The Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources has promised the immediate introduction of new sea-safety measures, following yesterday's release of the report into the sinking of the Waterford vessel, Jenalisa.
However, no immediate action is to be taken on one of the report's key recommendations - the urgent need to assess the stability of all existing and new fishing vessels. Stability will be covered in comprehensive new safety legislation which is at an advanced stage, a spokesman for the Minister, Dr Woods, said yesterday. Three Co Waterford fishermen died in the incident, which occurred some four miles south of Brownstown Head, Co Waterford, in February, 1996.
The body of one crewman, Mr Conor O'Grady (22), was recovered on the day of the accident, but the bodies of skipper/owner Mr Peter Nolan (39) and Mr Niall Power (25), both from Dunmore East, were never found.
The report - copies of which were presented to relatives of the three dead men earlier this week - found the most likely cause of the accident was that the 39-foot vessel lost stability, due to a combination of overloading and retention of water on the deck.
The vessel is estimated to have had more than three tonnes of fish on board, and other nets and gear including a 300 kilo trawl net, a 250 kilo trawl winch and trawl doors weighing 390 kilos. The report also notes the vessel was modified but it could not establish who initiated or carried out the changes.
The report rules out the possibility of a collision with another vessel, which was one of the early theories when damage to the bow was noted. It says this damage was probably caused by compression of a sealed tank on foot of pressure at a depth when the vessel sank.
The vessel was found by a joint Naval Service/Garda sub-aqua team on February 8th, 1996, four days after it disappeared, and was salvaged as part of the official investigation.
The report notes that, given the prevailing weather conditions and the vessel's "abnormally low" freeboard for its size, it is likely that seas came on deck. The investigator notes the freeing ports in the after part of the vessel were welded shut, and so water on deck would have had little opportunity to exit.
The vessel, which was gill netting for cod during the busy spring fishery, filled up gradually with water. It then capsized to starboard and sank by the stern, the report says. This "happened very suddenly, as the vessel's engine controls were at full ahead and no `Mayday' call was made", the report says. The radio was apparently working, as a call was made to another craft shortly before the vessel was "overwhelmed".
Commenting on the report, Mr John Nolan, father of the skipper/owner, says the freeing ports were more likely to have been seized due to corrosion, rather than welded. When his son had taken delivery of the vessel, which was built in 1983, at least one freeing port was rusted solid. He also takes issue with several other points, including the statement that the engine control was on full ahead. The steering gear hold and engine room were fitted with bilge alarms to warn of water ingress, Mr Nolan maintains.
The report highlights the absence of any national statutory requirements on stability. It says the Jenalisa failed to meet five of the six stability criteria recommended by the International Maritime Organisation for fishing vessels.
The report recommends introduction of national legislation setting basic constructional and freeboard standards and, in particular, stability standards in line with the IMO. It also says all national fishing vessel lifesaving rules should be amended to require the carriage of emergency position-indicating radio beacons. This second recommendation, which was also urged in the recent Carrickatine report, is to be acted upon immediately, Dr Woods, said yesterday.
The report says national legislation should require carriage of stability information on all fishing vessels in a simple format, readily understandable for all fishermen, and says marine notices should be issued requiring the use of freeing ports on deck. This is the second marine accident report released by the Minister in recent weeks, and Dr Woods said he was committed to publishing other outstanding reports as quickly as possible.
A relative of the deceased, who did not wish to be identified, questioned the timing of the report's release just before Christmas. "It has taken almost three years. Why issue it now?" he asked.
