Final report on the investigation of a fatal man overboard from the fishing vessel Pioneer (NN200) south of Hastings, England on 29 July 2021
Summary:
On the morning of 29 July 2021, the skipper of the UK registered fishing vessel Pioneer fell overboard as the vessel was heading back to its beach standing in Hastings, England. The sole deckhand on board was unable to recover the skipper, who was later airlifted to hospital by a search and rescue helicopter but could not be revived.
The key safety issues were:
Pioneer had a low bulwark at its aft deck, which did not prevent the skipper’s fall into the water.
The skipper was not wearing a personal flotation device.
Critical safety equipment was either missing, incorrectly fitted or out of date.
Collectively, a number of deficiencies identified indicated that Pioneer was being operated with a low standard of safety management.
The instructions to Maritime and Coastguard Agency surveyors did not contain robust guidance to ensure that successive surveys were completed to a consistent standard.
Safety recommendations:
A recommendation (2024/169) has been made to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to revise its guidance to surveyors to provide clear instructions on how to complete surveys and inspections.
