Crewman suffered ‘horrific’ injuries when struck by pole

Crewman suffered ‘horrific’ injuries when struck by pole

12 July 2017

A DECKHAND on an Ardglass prawn trawler suffered “horrific” life-changing injuries when he was hit on the head by a steel pole, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has 

reported.

The accident happened when 30 year-old Romanian, Aurelian Dinu, was helping deckhands untangle fishing gear that had become snagged on an underwater obstruction —believed to be a sunken trawler — while the Sea Harvester was fishing in the Firth of Clyde in August last year.

As a result of the incident at the rear of the twin rig trawler, which had six crew on board, Mr Dinu has been left totally 

dependent on care and is unable to follow commands. 

During the incident, he was part of an attempt to wind the snagged fishing gear onto the net drum, but the tension in one of the bridle ropes, in conjunction with the vessel’s motion in the moderate seas, bent a guiding-on pole and forced it from its socket. It struck Mr Dinu on the side of the head before falling overboard.

The force of the blow knocked the deckhand unconscious. The other members of the crew moving him to the galley where he was placed on a mattress, removing his oilskins and boots while trying to stop his bleeding. He was subsequently transferred by helicopter to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow.

Mr Dinu, who had previously worked on cruise ships and held a Romanian-issued deck officer’s certificate, had worked on another trawler before joining the crew of the Sea Harvester just a few months before the accident. 

The investigation report reveals that an inspection of the 20 metre trawler six days after the accident identified 15 deficiencies, including that the required annual self-certification had not been completed since March 2014, risk assessments were not seen and that additional lifesaving equipment was required. It was also noted a handheld VHF radio was not operational, there was no official logbook and no record of training or drills on board.

Marine accident investigators, who published their report into the incident last week, have issued new safety recommendations in a bid to ensure something similar never happens again.

The report found that three of the four Romanian deckhands, including Mr Dinu, had not completed any of the mandatory Seafish training courses while a Ghanian crewman had not completed a Seafish safety awareness course. It also states Mr Dinu had been standing in a “dangerous position.”

Investigators say Mr Dinu was considered by the Sea Harvester skipper as “dependable” and acted as the vessel’s mate. He spoke good English and translated the skipper’s instructions for two of the other Romanian deckhands who did not speak English.

The accident investigation report continued: “Sea Harvester’s owners’ use of deckhands who had not completed mandatory safety-related training courses and, in some cases, could not speak or understand English, was a commercial expedience taken in response to the unavailability of local, trained fishermen.

“Without suitably-trained fishermen, risk assessments to identify and mitigate hazards or self-certification to confirm that safety equipment was compliant with the relevant checklist for the vessel’s size, both vessel and crew safety were compromised.”

Investigators also noted Mr Dinu was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and the crew did not routinely wear either helmets or life-jackets.

They said that “in common with the crews on board many UK-registered fishing vessels, Sea Harvester’s crew did not routinely wear either, despite working on deck with heavy loads and tensioned wires in rough seas.”

The report said in this case, the degree of protection that would have been afforded by the wearing of a safety helmet is uncertain.

It continues: “Nonetheless, some protection, no matter how limited, could have potentially reduced the severity of the horrific, life-changing injuries that Aurelian sustained.”

Accident investigators have highlighted the safety issues identified in the report and recommended the owners of the Sea Harvester take steps to promote the safe operation of their vessels.

The report confirms the Sea Harvester’s owners have modified the securing arrangement for the vessel’s guide-poles to reduce the likelihood of them dislodging when hauling. They have also reviewed similar arrangements on other vessels they own and completed a health and safety risk assessment.

It has also been recommended Sea Harvester’s owners promote the safe operation of their vessels, taking into account the importance of crew training, the provision and use of personal protective equipment and regulatory compliance. 

Marine accident investigators insist that the safety recommendations shall in no case create a presumption of blame or liability.