A Naval Service officer fell into the Atlantic Ocean 54 miles off the west coast when the rope ladder of a Spanish trawler he was boarding broke, Galway Circuit Criminal Court heard yesterday.
Petty Officer James O'Connell of the LE Aisling was lucky to escape with his life. He suffered no injuries and was picked up immediately by fellow crewmen in an inflatable raft.
The court heard that Petty Officer O'Connell and Sub-Lieut Nessa Maloney had been ordered to board the Spanish registered fishing vessel Geni Lisi by the captain of the patrol boat as part of a routine inspection on September 7th, 2004. The Spanish trawler, operating from Vigo, was 86km inside the exclusive fishery limit of the State at the time.
Both crew members approached the Spanish vessel in an inflatable raft. Sub-Lieut Maloney was first to climb up the ladder and Petty Officer O'Connell started to climb after her but the ladder broke and he fell into the water. He was wearing a buoyancy jacket and was quickly rescued.
The skipper of the Geni Lisi, Ramon Gago Gonzalez, pleaded guilty yesterday to contravening the Fisheries Consolidation Acts by failing to provide safe and convenient access to his vessel by means of a suitable boarding ladder.
Judge Raymond Groarke fined Mr Gonzalez €4,000.