Wexford skipper convicted after trawler’s dramatic crash off Dingle coast
The KerrymanA Wexford skipper has been convicted of ‘carelessly navigating’ after a trawler collided with a French fishing vessel about 100km off the Dingle coast.
Skipper Brendan Walsh of Kilmore Quay, County Wexford appeared before Dingle District Court on Friday, September 25.
Nobody competent was at the helm after the skipper retired to his cabin the night of October 18, 2024, a captain investigating the crash told the court.
Prosecuting barrister Tom Rice explained how the skipper had appointed a crew member to man the ship so he could sleep.
He was woken around 1am by crew members, who informed him their trawler was about to hit another vessel.
The Irish-registered Sauveur Du Monde, is 24 metres long, roughly the length of a bowling lane.
The skipper rushed from his cabin to the bridge and was knocked off a ladder as his vessel collided with the French-registered Bikain.
Both ships were damaged. Of six crew aboard Sauveur Du Monde, only the skipper was injured.
Captain Stephen Riordan, who investigated the crash for the Department of Transport, explained Bikain had right-of-way because it was fishing, and displayed lights to indicate this.
Nobody competent was in control of the ship at the time, he said “If they were competent, they should have taken action, changed course.”
A ship requires two competent watch seekers.
“At the time, there was only one on board,” said the captain.
Speed was not a factor in the collision.
The Minister for Transport charged Inish Trawling Limited of Kilmore Quay, County Wexford with failure to have and failure to provide a ‘safe manning document’, as required by EU regulations.
These offences are punishable by fines up to €5,000.
The skipper and company pleaded guilty before Judge Carol Anne Coolican.
Solicitor for the defence, Aoife O’Connor, asked Captain Riordan if Bikain attempted to change course.
He replied, “It was not obliged to, and it didn’t.”
Skipper Walsh had 40 years of experience, received his skippers ticket in 2001 and fully co-operated with the investigation, said the solicitor.
She said he believed the French vessel had not sufficiently dimmed its lights, making it difficult to discern the fishing lights.
Regulations requiring a ‘safe manning document’ came into effect in February 2024 and the company applied in October, before the collision. The documents were issued in December.
Taking this into account, the judge fined the company €500 for each conviction and took the skipper’s conviction into consideration.