Boats must prove they have means to recover people from water after Copious death

The Lerwick whitefish vessel Copious. Photo: Ivan Reid

Fishing boats will be required to demonstrate they have the means to recover an unconscious person from the water following an investigation into the death of a man from the Copious.

Edison Lacaste died in February 2021 after he fell overboard from the trawler around 30 miles south-east of Shetland.

A marine accident investigation into his death found that, while he was wearing a lifejacket at the time, it was being worn incorrectly when he fell into the water.

It said he had been standing on the aft bulwark attempting to fix their trawl gear when he had fallen in, and that Mr Lacaste had lost consciousness in the water.

The report found that the Copious had man overboard recovery equipment, but was “not supplemented by the training and equipment necessary for the recovery of an unconscious person”.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said that the owners of the Copious had since replaced it with a new larger vessel with “upgraded safety features”.

No further recommendations have been made to the owners of the Copious as a result of the safety measures they have since taken.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency, however, has been asked by the MAIB to ensure all boats have measures in place to prove they can recover unconscious casualties from the water in future.

A separate Fatal Accident Investigation (FAI) is also due to be held at Lerwick Sheriff Court.