Crew of Cork trawler escaped a minute before vessel sank, report finds

A 3 square metre hole in the deck left by a 350kg weight wasn't noticed for 45 minutes as it was hidden by fishing gear

A report by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board has revealed how the accident caused F V Aztec to swiftly submerge off Duncannon, Co. Wexford, on January 11 last after taking in water.

The crew of a Cork-registered trawler had a lucky escape after their vessel sank off the Wexford coast earlier this year within one minute of abandoning ship after a 350kg weight punctured a large hole in its deck.

A report by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board has revealed how the accident caused F V Aztec to swiftly submerge off Duncannon, Co. Wexford, on January 11 last after taking in water.

The fishing vessel with four crew on board had been engaged in pair trawling with another vessel, F V Western Down, for sprat around 500 metres from the shore.

At approximately 10am, F V Aztec was taking the ends of its net on board for the next tow. During the operation, the fishing weight of approximately 350kg was dropped onto the deck. It created a 3m² holed on the deck which went unnoticed by the crew as it had been covered with fishing gear.

The two vessels continued trawling for another 45 minutes without incident.

However, a crew member on board F V Aztec noticed the hole on the starboard side of the vessel when it started to list as it was taking on fish being transferred from the other vessel. Water soon began to enter the hole in the deck and started to flood the trawler’s steering department.

MCIB investigators said the vessel began to lose its buoyancy and its stern dipped deeper into the water.

The skipper of F V Aztec, who had 46 years’ experience at sea, managed to manoeuvre his vessel alongside F V Western Down and instructed his own crew to abandon ship. The MCIB report said the vessel then sank within a minute with the crew of both vessels able to return safely to Duncannon Harbour.

The trawler was recovered in a salvage operation on January 29. 

MCIB findings

The MCIB said weather conditions at the time of the incident were relatively calm and did not contribute to the sinking of the vessel.

Investigators said the lack of a bilge alarm in the steering compartment meant the flooding of the vessel went unnoticed until it was spotted by a crew member. They noted F V Aztec already had around 10 tonnes of fish on board at the time of the incident, when another catch was being loaded.

The MCIB concluded that the loading of the vessel had contributed to its sinking, although there was no limit for the size of the catch allowed on board. It said time did not allow the crew of F V Aztec to operate the bilge pumps which would have been ineffective against the rate of flooding.

The MCIB recommended that the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, should issue a Marine Notice to remind trawler owners and skippers to be aware of the safe loading capacity of their vessels and the advisability of having compartments in the hold alarmed with a means of being pumped out.