly to the concrete landing dock on Great Skellig and at approximately 9am, the 12 passengers were landed ashore accompanied by one crewmember, leaving the skipper alone onboard.

At around 9.10 the engine compartment bilge alarm sounded and the skipper observed water at the base of the engine. The vessel would return to Portmagee with the owner meeting him on another quicker vessel, the MV Skellig Flier.

No Very High Frequency (VHF) radio or mobile telephone call was made to the Coast Guard. The stern of MV Sea Breeze III gradually became lower in the water and when the owner reached the vessel at around 9.35am it was already close to sinking.

The Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) was activated at 09.38 as the vessel sank.

The report said the boat was licensed and had passed inspection in March of the previous year. It had also carried out works recommended. The weather conditions were fair, and the skipper was very experienced in berthing alongside the concrete landing dock at Great Skellig.

The vessel now lies in 80m of water and there was no CCTV footage. Passengers were not interviewed as the policy is not to retain the passenger lists.

While there was no evidence “an impact of the hull with the landing dock cannot be conclusively dismissed as a possible source of water ingress,” the inspector said.

Among the safety recommendations to the owner of the vessel are training refresher courses for crew in the use of VHF radio in an emergency and also that full passenger contact details should be held.

The transport minister is also being asked to issue a marine notice to “owners, operators, and skippers” reiterating the importance of being aware of and following correct VHF procedures in emergency citation.

The minister is also asked to consider legislation requiring the electronic submission of passenger and crew lists by sightseeing vessel operators to the coast guard before offshore voyages.

The report recommends that the Office of Public Works, which manages Skellig, installs a CCTV system powered by solar, to monitor the landing dock the island.