Home > News and media > Media releases 2008 >
Mi Jay loss highlights importance of regular trip reports |
 
Latest media releases
Media releases 2008
Media releases 2007
Media releases 2006
Media releases 2005
 View latest news on our feed
|
| |
Mi Jay loss highlights importance of regular trip reports
|
|
| |
6 June 2008
The loss of the Mi Jay and her crew may have been avoided had her owner maintained regular radio contact with the vessel and reported her missing much sooner, a report released by Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) concludes.
The Mi Jay departed Nelson on a fishing expedition on 22 November 2005, carrying a skipper and two crew. It had enough fuel and supplies for 14 days, but had been expected to return to Nelson sooner. Apart from a phone call by the skipper the next day, the Mi Jay was never heard from again. The two crew were found dead drifting in the Mi Jay’s liferaft on19 December, almost a month after she departed Nelson and two days after the official search was suspended. The skipper’s body was never found. |
|
|
“The tragedy is that this accident may have been avoided had the owner established a regular communications schedule with the vessel’s crew before departure,” MNZ Deputy Director of Safety and Response Services, Peter Williams said. “This would not only have let those on shore know that things were okay, but would have also meant that when things did go wrong, rescuers would have had critical information about where to begin the search.”
MNZ’s report says that despite the skipper being new to the vessel, its owner, Warwick Loader of Nelson, had no firm idea of her destination and failed to maintain any contact with the Mi Jay. It was not until 14 days after the vessel left Nelson – when her supplies were due to run out – that he finally alerted the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) that she was missing.
“Despite a massive search over 11 days, efforts were seriously hampered by the delay in the owner notifying RCCNZ that the Mi Jay was overdue, along with a lack of information about her intended destination or planned route,” Mr Williams said. “Had RCCNZ been provided with this vital information when searching for the Mi Jay, lives could have been saved.”
“Based on analysis of the liferaft, it’s likely the crew were drifting for at least three weeks before being found. It’s also likely they survived for up to two weeks while the search was underway. Had the liferaft been fitted with an emergency beacon, or had the owner kept in regular contact with the vessel and raised the alarm much sooner, then they would have had a far greater chance of rescue.”
Mr Williams said lessons learned from the accident had resulted in a concerted education campaign promoting the importance of regular radio schedules and trip reporting to vessel owners and masters.
Mr Loader and his company, Crusader Fisheries Ltd, were found guilty in April 2007 of “operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk” under charges brought by MNZ. Mr Loader was sentenced to 350 hours' community service. An appeal against the conviction was unsuccessful.
For further information contact:
RCCNZ Media Line
Phone 04 499 7318
››Back to media releases
|
|
|
| Frequently viewed topics: |
|
|
