Eight crew members rescued from sinking fishing boat near Fair Isle after crash during fish transfer

Eight people had to be rescued from a fishing boat after it crashed into its sister vessel and began to sink south east of Fair Isle.

An investigation found that the skipper of Peterhead-based trawler Guiding Star had left the wheelhouse unattended during a routine fish transfer between it and the Guiding Light in October 2022.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report said the skipper had been “excited to view the quality catch” after several days of intensive fishing and wasn’t there to prevent the boat from colliding with Guiding Light during a heavy swell.

Water began to enter the boat’s hull immediately following the crash, rising above the cabin floor and erupting through the emergency escape hatch before continuing to flood the main deck.

A mayday call was sent to the Coastguard while two crew members went to collect survival equipment from the cabins.

The crew being rescued from the Guiding Star by Guiding Light MAIB

One became trapped due to the floodwater and had to be rescued before the pair fled through an emergency escape hatch without the equipment.

A liferaft was launched, and the skipper ordered the crew to abandon the ship as floodwater poured through the emergency escape hatch.

The crew was able to get lifejackets and immersion suits – which helped prevent cold incapacitation – from their sister vessel before beginning to board the liferaft. A large wave then capsized the liferaft, causing six of its occupants to be thrown into the water.

The crew in the water were able to grab hold of the Guiding Light’s lifelines before the Guiding Star became fully submerged.

A coastguard helicopter was able to winch the last three Guiding Star crew members to safety before transferring them to the hospital.

All crew survived unharmed.

The MAIB report made several recommendations, including that lifejackets and immersion suits be stored in a more suitable location, crews should be informed of what to do in a flooding emergency, and the wheelhouse must not be left unattended.

It concluded: “The vessels collided because Guiding Light’s skipper left the wheelhouse unattended. The skipper did not have the cognitive resources to remain focused on watchkeeping at a critical time, which led
to a decision that took them away from the navigational controls and unable to intervene to prevent a collision.

“The skippers of Guiding Light and Guiding Star were compelled to leave the wheelhouse due to ineffective communications and the absence of a supervisor on deck to oversee fishing operations.”