Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2015
526. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his response to the report of the Marine Casualty Investigation Board into the sinking of the MFV Dean Leanne which resulted in the deaths of fishermen (details supplied) in June 2013. [6949/15]
View answerI have received a copy of the Marine Casualty Investigation Board's report into the fatal incident involving the MFV Dean Leanne on 12 June 2013, which unfortunately involved the loss of life of the three fishermen concerned.
The Report contains three safety recommendations, the first two of which are addressed to me. The first recommendation is that fishing vessels of less than 12 metres in length should be required to be fitted with an automatic float-free EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon). The second recommendation is that, in addition to the EPIRB, all fishers on fishing vessels of less than 15 metres should be required to carry Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs). Both of these recommendations have already been introduced as requirements in the revision of my Department's Code of Practice for the Design, Construction, Equipment and Operation of Small Fishing Vessels of less than 15 metres length overall, issued in January 2014 and effective from 3 March 2014.
The final recommendation is addressed to owners and skippers of fishing vessels and recommends compliance with all the requirements of that Code of Practice and operating their vessels as per the requirements of their designated operational area. The recommendation makes the point that compliance is a continuing process and owners and skippers must ensure that their vessels are in a sound, structural seaworthy condition, prior to the vessel going to sea.
The tragedy of lives lost at sea affects families, friends and communities, and I sympathise with them. We all want to reduce and indeed prevent fatalities and accidents, but this is not a simple thing to do, nor can it be achieved simply by more regulation. My Maritime Safety Strategy is very near completion and focuses on the action that can be taken by individuals, families, friends, organisations and by my Department.
