Crew unhurt after vessel sinks and liferaft capsizes

Water entered the damaged stern and eventually the Guiding Star sank off Fair Isle, by the Shetland Islands in the far north of Scotland.

Life jackets and immersion suits on board were inaccessible because they had been stored in cabins that flooded, and the liferaft they were evacuated to then capsized.

In October 2022, two fishing trawlers – Guiding Light and Guiding Star – were carrying out a routine fish transfer near Fair Isle, Scotland, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has reported.

The vessels collided, breaching the stern of Guiding Star, which flooded. Attempts to pump out the flood water failed, with the vessel foundering after about an hour, and the eight crew were evacuated to a lifecraft which then capsized.

“Five were recovered to Guiding Light and the remaining three were winched to a coastguard rescue helicopter. All crew survived unharmed,” the MAIB report says.

The report says that because Guiding Star was less than 24m in length, she did not have to meet any damage stability criteria, so when water entered the hull ‘it caused a rapid reduction in buoyancy and loss of stability’.

“The accident has highlighted the importance for fishermen to be prepared for such emergencies and to know when to abandon ship,” the report says.

“The fish transfer had not been risk assessed and, during the operation, Guiding Light’s wheelhouse was left unattended, which meant the skipper was not at the navigational controls to prevent the collision.”

The MAIB has recommended that the Maritime & Coastguard Agency updates its guidance on vessel flooding preparedness, as well as advising Guiding Light’s manager on the risk of leaving the wheelhouse unattended and other safety aspects.