Every crew member of a small fishing vessel will have to wear a satellite-tracked personal locator beacon under revised rules approved by Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar. Each vessel under 15 metres will also have to have a free-floating emergency position indicating radio beacon as part of the regulations which come into effect on March 3rd.
The revised code of practice will apply to some 90 per cent of the Irish fishing fleet, about 2,200 vessels. The rules come over six months after a Bord Iascaigh Mhara safety initiative was endorsed by Mr Varadkar and Minister for Marine Simon Coveney in Union Hall, Co Cork. Beacons and alarm systems qualify for grants under the BIM scheme.
Four fishermen died and one is still missing after three incidents in vessels under 15 metres last year, Mr Varadkar’s department said yesterday.
It said that several reports by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board had recommended the use of float-free radio beacons on fishing vessels and the wearing of personal locator beacons by all on board.
It was thanks to activation of a personal locator beacon that the crew of the yacht Rambler 100 were picked up when it capsized during the Fastnet yacht race in 2011, although the official report found that while all 21 crew had been issued with the personal devices and strobe lights, only two were available for use when the yacht lost its keel and turned turtle.
Last June, brothers Paul (49), Kenny (47) and Shane (44) Bolger, from Passage East, Co Waterford, wore lifejackets and had an emergency position beacon on their 19ft punt, Dean Leanne, when they capsized in Tramore Bay – well within range of both Irish Coast Guard and RNLI lifeboat rescue.
The beacon failed to activate and the alert was not raised until some hours later when their boat was overdue. The three brothers died of hypothermia.
