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The Department of Transport has issued Marine Notice on small fishing vessel (<15m) safety.
The Department of Transport has issued Marine Notice No. 07 0f 2022 to all fishing vessel owners, operators, skippers crew and fishers which is a REMINDER on Fishing Vessel Safety – fatal incident involving a small fishing vessel (<15m).
The Department of Transport wishes to highlight a recent report published by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) on the fatal incident involving the ‘FV Myia’ in Galway Bay on 02 November 2020.
The full report may be obtained from the MCIB’s website at www.mcib.ie.
In response to the MCIB report’s recommendations, the purpose of this Marine Notice is to remind owners, operators, skippers and crew of fishing vessels of previous safety advice and requirements issued by the Department of Transport by means of Marine Notices, and to supply links to such Notices.
Please see the below list of Marine Notices previously issued by the Department of Transport between 2019 and 2021 in respect of some of the hazards associated with working onboard fishing vessels:
Reminder of Notices
- Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs): Marine Notice 48 of 2021 sets out the requirements for the correct use of Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) for persons working on fishing vessels and highlights the obligation for every person working onboard such a vessel to always wear a PFD while working on open decks.
- Dangers of Potting operations: Marine Notices 17 of 2019 and 39 of 2019 highlight the various dangers associated with potting and were issued following incidents that resulted in fatalities. Fishers are also reminded to be vigilant against the specific dangers associated with snagging in gear while setting trains of pots.
- Use of VHF Radio: Marine Notices 40 of 2019 and 61 of 2020 deal with the issue of communication at sea. Marine Notice 61 of 2020 provides a list of the Irish Coast Guard Very High Frequency (VHF) working channels and a Guide on transmitting a Reminder Fishing Vessel Safety – fatal incident involving a small fishing vessel (<15m) Reminder of Marine Notices VHF Distress Alert. Fishers should use VHF radio when making distress calls. Other means of distress alerting such as Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB) and Personal Locator Beacons (PLB) can also be used. The Department wishes to remind all persons of the very serious limitations of using mobile phones for this purpose.
- Weather Forecasts and Voyage Planning: The Department also wants to remind fishers of the content of Marine Notice 41 of 2020 which deals with voyage planning, executing a voyage, contingency planning, procedures and drills. In addition, the Department wishes to highlight to all skippers and crew of fishing vessels that they should be aware of the limitations of the vessel they are crewing and should always know the weather forecasts prior to going to sea.
Please see Marine Notice 19 of 2021 setting out the importance of voyage planning and avoiding dangerous situations in adverse weather and sea conditions.
Finally, please consult Marine Notice 49 of 2019 for further information on fishing vessel safety.
Note: Marine Notices are issued purely for maritime safety and navigation reasons and should not be construed as conferring rights or granting permissions.
