MESTRE HORÁCIO - Very Serious Maritime Casualty
Vessel: MESTRE HORÁCIO
GAMA reference: 2013-063
Data da ocorrência acidental: 30-04-2013
Published on: 27-11-2014
Casualty Event: Slipping - Stumbling and falling - Fall of persons - Fall overboard of person
Summary
On 30 April 2013, MESTRE HORÁCIO was shooting a purse seine in Portuguese territorial waters with 12 crew members aboard. A crew member was stationed on the port side of the working deck to monitor the purse rings, assist the passage of the acoustic transducers over the vessel’s side and report the sequence of the rings as the net was being shot. During the operation, an arm or part of the crew member’s oilskin jacket became caught in the moving fishing gear. The crew member was pulled overboard and dragged beneath the surface by the lower section of the net. Immediate recovery and search operations were unsuccessful. The body was recovered on 14 May 2013, and the post-mortem examination determined that death had resulted from drowning.
Safety recommendations
SR 63-2013.1: Assess replacing the rail system used to launch the purse-seine rings with a rod system. No response status is recorded in the report. SR 63-2013.2: Assess rearranging the fish-storage boxes on deck to provide additional clear working space for the crew member attending the rings. No response status is recorded in the report. SR 63-2013.3: Assess installing physical separation between the crew member attending the rings and the moving fishing-gear components, using measures such as guardrails, vertical barriers or component guides, to minimise the possibility of contact. No response status is recorded in the report. SR 63-2013.4: Assess providing crew members with oilskin jackets fitted with elasticated cuffs to reduce the risk of clothing becoming caught in the fishing gear. No response status is recorded in the report.
Lessons learned
Crew members should be physically separated from moving fishing-gear components wherever practicable. A rod system provides better control of purse rings and reduces the likelihood of fouling compared with a rail system. Deck equipment and fish-storage boxes should be arranged to provide sufficient clear working space. Clothing worn near moving fishing gear should have close-fitting cuffs and no loose components that may become caught. Critical fishing operations should be adequately illuminated, and tasks performed during the high-speed shooting of a purse seine should be clearly allocated and kept as simple as practicable