Collision between general cargo vessel Nautica and potter Flourish
Location: 21 miles off the Humber, England.
Completed PE Summary: Nautica/Flourish
A short summary of the accident and action taken:
| Merchant Vessel/Accident Details | |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Nautica |
| Manager | Baltnautic Shipping Ltd, Lithuania |
| Port of Registry | Kingston |
| Flag | St Vincent & The Grenadines |
| Classification Society | Lloyd’s Register |
| Type | General Cargo |
| Built | 1992 |
| Construction | Steel |
| Length Overall | 87.95 m |
| Gross Tonnage | 1587 |
| Date and Time | 11/10/2007, 1403 (LT (GMT +1)) |
| Location of Incident | 53 51N 000 35E - 21 miles offshore |
| Incident Type | Collision |
| Persons Onboard | 6 |
| Injuries/Fatalities | Nil |
| Damage/Pollution | Minor cosmetic only/Nil |
| Fishing Vessel/Accident Details | |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Flourish |
| Vessel Manager/Owner | Bartizan Fishing Company, Ltd |
| Operator | Privately operated |
| Port of Registry | Ballantrae |
| Flag | British |
| Type | Fishing Vessel |
| Built | 1970 |
| Construction | Wood |
| Length Overall | 16.13m |
| Gross Tonnage | 40.11 |
| Date and Time | 11/10/2007, 1403 (LT (GMT +1)) |
| Location of Incident | 53 51N 000 35E - 21 miles offshore |
| Incident Type | Collision |
| Persons Onboard | 4 |
| Injuries/Fatalities | One fatality |
| Damage/Pollution | Loss of the fishing vessel/minor pollution |
Synopsis
At 1303 UTC the fishing vessel Flourish was involved in a collision with the coastal general cargo vessel Nautica. The collision took place about twenty one miles off the Humber near the Rough gas field, neither of the vessels were found to be keeping a proper lookout.
The weather at the time was good with fair to good visibility.
As a result of the collision, the fishing vessel, which was of wooden construction, suffered major structural damage and sank within seconds. Of the four crew on board three managed to get into a liferaft and abandon the vessel, sadly the fourth member of crew has still not been recovered.
There was paint damage only to the hull of the coaster.
Action taken
The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents has written to :-
The owners of the general cargo vessel, strongly advising that they should take appropriate action to strengthen bridge team procedures to, as far as possible, ensure that:
-
Company and master’s standing orders are stringently adhered to with reference to passage planning and position fixing;
-
Bridge watchkeepers use all available means to detect potentially dangerous situations at an early stage, with due regard for the additional visibility problems caused by the hatch gantry crane.
Sadly the owner of the fishing vessel did not survive the collision and sinking of his vessel. Under these circumstances, a Chief Inspector’s letter will not be written.
Published: December 2007